A few days and a few hundred milligrams of morphine later, Ryan was released from the hospital. He had been itching to get out for quite a while, as it was unbearable to be around Nurse Joy in the way he was. You know, without being able to move. Now he was fresh as he was sprung. It was time to go to Lt. Surge's Gym and get his first badge. His mother had said that was the goal of all Pokémon trainers, and if he was to follow his father's footsteps, there was no better place to start.

He knew the way, he'd been there before. As previously mentioned, Ryan's grandmother lived in Vermillion City, which was the closest megapolis to his hometown of Acapulco. He would often sneak away from the drearily droll afternoon tea parties his grandmother held with his family to come down and watch Pokémon fights at Lt. Surge's

Gym.

He knew Surge almost always used a Raichu, but occasionally he'd use other Pokémon if there were a lot of challengers lined up. Ryan didn't know many of them, just the Voltorb and Magnetron, but they were all equally fierce. He'd have to work some kind of plan up. As far as he knew, Surge only did single duels - 1v1 Pokémon battles. It was either Abra or Matata he would have to use. Thousands of trainers have beaten Surge, though, Ryan thought. He would too.

The walk was not long. Soon, Ryan had found his way, down by the water to the high-walled gym. There were no trainers milling about, but that was okay. He opened the large doors himself and walked in. Inside, he was quickly met with two people. One was Surge, a tall muscular, silver haired man, and a younger girl with pink hair.

"Yeah, that's some Arcanine you've got. I'm impressed."

"He's been with me for a long time," the girl responded with her shoulders shrugged.

"So, you're training for the Indigo league? How many badges do ya have now?"

"This makes five," she responded.

Surge laughed in his deep booming, "Well, with that Arcanine of yours, you'll do great in the league," Surge stopped laughing as soon as he came around the corner and saw Ryan, "Another one already. Ya wanna badge too?"

"Yeah," responded Ryan, dropping his voice for the girl.

"Then, let's go," said Surge.

The girl smirked as Ryan walked passed her, his chest puffed out, his two Pokéballs presented proudly on his belt. Surge led him back into the gym, to the place where they fight.

"I'd normally use Raichu, but he just got done with a battle," Surge's voice rose to a dramatic scream, "So I'll use Electrode!"

He threw his ball in an impossibly curved trajectory, and the Pokémon came out. It looked like an upside down Pokéball, which made Ryan laugh. He, himself, let out both of his Pokémon to weigh them up against the opponent. Abra was good, but Ryan didn't know all of his attacks. Matata lacked any mobility, but if she got close, she'd be able to do some damage.

Surge interrupted his thoughts, "Those are yar Pokemon?"

"Yeah, they're all I have!" Ryan yelled back.

"Ya don't stand a chance with either one!"

Ryan's confidence shattered immediately, his lip trembling, "Wha… what?"

"Ya kiddin me? My Electrode could shock both of your Pokemon outta here together!"

"Do you really think so?" asked Ryan, timidly.

"Heh, yeah, I'll even let ya use both of them against me."

"Whoa, really?!"

"Yeah, I'll shock ya either way. It'll make the fight more interesting."

Ryan kneeled down to begin his attack strategy, "All right, Abra, Matata, this is what I want you to do…"

Behind, the pink-haired girl, who was slightly taller and older than Ryan came in to watch. She folded her arms and leaned up against the far wall.

Abra and Matata moved into the ring. Since Kakunas can't really move themselves, Abra had to carry her in. Surge, satisfied with his guaranteed victory, began the match. Electrode rolled forward, increasing its speed in a headbutt attack.

"Abra, go!" Ryan yelled.

Abra threw Matata, after she hardened, at Electrode, in a counterattack of headbutts. The harden was enough to stop the enemy, but damaged Matata more than it did Electrode. Abra, meanwhile was instructed to jump aside and try a psywave.

Abra charged up his psywave quickly before sending it right to Electrode. Electrode, still dazed from the headbutt attack was not deft enough to dodge it. The energy sent Electrode flying back, smoking and bruised slightly. Surge yelled to his Pokémon to try another attack, just as Ryan did the same.

Electrode began a thunderbolt attack. Abra was going to do a slashy-claw attack, but Electrode's attack charged faster. He shot it at Abra, and it connected. Abra let out a low pulsating yell, interrupting itself through the electric shock. He stumbled back, hurt, but not beaten. In this time, Matata had rolled over to behind Electrode.

"Sting 'em, Matata!" Ryan yelled earnestly.

Surge tried yelling to his Pokémon, but it was too late. The stinger plunged into Electrode and instantly poisoned it. Electrode howled in pain, just in time for Abra to lunge in a high jump and come down with a heavy swipe across its face. The Electrode, furiously tackled Abra away, but the poison prevented it from following up with an attack. Desperate, Surge let out one final order.

"Electrode, self destruct attack!"

Electrode nodded and stopped moving. A bright light engulfed it entirely. Ryan simply stood there.

"Hey, do something! That Electrode is going to take out both of your Pokemon if that attack goes through!"

"What?" Ryan said, spinning around. He saw it to be the girl.

"Have them use a defensive attack."

"A… defensive attack? I don't know if they have any," Ryan pondered, "Hey, Abra, do you have a defensive move?"

"Abra, ra," Abra responded, confidently.

"Then use it! Don't let that Pokemon's attack hit you!"

"Abra abra!"

Electrode's bright white aura started taking over everything, to the point where Ryan couldn't see anything. It was getting real bad. He just hoped Abra had a move that could hold off this self destruct. Then Electrode exploded. In any other instance, watching someone explode would cause Ryan to do the same, but this is Pokémon.

The dust flew everywhere, and it went into Ryan's eyes. He coughed and covered his face as the wind picked up, blowing his blue hair all out of place. Still hacking up dust and pieces of the gym, he looked up. His watering eyes could barely give a clear picture, but he did see one thing – a dark, flying shape. Well, that couldn't be right. Nobody was supposed to be flying.

He blinked about thirty-seven times to clear his eyes. And he saw what it was. Abra, his pointed body in a controlled free fall, breathing heavily, all scratched up, Matata in his hands, but nonetheless conscious.

In the crater of the explosion lay Electrode, knocked out. Abra landed a second later, setting down the Kakuna. They were both still in the ring.

Ryan had won. Though he did not know it, and probably would never know it, Ryan had just witnessed the first time in Pokémon history that a teleport attack was used to win a match.

"Well, I gotta hand it to ya, kid. You know your stuff. Never seen an Abra who knew

psyshock or barrier before…"

Ryan simply beamed.

The girl must have watched him pull off that spectacular victory. He turned and saw her up against the wall, her arms folded, her heel pulled up against the wall. He smiled at her, but she didn't look at him. Surge came up behind Ryan, causing him to let out a high scream that echoed through the gym.

"Sheesh kid, I'm just givin' ya your badge."

"Oh right, sorry. Thanks," said Ryan, going quite red.

He pocketed the badge, and left without much more incident. The girl followed him out, and by the time they were outside, back on the road by the water, they were walking side by side. Neither one spoke. The air was as thick as something which is thick and also unmentionable.

The girl stopped up against a fence. She rested her arms on it and looked out over the ocean. Ryan stopped too, awkwardly standing behind her. He knew not of how to approach this. She was a girl after all. She could easily take it the wrong way.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Uh, I just wanted to say thanks for the help… you know with the badge and all."

She continued in indignation, "Surge really gave it to you, didn't he? Two on one against one of his weakest Pokemon. You're lucky I was there to take out his Raichu."

"Yeah, thanks."

The two stood in silence for a few more minutes.

"Well? You've said what you wanted to say. Aren't you going to go now?"

"Um, I don't really know where the other gyms are, and you are obviously going to them, so I thought-"

She turned around at this, bold fire in her eyes, "You want to tag along?"

"No… not tag along, just come along."

"That's the same thing!"

"No, no it's not. Besides, I can protect you with my Pokemon!" he said, dramatically, if lamely.

"Protection, huh. Yeah, it really looks like you got me there."

"Great!" shouted Ryan, "Where are we going now?"

"I am going to get my next badge."

"But what is it called?"

"If I tell you, you'll follow me," she said.

"I'm following you anyway," Ryan replied.

The girl did not respond to that.

"Hey, I'm Ryan by the way."

She looked over at him, rolling her eyes, "Kelly. Fine, I'm going to Fuchsia City. "

And thus, a brilliant partnership was formed.