After a half hour of traveling Cerulean City through barricaded roads, Karl, Hadley, and Kevin were disappointed to see that the bridge was broken apart and uncrossable, just like the road back to Mt. Moon. The river seemed much too turbulent to travel through, as the water ran rapidly. "Oh... this won't do..." Kevin said disappointingly.

"How about this: we get someone to swim us across," Karl suggested.

---

"...we get someone to swim us across."

Becky watched them from behind a building. This was the perfect opportunity to help them first and then bag them! She then, in casual clothing, headed over. "You needed help, right?"

"Yeah, we need to get through Nugget Bridge, but it's fallen apart," replied Karl.

"I'll help you with that. Come on, Lappy, let's take these kids across the river. Can't you swim?"

"Only I can," said Blue, upset. "And I can only carry one person at a time. And that water's too quick for me! I don't want to be swept away!"

"All right, then, all aboard!" They sat on the Lapras' back. "Hit it!" Reluctantly, the Pokemon swam across the turbulent river. Karl knew that something wasn't right – why would this girl just ask if she could take them across? Lapras didn't seem too happy about it, either, because of its grim face.

Karl, Hadley, and Kevin headed off.

"Here's a gold nugget for your troubles." Becky handed Karl a nugget. "And by the way, would you like to join this cool club I'm in?" Club? What club? The three had absolutely no idea what Becky meant. "You don't know? It's called Team Rocket. We're professional Pokemon Trainers who are absolutely crazy about Pokemon!"
"Team Rocket!" the other three all cried out in shock. "You're with Team Rocket!"

"That's right, and I'm telling you this! Think of the opportunity."

"No way! Help, Koopa!" Kevin called out the Squirtle, who saw Becky, and popped into his shell in fear, shaking.

"Ha! You're too weak!"

"Wait a minute... I remember this trick!" Kevin picked up Koopa.

"Come on, Mach, let's show them an offer they can't refuse!"

But before she could toss the PokeBall, Kevin dropkicked the Squirtle at the shocked Becky. The turtle hurtled at her and struck her in the stomach, causing the Rocket to fall into the turbulent river, clutching her stomach in pain.

"Hey! Let me out, Lappy!" The Lapras shook its head. "Fine, come back, then!" Becky recalled Lappy. "You can't get away with this!"

Kevin tossed rocks at her. "Get out of here!"

"You brats! I'll get you if it's the last thing I do! You'll never get away!" Her voice faded as she was swept away.

"All right, then, now that we're... hey! This isn't a gold nugget, it's a chicken nugget!" Yummy! Karl shoved the nugget into his mouth, and chewed. "That was a good source of protein," he said with his mouth full. Hadley dismissively turned away.

"That girl ripped us off, and she begged us to join the organization of theivery," Kevin said incredulously. "I guess we'd better get to Bill's house."

---

Becky, still in the river, struggled to pull herself out of the water, and getting closer to the large ravine created by the earthquake. She grabbed a log sticking out toward the river, pushing her feet towards the edge, and successfully pulled her body out, soaking wet. "I can't believe I got knocked down by a Squirtle. Whoa. What a drop." She coughed and got onto her feet, and looked down at the deep chasm. "If I see those brats again, I'm not going to let them get away! They'll see how bad I am," Becky declared as she ran back to Cerulean City east of the river.

---

After a few minutes of traveling, Hadley noticed that the leaves on the trees were turning brown, orange, and crispy. Some were even falling. "It's fall already?"

"It's summer, you idiot," Karl said. "There's no way it can be fall right away."

"Apparently it is. Look!" Hadley pointed at the dying leaves. "This is one strange phenomenon. First, an unexpected earthquake, and now, it's autumn in summer!"

"What's next, winter in summer?" joked Kevin. "Mother Nature must have changed her routine, or we're just acting all crazy and the leaves are, in reality, green."

"I don't know, it shouldn't be like this," wondered Hadley. "I can't place my finger on it, but something isn't right."

---

Bill did not seem to be at home. Instead, an Eevee, trying to reach the computer and type, despite not having any separate fingers, was present.

Outside, Karl knocked on the door. He heard a voice call out, "Come in." As Karl opened the door, he saw that Bill was missing. Where was he? Eevee jumped off the desk and said, "Hi there! I'm Eevee... Not! I'm Bill, but I've had my body switched with my Eevee. You've gotta help me."

Kevin then asked, "OK, then, do you know a shortcut out of Cerulean City? An earthquake sealed off any exits."

Bill answered, "Yes, I do, but I won't tell you where unless you help me."

Hadley then sat down on the computer desk. "All right, Bill, what do I do?"

"Type 'teleporter' in the Terminal. All lower case, please. It's case-sensitive."

Hadley knew exactly what "Terminal" meant. A command line interface! Considered by the average person to be long obsolete and a thing of the past. The reason for this belief, was because graphical user interfaces were invented. But some people believe that true computer skills come from using the command line.

Hadley clicked on the "Terminal" icon, and typed the word "teleporter." A humming sound filled the place. The Eevee hopped into the door of a machine, and the door closed. A few seconds later, a young man exit the other door. "Ah, thanks! I owe you one!"

"I'm Karl Caliduct. This is my sister Hadley, and my, well, neighbor, Kevin Oak."

"Nice to meet you all!"

"Now what about this shortcut?" questioned Kevin. "Are we going there or not?"

"Sure, Kevin! I'll help you! Follow me!"

---

As Bill left his house, he was surprised to see the leaves changing colors! "Summer's over already? Wow, time sure flies by! I'd better get back to my parents' home, since school's back! But, in any case, what are you doing out of school?"

"It's not fall, Bill," replied Hadley. "It's still June. Summer hasn't even started, yet."

"Well, it should only be temporary," said Bill. "Well, I'll take you to the shortcut."

Three minutes later, Bill showed the others a small cottage. "Here it is. It's got a staircase which leads down to a tunnel to Vermilion City."

"That sounds fair enough for me. Let's go!" Karl opened up the door, and stepped down the stairs.

Hadley and Kevin looked at each other, and followed Karl. "Wait for us!"

Hadley then stopped, and told Bill, "If anyone comes by asking questions about us, tell them that you've never heard of us."

"OK, then, maybe I'll see you again." Hadley then ran into the cottage, and down the stairs. The tunnel was air conditioned, which was a welcome feeling after a hot summer day. Somehow, they didn't think that these summer days were going to continue for very long.

---

Becky sneaked up from behind, and called out a strong Machop. "Come on, Mach, knock Misty cold!"

Misty called out Staryu. "Come on, let's fight this trespasser!" The star-shaped thing with a ruby on its center

"Mach, Detect!" The small humanoid meditated for a few seconds. As Staryu hurtled full-body into the physically strong Pokemon, Mach dodged the attack. "Nice try, Misty, but my Pokemon are genetically modified by Team Rocket's fine scientists. Now stay there, and don't move. Or Mach will put a hurt on you!" Becky raided the bookshelves, and found a small disc in its case, labeled "THE DIG TM. PROPERTY OF MISTY ARCHEGUS." "It's the Dig TM. Now, we're digging out of here!"

"That cost me money! Please, give it back!"

"Stay there! Come on, Mach, let's get out of here." The Machop punched into the wall, making a large hole. He punched through the wall until it was large enough for Becky to exit. Staryu emitted a psychic ray that confused Mach, causing him to punch himself. "You idiot! Don't tell anyone, or you'll be sorry." Becky threatened as she left the house. A few seconds later, Misty could hear the sound of a motorcycle starting up and driving off.

One minute later, Misty recalled Staryu, picked up a telephone, and dialed the police. "Hello, this is Misty Archegus, and someone from Team Rocket robbed my home. Please come over and investigate!"

---

After many twisting turns through the dimly-lit tunnel, making sure any cars driving through one road passed, and fears that someone may rob them (or worse!), Karl, Hadley, and Kevin found someone walking somewhere. "Hey, what are you kids doing here?" This must be someone who maintained the transportation in these tunnels.

"Nothing... just finding a way out of here," replied Karl.

"This is no place for you kids," said the man. "You're all alone. I'll need to take you out of here."

"All right, then, we'll go," said Hadley.

---

Karl, Hadley, and Kevin exit the tunnel through a small building. Karl smelled the air. "Ah... the smell of salty water." It was dark by the time they had resurfaced above ground. The harbors, sailing ships, and a beach suggested that this was a city where shipments from other places around the world were received. They could hear the sound of rolling waves at the beach, and the foghorns of ships sailing away. Yes, this was Vermilion City, the beach resort.

It would sure be nice to just kick back and forget about this crazy adventure. It seemed too dangerous for them to brave on their own. They may as well just leave this to the police...

If the reason they were away from home wasn't to save Kevin's father and sister, that is. And that was Celadon City.