Chapter Seven

Red arrived in Pewter City early the next morning, sore and exhausted– though he didn't think much of it. He just merely stuck to the edges of the roads as he exited Viridian Forest, eyes searching for the telltale red roof of what would be a Pokemon Center. He had never been in one, but he did know how they worked– and he figured that would be the next best place to stop. It didn't take him long to locate it– the Center being one of the first major buildings in the town.

"Hello, welcome to the Pokemon Center, how can I help you?" The nurse beamed as he entered– and he was glad to see no one else was in the Center this early in the morning.

He trudged up to the counter, eyes brushing the ground as he approached, pulling Charmander off of his shoulder and placed him in front of the nurse. Aiden blinked in surprise as he was pushed forward, giving a small uncertain wave to the nurse, who frowned.

"Can I see their Pokeball and some form of ID?" She asked kindly.

Handing over the Pokeball was easy enough, though his stomach twisted at the idea of presenting ID– at least until the words of the professor echoed in his mind. He hesitated once more, before removing his Pokedex from his pocket, carefully setting it next to the Pokeball, still not looking the nurse in the eye. She frowned again as she took it, before her eyes lit up.

"Oh, this is one of those new index-things, isn't it?" She picked it up in fascination. "They were just recently approved by the League for usage, didn't expect to run into one so soon." She slid it under a scanner. "Let's see, Red... from Pallet Town... two captured Pokemon..." The nurse glanced at him. "Where's the other Pokemon you captured?"

For a moment he didn't move, and Charmander let out a soft call. Closing his eyes, Red shifted his backpack, slowly reaching a hand inside in search of the Pikachu he had captured last night. He shuddered as his fingers pressed against the sphere, and he practically threw the Pokeball onto the counter. If the nurse found this strange she didn't say anything, just scooping up the two spheres, followed by Aiden. She set the Pokedex back onto the counter.

"I'll give them a quick check up, and I'll have them back out in a few minutes," the nurse said cheerfully. "There's your Pokedex back, it looks like you have several unread messages– maybe have a look at those while I heal these guys up?"

He grabbed his Pokedex and retreated to one of the chairs in the waiting area, feeling vulnerable without Aiden by his side. He hadn't known the Charmander for that long, but as he was taken into the back of the Center everything just felt wrong. Red closed his eyes for a minute, before looking down at his Pokedex. A small red light was flashing in the corner, and as he flipped it open an alert popped up on the screen.

He experimented with the buttons for a moment, and after several minutes he was able to swiftly scroll through the messages and get rid of the annoying flashing light, not bothering to read any of them. He put it back into his pocket, leaning back in his chair, hoping that the nurse would return with Aiden soon. He closed his eyes as he sat there, slowly reaching out in search of Aiden, his mind briefly brushing with the Pokemon's.

The Charmander was a bit on edge, but overall seemed much more relaxed than Red would have been surrounded by strangers. He could sense other Pokemon here too, in the back. Their emotions varied– nervousness, concern, exhaustion, pain– things to expect in such a location. Red broke off the connection, opening his eyes, before looking out the door of the Center. Somewhere in this town would be the gym that Agatha had promised– and a means of power.

Aiden was not the strongest Pokemon Red had encountered, but he was effective due to the fact that he did not resist Red's influence. He also handled battles on his own as well, as he had with the Pikachu last night, and with no other options at the moment he planned on using the fire type in the gym. If beating this gym meant becoming powerful, and having powerful Pokemon, then Red planned on going as far as he could. Power meant control, and control was what he wanted in his life.

"Red, your Pokemon are all healed up," the nurse called, and Red pushed himself to his feet. He headed towards the counter, ready to pick up his Pokemon and leave– but froze up when he saw that Aiden was not the only one on the counter– a yellow shape sitting next to him.

The Pikachu's eyes whipped towards him, coppery eyes sharp. Red's eyes went wide, not realizing that the nurse would have let the beast out. The Pikachu took a step forward– which was the most threatening thing she could have done in his opinion. She was up on her hind legs, heart shaped tail raised, and ears flicking towards him. Her paws seemed to twitch in excitement, and at her side Charmander looked uncertain, watching his trainer.

"Here are their Pokeballs," the nurse continued, placing the spheres on the counter, frowning sighty at Red's reaction. "Both of them are in perfect shape to battle."

"Pikapika!" Pikachu shouted in excitement, sparks running across her cheeks, and Red staggered back again.

"Char char," Aiden said swiftly, patting the Pikachu on the top of the head, hoping to calm her down, but the Pikachu shoved his paw away. "...Mander..."

"Red?" The nurse asked.

Red swallowed slightly, but the sparks had died down. He hesitated for a moment, before risking a step forward– before snatching up the Charmander and his Pokeball, retreating once more. The Pikachu stared at him expectantly, but he turned to leave.

"Wait one moment!" The nurse shouted as he hurried towards the door, and Red froze up. "You will not abandon a Pokemon in my Pokemon Center! You get back here and get her Pokeball now!"

He shook his head swiftly.

"Pikapika!" The Pikachu protested, and Red could feel the anger rising in her. Not wanting to risk an electrical attack he turned, heart thumping in his chest.

The nurse had come around the counter, the Pikachu's Pokeball in hand. "I'm not sure what's going on here– but that Pikachu was no trouble while I was healing her, and they're quite a rare catch in the forest as well– isn't 'rare' what you with the Pokemon index's want?"

Red said nothing, just clutching Charmander to his chest as he stared at the Pikachu on the counter, eyes locked on her cheeks. He didn't care that he was being shouted at, or that there was attention on him– the only thing that mattered was making sure that there were no more sparks from the Pikachu. That there was no sign of electricity coming from the monster on the counter.

The nurse pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Are you scared of rodents or something? Look, if you don't want the Pokemon, then you need to release her where you caught her, okay? That's the law. Take her Pokeball and go release her back into the forest."

"Chu-pika!" The Pikachu shouted, and another spur of anger rushed through her. Red lunged forward upon sensing this, grabbing the Pokeball from the nurse's hands before she could react, pointing it straight at the electric type. "Pika–!"

She was cut off with a burst of red light, being drawn into the Pokeball, and Red felt himself relaxing. Locked away. Couldn't hurt him. He had the Pokeball, he had control. Everything was okay now, and he let out a shuddering breath, which the nurse saw, and her gaze softened.

"Remember, release her where she was caught, that's the humane thing to do," she said softly. "Even if you don't like a certain kind of Pokemon, they deserve at the very least to be somewhere they can survive."

Red gave a short nod, not that he really cared where this Pikachu ended up, just as long as it wasn't near him– but this probably would make the nurse happy. Which would mean no more yelling, and that he could head out the door. This prediction was correct, because the nurse had no more to say than a goodbye, and this time let Red head for the door with no protest.

He followed the instructions that he had been given, heading to the edge of the city, where the forest was in sight– where he set Aiden on the ground, holding the Pikachu's Pokeball in hand, then positioned his Charmander between him and where he planned on sending out the Pikachu. His hands twitched slightly as it brushed by the release button, but he pressed it, the Pikachu materializing with a burst of red light.

The Pikachu thankfully didn't look straight at him, but rather looked about. She tensed the moment she saw the forest, before those frosty eyes rose to Red's crimson ones. The two held their gaze for a moment, and when Red saw that she wasn't leaving he pointed a finger off towards the forest.

The Pikachu ruffled her fur, huffing, and turned away– but not taking a step towards the forest.

He gritted his teeth, and reached out for the Pokemon's emotions. The Pikachu paused as she sensed his presence, ears twitching, and he gathered his energy as he formed an order. The Pokemon's will was strong however, and he had to shove the thought into the mouse's mind, the demand sharp and clear.

Leave.

The Pikachu's eyes whipped towards him, and static crackled about her cheeks. There was a challenge in her gaze, resisting the command that echoed through her very heart– stubbornness outpacing the power behind Red's orders. And though he could not speak to Pokemon, the way she was staring him down it was very clear that the mouse was saying 'no'.

Leave. Red demanded again, less force behind the order, as he knew that he could not make it stick with a Pokemon this stubborn. He hated when he encountered Pokemon like this, where it was a fight for his powers to have any effect. So instead he was just making his desire clear, and he could only hope that the mouse would dash off into the undergrowth.

And dash the mouse did– but straight at Red. He stumbled back as she took off with a Quick Attack, acting before Aiden could react, and suddenly the Pikachu was at his feet. The mouse climbed up his leg with no hesitation, landing on his shoulder and darting down his arm. Thankfully it wasn't the one in a brace, and she reached her Pokeball, tapping it with a paw– which recalled her back into the sphere.

"Mander..." Aiden said uncertainly, looking up at his trainer, who was quivering slightly. The Pokemon's message was clear– she had no intention of leaving, and he didn't know why. She for some reason wanted to be in the tiny sphere, on Red's team.

A Pokemon with electricity. Sparks that ran across her even when she wasn't forming an attack. One whose coloring was meant to clearly state that this Pokemon could set off electrical sparks.

He couldn't do this! He couldn't have a Pokemon like this near him!

So he let out the Pikachu again, aiming the sphere so it would let her out as far away as he could get it. And as the mouse started to form from the red light he turned and ran as fast as he could back towards the city. Aiden let out a cry of surprise, before racing after him. They hurried away from the forest and the route, a few people on the streets giving him a strange look as he ran by, but his running was for naught as a gleam of white caught his eyes– the Pikachu racing ahead of him with a Quick Attack, blocking his path.

"Pika pika pikachu!" She screamed at him, cheeks sparking, and he closed his eyes as he stumbled back– but no attack came. His breathing was heavy for a moment, and he kept his eyes closed. It was a bit easier to focus when he didn't have to look at the Pikachu. So he used the moment to focus on her emotions, hoping to find some means to explain why she was following him.

She was angry and frustrated, which he did not like, because angry electric Pokemon could use electric attacks. However, it didn't seem to be directed at him personally. There were other emotions too, a determination and excitement, and of course her fierce stubbornness. He focused on the eagerness about her, a spark in her heart, and he realized what this Pokemon really wanted– she wanted to battle.

Red took in a deep breath, looking between the Pikachu and the Charmander. A battle... that he could manage, that he had already planned on doing. And if that was what it took to keep the Pikachu from following him, to get her to go back into the forest, then that's what he would do. Battle, then she'd leave. He stared at the Pikachu for a moment, before holding up her Pokeball and recalling her with a burst of red light.

"Char?" Aiden asked.

Red tilted his head for the Pokemon to follow him, and he headed down the streets. They had a gym to find, after all.

Aoi stormed ahead into the forest, arms crossed, refusing to say a word to him.

Forrest sighed, but was used to this attitude from the girl when she was angry. He didn't know what she thought it would accomplish, her silence was much more appealing than her yammering anyways. Still she made a parade out of it, head held high, refusing to even make eye contact, huffing if he so much as looked her way.

"We don't even know the kid," Forrest growled. "How hard is it to get over it?"

"Because we were supposed to stay with him!" Aoi cried, speaking for the first time since they entered the forest. "He's hurt and we told Mr. Oak that we would take him to Pewter and now he's lost and we're just going ahead! You said we would look for him!"

"We are looking for him," Forrest said, gesturing across the forest. "We didn't see him in Viridian, or on route 22 or on the routes before– so unless he went off of the road he should be here or ahead of us."

"You just want to go and challenge the gym," Aoi snapped. "You don't care about Red, and you get to be the one to tell your grandpa that you lost him!"

"You lost him too."

"He hasn't answered any of our messages in the Pokedex either," Aoi said, looking down at the machine. "What if something happened? It would be our fault!"

Forrest stopped, looking at the path. "Aoi, look at this."

"No! I'm not listening to you!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I think I found Red."

"What?" Aoi asked, turning, eyes wide. "Where? This isn't funny, you don't get to make that up–"

"Shut up and look at this," Forrest said, tapping his foot against the path. "There was a Pokemon battle here, can't you tell?"

Aoi doubled back, standing next to him as they stared at the forest floor. She chewed on her cheek for a moment, before shrugging. "I guess? It is all scorched up."

"Exactly," Forrest said, grinning. "Two kinds of scorches, to be exact– the one that webs out is definitely from an electric Pokemon. Probably a Pikachu, there's supposed to be some in the forest. But these rounder ones? That has to be from a fire type."

She perked up immediately. "Red?"

"Probably," Forrest said with a nod. "There are no fire types that live in this area as far as I know, and he does have Charmander. I mean, there is a chance it could be someone else, but he has to be close, so..."

"So he did go ahead of us!" Aoi said in excitement, leaping forward to hug him. Forrest tried to pull back, but she got his arm, holding it tight. "We're going the right way then, we are going to find him!"

"Told you," Forrest muttered.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Aoi chanted. "The sooner we get out of the forest the sooner we find Red!"

With that she charged on ahead, letting out a loud whoop. Forrest stayed behind a bit longer, studying the remains of the battle a little bit longer. A Pikachu would be a great addition to any team, electric types were powerful. He wondered if the Pokemon was still around, or if Red had managed to somehow catch it. But where there was one Pikachu there had to be more, they were social, afterall. So as Forrest continued after Aoi he let his eyes flick about, hoping to catch some sight of yellow.

He was glad that Aoi was now willingly moving forward. If they had to double back to Viridian... well, he didn't like that Proton guy from the gym at all. The man had been hanging out near the Pokemon Center when they had woken up that morning, and Forrest had dragged Aoi the other way as quickly as he could. The guy was a creep, and was showing way too much interest in them.

Especially after when Aoi had mentioned Red...

"Come on, Forrest!" Aoi cried. "Why are you so slow?"

"Because I'm a Slowking," Forrest replied, rolling his eyes. "Meaning I actually have a brain unlike you."

"King of Slow is certainly a worthy title for you!"

Forrest's eyes flicked up towards the branches, a flicker of yellow catching his eyes. The thought of a Pikachu ran through him, but the figure was much too still to be one. The Kakuna was hanging by a String Shot, swaying slowly in the wind. He swallowed, because where there was a Kakuna there was always a swarm of Beedrill to protect them.

"You know what, Aoi," he said after a moment. "Let's see who's really slow– how about a race to the end of the forest?"

"You're so on!" Aoi cheered– before bolting on ahead. Forrest increased his pace, not wanting to stay behind where there could be Beedrill near.

"What is it, Proton?" Giovanni asked coldly, the screen flickering to life.

"Boss!" Proton said warmly, grinning, no worry in his gaze despite the fact that he had insisted that they needed to talk immediately. "I'm glad you were able to return my calls– because I have some very important news!"

Proton had been left to manage the gym, and so Giovanni couldn't imagine what news from the gym would be more important than the mess Giovanni currently had to clean up. One of his top bases had been destroyed, many valuable members of Team Rocket were dead, Project M2 was on the loose, and it was his job to keep the League informed enough that they would be satisfied and not stick their noses where it didn't belong.

"Make it quick, Proton," Giovanni said in a low voice. "I am not sure what could possibly take precedence over all that was happening, but you said this was of the utmost importance."

Proton puffed up slightly, his grin growing. "Oh, don't worry, sir, this is very important– and it is good news as well." He leaned towards the camera, as if he was merely across the table, and he was about to whisper something into his ear. "You see, I have learned something very critical: Red is alive."

Giovanni stared. "What."

"You heard me!" Proton said, almost laughing. "Red is alive, Giovanni!"

His hands curled, heart thumping, but he refused for his eagerness to show on his face. "Where is he? How did you learn this?"

"I don't know exactly where he is," Proton said, waving a hand. "But I was at the Pokemon Center the other day, making sure the gym Pokemon were in top shape– and this girl came up to me, and wanted to know if I had seen her friend." Proton grinned. "And who is her friend, exactly? A boy named Red."

The spark Giovanni felt was immediately smothered, an anger taking his place. "You called me because somebody was looking for someone named Red?"

Proton's eyes widened, and he held up his hands. "Whoa, Boss, I wouldn't call you on assumption! But this girl, she described her friend for me, and the description matches to a T! Said the boy was her age, and Red is; that he has dark hair, and that he doesn't talk much! Just like our Red! On top of it all she said he was hurt– and I doubt he would have been able to walk away from that attack without getting hurt!"

"He wouldn't be able to walk away at all, because he is dead," Giovanni said with a low growl. "I was never sloppy with the boy– and I have records of his movements up until he died. He was in the room with M2 when it was freed, brought there by Dr. Tambert– and no one survives M2."

"But–"

"If you know what's good for you, Proton, you won't say another word," Giovanni growled. "You've wasted my time as if, and while I'm tempted to demote you here and now I'm not in the mood to find a replacement." He glowered at the screen. "So if you stay quiet and keep doing your job, I'll let you keep it– and that's me being generous."

Proton looked like he was ready to protest, but the man wasn't as stupid as he sounded at times– and kept his mouth shut. His eyes looked angry, but Giovanni ended the call without another word. He pressed his fingers to his forehead, letting out a long sigh, and he felt something press against him. He opened an eye, and saw his Persian looking at him, and he brushed his fingers against the Pokemon.

"A pain, all of them," Giovanni muttered. "Thinking a story will get him into good graces?" He shook his head. "Red is gone, and that's probably our biggest loss right after M2." He turned his chair, facing the empty screen once more. "We can only hope this next call can go better, hmm? Took us a bit of time to get to meet with the man."

With that Giovanni leaned forward, and placed the call. He sat up in his head, adjusting his suit and tie, trying to look as collected as possible. After a moment the screen flickered to life as the call was answered, a man on the screen looking at him with a smile.

"Theodore Silph," Giovanni said warmly. "I'm glad that we were able to meet."

He waved a hand. "Call me Theo, dear gym leader," Theo replied. "You said that you needed to contact me urgently, correct? On behalf of the League?"

"A lot has been going on as of late," Giovanni said, nodding gravely. "I don't know if you've heard any rumors lately? The League has been trying to keep things under wraps."

Theo tapped his fingers against his desk. "I have heard things about an apparent attack, but I assumed it was all gossip."

"There's a truth to every tale," Giovanni replied. "And there is plenty of truth rooted in this one– the League has discovered a previously unknown facility that has been attacked, and completely destroyed. I mean buildings leveled, and people dead. Though we have no solid lead, Lance is sure it is Team Rocket."

"That is terrible."

"The thing is, Theodore, is that this facility seemed to be heavily tech-based. We are still trying to make sense of the ruins, but it seemed they were working with advanced science. And if Team Rocket attacked them for it... well, let's just say we're worried about other potential targets."

Theo looked pale. "You don't mean Silph Co., do you?"

"Your company is exactly what I'm worried about," Giovanni said, leaning forward. "Professor Oak was the one that was the most worried, actually. He didn't say much, said he didn't know much nor could say much, but with what he implied it seemed like your company had something that would be of interest to Team Rocket?"

Theo hesitated. "I can think of a few things."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Things I prefer to keep quiet," Theo said, looking away. "The Elite Four already knows about some of my team's latest projects anyways."

"And I'm the one looking into this potential Team Rocket attack," Giovanni replied. "I'm calling to make sure that you or your company won't be the next target by this horrible group. I want to see if we can help provide security– but that I cannot do unless I have a full understanding of what is happening."

"Well..."

"I took a risk telling you about the first attack as it is– the League does not want the public knowing about it yet," Giovanni said, leaning forward. "But in order to best work together we need to trust each other, Mr. Silph."

Giovanni fought against a smirk as he saw the man's resolve melt away. Theo looked at him, hesitant, but looking much more willing. He glanced about his office once, then at Giovanni. "I trust you're alone right now? That this conversation can't be recorded by any means?"

"Just me and my Persian," Giovanni promised– but recording the call he was.

"Well, you see, Silph Co.'s latest project is going to be a big one if we can get it to work. It's a new type of Pokeball, one we hope to be more powerful than an Ultra Ball, but have no conditions like specialty Pokeballs. We... we're trying to make a Pokeball that cannot fail– one that I call the Master Ball."

"The Master Ball," Giovanni repeated softly, stroking his Persian.

Yes, this was turning out to be a very informative call indeed.