Chapter Five

Red's calculations were a bit off– but in his defense he had never really traveled long distances before.

The plan had been to go off trail, but still travel in the same direction as the others from Pallet Town. Get to Viridian City, the only landmark he knew of at this point, and decide where to go from there. His plan, however, hadn't gone exactly how he had hoped.

He was sure this was no longer route 1, the dirt roads had given away to brick paths, and the sprawling grasslands had become lush greenery. Trees dotted the landscape, and off in the distance a tall forest could be seen standing. As Red meandered along the brickwork and bushes he was quick to notice an order to it all– a more even spacing between the trees, bushes trimmed with no underbrush in sight, grass spread out with no dirt or rocky areas– not as clear cut as the gardens that had surrounded the base on the few occasions he had been outside, but compared to the route he had been on before this was all clearly maintained by humans.

But no buildings in sight to indicate any kind of settlement.

"Char?" The Charmander had his back claws resting on Red's backpack, while his head and forearms rested on his shoulder. His tail draped down, flames flickering, yet not burning the cloth it brushed up against.

Red glanced at Aiden, who seemed drained from their trip out here, but his spark of happiness was unrelenting. He let out a rumble in his throat as his trainer looked at him, small chirping-like noises calling out until Red's fingers brushed against his snout. He melted at the touch, more rumbles coming from him.

Despite having a fire type curling up against him, a harsh chill suddenly filled the air. It bristled about him, making the hair on his arms rise. The shining sun did nothing to disperse the sensation, neither did the flame on Charmander's tail, which was only inches away from him. It caused Red to tense, eyes flickering about, and on his shoulder Aiden mimicked him.

Red felt a set of foreign emotions brush against his mind, much closer than what he sensed from the wild Pokemon off in the distance. It was a strong presence, a confidence that the Pidgeys and Rattata didn't carry. He whipped his head about, yet saw nothing. His eyes fixated on a space up near the tree line, eyes narrowing, though all he saw was empty air.

He sensed a caution flare up in it, and the presence dove to the side. Red's eyes drifted after it, trying to discern what was there. There was nothing but air, yet he could sense the churning emotions, feel the chill against his skin. Again the presence darted away, this time coming closer to him, and he instantly seized control of Aiden. The Charmander's curious gaze faded away, a growl rattling its throat.

"You can see her?"

Red jumped as he heard the voice, gaze being ripped from the sky and back towards the path– where a woman stood as if she had been there the whole time. She was an older lady in a simple purple dress, who was leaning against a gnarly wooden cane for support. Her hair was blonde, just beginning to gray, and her sharp little eyes were locked right on him.

He instinctively took a step back, growls still coming from Aiden. She regarded the Charmander for a moment, before her gaze returned to Red. She tapped her cane against the ground twice, and the presence dove down from the air and darted to the side. It was still invisible, but Red could sense it hovering right above her, burning with a strong sense of loyalty.

The woman chuckled as his gaze followed the presence. "So you can. How interesting, it isn't often I come across someone that can feel more than just her chill."

The presence suddenly zipped forward, hovering right in front of Red. The temperature about him dropped in response, causing him to shiver slightly. The air in front of him seemed to waver slightly, the only sign that something was there other than the wave of curiosity the being was now radiating. He reached out with a hand, but it passed through it with ease, whatever was there wasn't merely invisible– but it caused the hair on his arms to rise.

The older woman's eyes narrowed. "...Or perhaps you can't see her. You ain't no medium, that's for sure. Yet you know she's there..." she chuckled. "Why don't you show yourself, darling, no need to scare the child."

The first thing Red saw were a pair of eyes of the same color, and in his surprise he lost control over Charmander. Aiden blinked a few times, looking about, and yelped when it saw the floating pair of eyes right in front of them. The fire type sat up a bit, the two of them watching as the Pokemon slowly phased into view. It was huge, a gaseous body lined with a ragged fur, limbs curled in close to its body. The Pokemon gave them a huge grin, before flying back over towards his apparent trainer.

"You know," the woman remarked. "You're not the first person I've met that's sensed Gengar like that. A few weeks ago a man came down from the Silver Mountains, foolishly went along Victory Road and we had to drive the wilds off from him," she grinned. "The Pokemon there are kept riled up on purpose."

He blinked at her.

"Oh, how foolish of me," the woman took a step forward. "I'm Agatha, ghost type trainer of the Elite Four. And you, child, and heading towards a path I know you aren't ready to take. As rare as a Charmander is, I can tell that lizard hasn't seen much in the ways of battles."

Red's eyes brightened to a scarlet as the woman came closer, and Charmander's growls returned with a snarl. He flashed his sharp teeth at the approaching woman, eyes narrowed, a couple of cinders flying from his mouth. Agatha merely gave a sneer that Forrest would have been jealous of, and continued her approach.

"This ain't the way for travelers," Agatha said. "The Pokemon past here are territorial, kept riled up as a challenge. Occasionally Lance will let his dragons fly over to keep them on edge, or lure a Tyranitar down from the mountains to stir up some trouble. Unless you're prepared for the League you shouldn't be heading down this way. Now, are you just stupid, or stupid and lost?"

Charmander continued letting out his snarls, and Red averted his gaze.

"Stupid and lost then, I see," Agatha let out a snort. "Viridian City's the opposite way of here, and if you want to make use of the Pokemon you got you'd take on the gym there," she waved at him to turn about. "Pokemon ain't meant to be a little decoration to lug around, kid."

She seemed to be waiting for a reply, but Red just passively stood there. He slowly released his hold on Charmander, shifting his focus towards the Gengar. Despite the playful emotions coming from it, he could sense the raw power it radiated. He gritted his teeth as he tried to take control, but the ghost type merely blinked as it felt the new presence in her mind– and shrugged it off.

"You know..." Agatha said slowly. "Charmanders are rare, but I know that Lance bred his not too long ago. He kept most of the hatchlings, but he did trade one in exchange for a Squirtle egg– an egg that came from that old duff Oak."

Red's eyes shifted towards hers at the sound of a familiar name, and she smirked.

"I thought so, you must be from down in Pallet then," she leaned in closer, studying him closely. "...You ain't one of his grandchildren, are ya?"

He shook his head.

"Good, good..." she muttered, relaxing slightly. "I supposed you've run into them though, hmm?" He started to nod, but she didn't seem interested in waiting for an answer. "If you got that Charmander from Oak, that also means you got one of them Pokemon dexes things too, right?"

Aiden brightened up, diving over Red's shoulder, using his claws to hold onto his shirt as he crawled down, grabbing the device from his pocket. He waved the Pokedex happily, and before Red could protest Agatha snatched it from him, looking over it like it was gum she had found on the bottom of her shoe. She snorted, before tossing it back to him.

"Oak had a brilliant mind, once, but he wasted it," Agatha said as Red fumbled to grab hold of Pokedex. "Pokemon are for battling, and Oak was one that had a skill for it. He could have gone far– he did go for, but he abandoned it in pursuit of trivial knowledge. That's all that Pokemon-index thing is, child, a trivia game. Pokemon are power, power that we have hold of. A power that we can bond with."

She looked at her Gengar fondly, who rubbed up against her. Red blinked slowly, before watching her in interest. Her words were the first from outside the base that felt familiar in any way, because he already knew that. Pokemon were power– the stronger the Pokemon, the more power you held. This was something he had grown up learning, yet there was still something different about the way Agatha spoke compared to what he knew.

"If you want my advice, child," Agatha said. "It would be to stop pursuing whatever you were told to with that index, and go after the gyms. You have a rare Pokemon, a Pokemon whose mother belonged to an Elite Four. Glory runs in its blood, and you can make a real powerhouse from it– but as a trainer you have to be the one to bring it out."

Red looked at Aiden, who was currently resting in his arms, rubbing his head against his chest contently.

"With proper training you could become powerful," Agatha said. "You could return to this path with the ability to face Victory Road. There's so few proper trainers nowadays, those who go beyond with their Pokemon. You may have not said a word, kid, but I can see it in your eyes. You want power, don't you?"

Red nodded, not sure of what to make of the woman, but the energy she radiated was ghost-like herself. Not necessarily frightening, but so forgien and strange that it both drew him in and brought caution. Her words rang true to him, power was something he wanted. Power meant control, something he was just learning to hold for himself.

She grinned. "I like you, kid. You know how to listen, something the rest of your generation could learn. If power is something you truly seek, then the gyms are what you want. I'd say head down to Viridian and take on the one there, but I already know that the gym leader ain't there."

She lifted her cane, pointing to the forest off to the north. "Viridian Forest. It's about a day's journey for a young folk like you. It'll take you straight to Pewter, where there's another gym. You might want to stop in Viridian anyways, stock up on supplies."

Red took in this information, creating a mental map. He had heard plenty about Pewter City already, which was where Professor Oak wanted him to go, but this was the first time hearing about where it was. Viridian City seemed to be due east from here, and he hoped that it wouldn't be too far. He took one look at Agatha, gave her a nod, then turned to leave. She crossed her arms as she watched him go, heading down the brick path.

"Hrmp," she muttered. "Leave it to Oak to try to ruin such potential," she scratched her chin. "So, what are you thinking, Gengar? He's no medium, and definitely not a psychic, but he definitely sensed you back there."

Gengar nodded in agreement.

She crinkled her nose. "But what would be the chances of seeing two empaths so close together be?"

"I am getting too old for this..." Samuel said wearily, looking down at the vast landscape below. Barney let out a low rumble, the Dragonite glancing back at the professor as they flew. He was only going a fraction of the speeds he could manage– with a simple Extreme Speed they could be soaring across the landscape, but as Professor Oak got on in years caution became key when traveling. "If Agatha hadn't reared her ugly head..."

Who knew someone could hold a grudge for as long as her. She had volunteered him for this investigation, saying that perhaps his expertise in the field of science would be of some use, as if he could identify remains of technology from the explosion. He was a Pokemon scientist, he studied living breathing beings! Anyone from Silph Co. would have been a better choice than him, and if they wanted someone inside the League then Gym Leader Katsura would have had more experience.

But instead he was flying out to work when he was supposed to be helping Forrest set out on his journey. Spending time with Daisy. Accompanying Red to Pewter. Anything else in his personal life that could have been of more importance.

"Oh, by Zapdos' storms," Professor Oak muttered when he saw the ruins up ahead, stomach dropping. Even Barney's flight slowed down slightly, looking out at the remains of the buildings in shock.

He knew it couldn't have been a small place, not with over a hundred people dead, but he had still been expecting something low key and isolated– not remains of multiple buildings that looked as if they could have been from Saffron City. Even with the structures being collapsed and blasted in multiple directions it had clearly been a state-of-the-art facility, and he swallowed as Barney went into a low dive.

What had happened here?

The Dragonite took him towards the largest group of people– five people gathered around talking near the ruins of the largest building, their Pokemon nearby. One pointed up at him as he approached, causing the others to look up as he came in for a landing. The leader of the group waved his hand, getting the others to back off as Barney touched the ground, sending out a small breeze from his landing.

"Professor Samuel Oak, I presume?" The man asked, and Samuel studied him. He was a fairly tall man, with a sharp and angular face. He had short black hair, and eyes of the same color. A Persian stood by his side, calm and poised, watching Barney with narrowed eyes. The man had a green badge pinned to his shirt– the Earth Badge.

"That is correct," Samuel said, sliding off of Barney, and he held out his hand.

"I am Giovanni Sakaki," he said, grasping his hand and giving it a single shake. "Viridian City Gym Leader, I am glad you were able to make it."

"The weather was calm, so it was an easy flight."

Giovanni looked up at Barney appreciatively. "A beautiful beast. I wasn't aware of anyone outside of Lance having a Dragonite here in Kanto, even the collectors seem to favor Dratini over its evolutions."

"His evolution was only a few years back," Samuel said, patting the dragon on the stomach. "He was a Dragonair for most of my life, they're not the easiest to evolve."

"Bah!" Barney said with a coo, nuzzling the professor happily. He had to step back so he didn't fall over, continuing to stroke the Pokemon. Giovanni watched, his gaze unreadable, while his Persian crinkled its nose.

"You were quite fortunate to come across such a rare Pokemon," Giovanni said as Barney pulled back from his trainer, and the dragon's eyes turned towards him. "How were you even able to get one? A breeder, I presume?"

"Barney, no," Professor Oak said in a low tone as the Dragonite took a step towards Giovanni. "A wave will do– no ambushing people with hugs."

"Roo..." Barney said in disappointment, wings sagging, but gave Giovanni a wave with a clawed hand. Meanwhile Persian tensed up at the word 'ambush', standing in front of Giovanni with a snarl, but a hand on his head got him to stand down.

"Sorry about that, he's quite affectionate," Samuel said. "As for how I got him, I actually found him in the wild, where the Safari Zone stands today. I was never able to find any sign of a larger population there though. My theory was that he came from the ocean, perhaps washed in or separated from his parents."

"Fascinating," Giovanni said simply, watching Barney for a moment longer, before turning away. "Anyways, we should get down to business. I have several of my workers and those working for the league already searching the place. I would proceed with caution, no remains have been removed yet and none of them are pretty."

"...I can handle it," Samuel said after a moment, though he wasn't sure if he could. His stomach still tied in knots at the state he had found Red in– half starved and covered in scars– and he had still been alive. "Lance says he suspects Team Rocket is behind this?"

"Merely a theory," Giovanni replied. "Likely due to the general threat Rocket poses, but nothing concrete. My men have been out here for days at this point, and we have found nothing conclusive."

"What have you found?"

"Our first task was finding survivors, next was taking a body count," Giovanni didn't turn around as he started walking forward, forcing Samuel and Barney to follow after him to keep the conversation flowing. "We found two survivors, but both were in a comatose state, and are being treated in the Cerulean City Hospital. We found evidence that there were other survivors, but they already left by the time we arrived on scene. We have flying types searching the surrounding wilds for them, and we have put word out to all Pokemon Centers to alert us if any potential survivors come in."

Samuel gave a low whistle. "You've definitely been on top of things. I only heard about all of this two days ago... I can't imagine this has been easy to handle, considering the casualties..."

"We do what we must," Giovanni replied, looking out at the ruins with a forlorn look, before turning back to the professor. "...Pallet Town doesn't have a Pokemon Center, correct? Yet it is one of the closest settlements to here. Has anyone come through your town that could potentially be a survivor, Professor?"

Red. Samuel instantly thought– he had been half dead when he had found him, with plenty of injuries, both new and old. His broken wrist, and not to mention the faint scars he had caught glimpses of... yet Samuel couldn't bring himself to say a word as he opened his mouth. Because mentioning Red would mean mentioning Team Rocket– and connecting the child to the group.

He thought back on the tracking anklet he had been wearing, and how withdrawn the child had been, he had clearly been through a lot. Throwing him into the spotlight on an investigation this large... he didn't know how Red would react to that, if he would even be able to handle that. Samuel knew he shouldn't be doing this as he shook his head, the League needed as much information as they could get, but he couldn't do that to the child, and that was even if Red was connected to this at all. Giovanni said there had been evidence of other survivors– and when they were found they could provide the League with their information.

"I'm afraid not," Samuel said simply, lying with ease. "Pallet has always been a quiet place– the most exciting thing in years was my grandson and a neighbor setting off on their journey. Unfortunately I had to rush it thanks to being called out here."

"A start of a journey, a special moment indeed," Giovanni sounded less than intrigued, but considering the environment he had been working in he didn't blame him. "I cannot imagine dealing with grandchildren, my children cause trouble enough."

"There was no one else to take them, so someone had to step up," Samuel replied. It was very hard at times raising his two grandchildren at his age, Daisy stepping up at a much younger age than he would have liked– but between work and home someone needed to pick up where he was slacking. Only two years older than her brother– but Daisy was his mother figure.

"Hmm," Giovanni's reply was short and simple. "I've had my men collecting what remains of the technology that was used here. There isn't much to recover, I'm afraid, outside of mere scraps."

"Still, I am here to see them," Samuel replied.

Giovanni paused for a moment, before pulling out a white Premier ball, recalling his Perisan in a burst of red light. He then pulled a Dusk ball from his pocket, releasing a Honchkrow of impressive size from within. The professor gave a low whistle as he looked at the beautiful and intimidating creature– gleaming black feathers covered his form, and a Quick Claw sat around its neck.

"Follow me," Giovanni said as the Honchkrow spread its wings, swooping at its trainer. It gripped him by the shoulders, glowing a faint blue with a Fly as it used the energy of the attack to pull him and the larger human easily up into the air. As soon as it was in the sky it summoned a Tailwind, gliding off at startling speeds.

Professor Oak was much slower in mounting his Pokemon– but with a simple Dragon Dance and riding the remains of the Tailwind it wasn't too hard to catch up. Samuel eyed the Honchkrow some more, before deciding it had been bred specifically as a mount judging by its form and just the natural speed it had.

His gaze soon turned towards the ruins below them though, studying them this time without a fearful awe, but rather in a means to try to understand what happened. It wasn't too hard to locate the origins of the blast– just look for the central point where the debris blasted out, but soon the professor found himself frowning.

"There were multiple blasts," Samuel said as they landed, and Giovanni looked over at him. "The way the rubble fell, there was clearly multiple center points for a blast, the debris basically forms a ring from where the blast would have rang out. I spotted at least three just flying over."

Giovanni nodded in agreement. "There's also several other locations where it looks like there was a single direction of a blast, like here for example," he gestured to a collapsed wall that looked as if it had been scorched. "An aerial view shows that the force came from this direction, yet take a look behind us it shows no sign of an attack radiating out the other way."

The professor's eyes narrowed, and he dismounted Barney once more. He made his way over to the collapsed walls, Giovanni right behind him. The Dragonite glanced at his trainer– who wasn't focusing on him– and grinned. He faintly glowed silver with Extreme Speed, pouncing on Honchkrow before he could react. The bird let out a squawk as he found himself wrapped in a powerful embrace, feathers ruffled as he tried to escape the grip. Giovanni frowned back at the Pokemon, while Barney hugged his latest victim tighter, rocking back and forth.

Professor Oak was kneeling down next to the fractured walls, running a hand over the strange burns that covered it. He muttered to himself, walking through the ruins, stooping to study the marks every few steps. He dug through his bag, pulling out a camera, snapping a few pictures as he went, a deep frown covering his face. Hesitating, he pulled back, worry on his face, and he pulled out two Pokeballs.

A Nidorino and a Primeape were released from their Pokeballs, both looking extremely uncomfortable. The Primeape let out an unhappy shriek, while Nero pawed at his head unhappily. Giovanni stared at them, then looked up at the professor for some explanation– who was currently recording his two Pokemon.

"Barney, let go of Honchkrow," Samuel called out. "And Giovanni, please ask your Honchkrow to come over here. Thrash, you are not to attack it, okay?"

Thrash the Primeape let out a huff at this, while Giovanni's gazed narrowed, but gave a sharp whistle. Honchkrow responded immediately, flaring open its wings as Barney released him. He flew straight over to Giovanni's side, who waved towards Professor Oak's Pokemon, and he landed next to the Nidorino.

The effect wasn't immediate, but slowly Nero and Thrash began to relax in Honchkrow's presence. It was like an itch they had was finally being scratched, the Nidorino even pressing closer to the bird. Honchkrow let out a huff, eyeing the professor's other two Pokemon warily, but didn't move from where he had been told to stand. Samuel had been recording the whole interaction, and even looked slightly pale as he slipped the camera around his neck.

"Do you plan on explaining what you're doing, Professor?"

"Has there been any Pokemon that haven't done well here at the ruins?" Samuel asked, looking at Giovanni. Black eyes narrowed, clear frustration in his gaze at the lack of an answer. "Acting strange? Just different than other Pokemon?"

"...I suppose," he finally concluded after a moment. "My Nidoqueen has been on edge, and Simon's Golbat had to be recalled to its Pokeball because it kept flying off."

"Both are poison types," Samuel said. "Along with Nero. Thrash is a fighting type– and what do those have in common with poison types?"

His lips twisted. "Training wise, not much. Poisons tend to be defensive, fightings tend to be offensive. They're both weak to psychic types, but I fail to see–"

"Exactly," Professor Oak said, grabbing two Pokeballs and returning Nero and Thrash in a burst of red light. "And both were doing fine when your Honkrow was around– a dark type– which naturally is able to diffuse psychic energy. Now, take a look at these burn marks, Giovanni, and I can tell you they weren't caused by fire."

He guided the gym leader across the ruins of the wall, taking photos as he talked.

"The scorns marks web out too evenly, almost in a uniform pattern, rather than a darker burn from where the blast was more intense and fading out if you reach the edges. Potentially well guided fire type attack could yield similar results– but that would have to be over a smaller area with a very powerful Pokemon. What we are looking at, Giovanni, was a psychic blast of great intensity."

He raised an eyebrow. "A psychic blast leveling these buildings? I don't even think Saffron's strongest Alakazam could take on one building in such a manner, let alone multiple."

"There is psychic energy lingering in the air," Samuel insisted. "You saw for yourself, the Pokemon weak to it reacted to it. But for it to linger for so long... we are dealing with something very dangerous. We should probably call out psychics from Saffron City to monitor it for themselves, see what they say. Also make sure we tell Lance not to eliminate Team Rocket from suspicions, and I'm going to need to make some calls."

"Calls to who, exactly, Professor? This data the League wants to remain private for now," Giovanni said coolly.

"Silph Co., for one," Samuel said, voice becoming urgent. "Judging from what we know this was a research facility of some kind, correct? With high level technology? I'm ninety percent sure Team Rocket was behind this attack, and if it's technology they're after then Silph Co. needs to be warned. They could be targeted next."

"What exact technology do you think would interest Team Rocket at Silph Co. anyways?"

"I don't know much, and what I do know I can't say much about," Samuel replied. "I just know their latest project is a big one, and one that would draw interest."

Giovanni considered this. "I will personally contact Silph Co. See what security they have, and how we can work with them."

"Perfect," the professor replied, because he had other people he needed to call. The League's knowledge of Team Rocket was limited, but he knew a few people that could have some valuable information– especially when it came to Rocket technology. "I need to see what remains of electronics you've gathered from here, see what we can make of them."

"You seem to be a very knowledgeable man, Professor," Giovanni remarked. "Have you ever considered taking your skills to a larger organization? My company could really benefit from someone like you."

"...That is a very generous offer, and thank you," Samuel said. "But I'm afraid I like to work alone. My research has been taken advantage of before, and I am not comfortable with putting it in such a situation again."

"Of course," Giovanni pulled a business card from his pocket. "But if you ever change your mind, please feel free to call me. I'll have Simon drop by and show you what we have found so far. I'm going to go and make some calls, starting with Lance, and then Silph Co."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, Professor," Giovanni said, and with a snap of his fingers his Honchkrow opened its wings and swooped towards him.

Samuel didn't look up as Giovanni flew off, his gaze focused on the ruins about him. His mouth was dry, carefully looking over everything as Barney drew up next to him. The Dragonite looked at him in concern, nudging his trainer, and Samuel sighed.

"I need to talk to Leo," he muttered, pulling away from his Pokemon, snapping a photo of what appeared to be a shattered computer screen. "But I don't think I could pay Bill to come back to Kanto... but he's the only person I know that might have any hint of what's going on."

Barney whimpered, and Samuel sighed.

"We'll just have to pray that this isn't what I think it might be."