The sun just beginning to set behind them, Ryan, Rahul, and Alex made their triumphant entrance into Cerulean City. Ryan rode atop his noble NaVorro, fresh off the spoils of victorious battle. He thumbed the Pokedollars through his fingers, savoring the sweet cash he had just made by wrecking all those noobs on Route 4. He was certain NaVorro, as well as his other Pokebuddies, had gained a level or two in those battles.

Coming into the city, the three found themselves, for the most part, alone. Most shops were closing up, most trainers were retiring to their homes or hotels, and there were few bystanders left milling about. Not the welcoming party I had hoped for, Ryan thought to himself.

As they passed by a small building, the smell of roasting meat and aromatic spices drifted through the air. Ryan's mouth began to water, and as he looked over at Rahul, he could almost hear the big man's stomach grumbling.

"Come on, Alex! Let's get some dinner. I'm starving."

"You're always starving."

Yet, dinner they got. Rahul ordered for them, while Ryan and Alex stood back, watching the few people still out and about drift through the paved streets like leaves down a lazy river. Sitting at a table just outside the little food shoppe was a middle-aged man wearing a velvet shirt, grey sweatpants, and glasses (which Ryan thought were women's glasses). He was a bald man, stocky and short and hunched over. On his table was a newspaper and a plate, on which appeared to be a block of cheddar cheese. As a side, the man had a platter of fries, crisp and golden like a deep fried Magikarp. The man was eating from this block of cheese, as if it were a normal thing to do, muttering to himself, pointing this way and that, as if he was bebopping and scatting and about to lose it. Yet, that was not the thing that drew Ryan's eye to this man. No, that was the Squirtle who had appeared at that man's feet.

It was a quick little bugger, that Squirtle. Darting up to the table, it took the opposite seat of the bald man, reached up and began to nibble on some fries. The man in the velvet shirt did not notice this at first. Ryan elbowed Alex softly, alerting the small Chinese Pokemon Master to what was going on, and in silence and awe, the two watched as the Squirtle ate more and more of the man's fries without getting caught.

It should also be mentioned at this point that the Squirtle was wearing a wig - it was a wig of red, curly hair, long enough to grace the skull of an older Jewish woman. How this wig had found itself upon the Squirtle's head is a question not for us, the readers, but a question for the great philosophers - the Nietzches and Kierkegaards and Kanye Wests of our time. Certainly, Ryan and Alex had no idea what was going on.

Just then, the bald man looked up and caught sight of the rascally Tiny Turtle Pokemon. The man let out a cry, half disgust and half outrage, and flung his newspaper onto the ground. Standing up and grasping onto his block of cheese, he pointed at the Squirtle. His voice caught in his throat, and every time he tried to talk and found that he couldn't, his little round head (which looked like a polished orange) bounced up and down and his face got redder and redder. The man took large, quick bites out of his block of cheese and then flung it away. He dashed forward, gathered up his platter of fries and began to devour them hastily. All this time, Ryan noticed how the bald man had not let his eyes leave the Squirtle's.

Eating like a madman, the bald guy said, "Hey, don't tell me how to eat!" He cocked his head sideways and grunted; it seemed like, to the teal-haired trainer watching this, that the man was about to burst a blood vessel.

"Squirtle squirt," came the reply, dry as the Boneway in midsummer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the man sputtered. He threw the rest of his fries onto the ground and stepped forward, raising a fist into the air as if he was about to pray to the heavens for rain.

"Whoa, dude. Chill out," Ryan said, stepping forward. "Why don't you take your Squirtle back home before you embarrass yourself?"

The man's face was flushed a delicate shade of purple. Ryan thought he looked like an eggplant. "Mind your own business, kid. This is between me and my mother!"

Alex was in disbelief. "Mother? That's a Squirtle."

"Huh?" the man said, clearly flustered. He pivoted back and forth, looking from the Squirtle to Ryan and Alex and back again. After a few seconds, he straightened up, loosened the collar of his velvet shirt, and twitched his head in surprise. "Well… I suppose you're right. That is indeed… a Squirtle. I-if you don't mind, I will be leaving."

And with that, the man began to walk away at a brisk pace, one that was surprising for such a pear-shaped individual.

"Hey, don't forget your Squirtle!" Ryan shouted after him.

"I don't have a Squirtle," the man replied. "I don't own any Pokemon!"

"Huh?"

"It's not a lie if you believe it!" the bald man shouted before scurrying off into the growing darkness. "Don't trust anyone in capes! Mark my words!"

Ryan cocked his head to the side. "What the heck just happened?"

"Beats me," Alex shrugged.

Just then, Rahul appeared with three plates of food - sandwiches with fries (and Rahul had gotten himself a few extra portions of fries). The three sat down outside as the sun faded behind the horizon, talking over strategies for the next gym and for the Indigo League Tournament. Ryan let Abra out of his Pokeball and let the little guy have some of his food.

"Rahul already has his final team… but a few more of them need to evolve," Alex said as he ate his salami sandwich with chopsticks. "On the other hand, you need to make sure you have your final team soon, so you can start training them more intensely and make sure they all evolve into their final forms," he told Ryan.

"I have Myrrah and NaVorro and Thurnax and Abra and Aegon. And I'm thinking about catching a Haunter or Gengar too."

"Your Aegon is the weakest member of your team, but it should be alright. Rahul has a Charizard too."

"Yeah I think I'll go with him. I just need a Gengar and then I can level everyone else up, especially you, buddy," Ryan said, patting his Abra on the head.

Abra, who was munching on a long fry, looked up annoyed and then continued to eat as if he was suspended in molasses.

"Your Abra is strange," Alex spoke. "Why hasn't it evolved already?"

"I don't know," the teal-haired boy said. "Maybe he doesn't want to yet. He'll evolve whenever he wants to. I won't force him to."

"Come on, let's get to the hotel," Rahul grunted. The other two looked over and saw that their friend had already finished his meal. Despite having much more to eat than Ryan or Alex, Rahul had completely devoured everything on his plate. And the two of them were not even halfway done. "Doctor Who is on in twenty minutes. I'm not missing it!"

"Stop being so impatient," Alex scolded. "Some of us can't eat as fast as you." He turned to Ryan. "If that's your final team, you will need to make sure you give each one the optimal moveset."

"What's that?" the boy replied.

"Well, it's different for each Pokemon. And, to be fair, it will require you to get several TM moves for them. But it's worth it. Especially for Tauros." Alex leaned down and wrote some words on his napkin, then gave it to Ryan to look at. "These are what I've found to be the best moves for the Pokemon you have right now. Others would probably disagree, because there's no perfect moveset for any Pokemon. But this is just what I think would be the best for you."

Ryan looked over the napkin. He winced as he saw how many TMs he would have to purchase: Body Slam, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Explosion, Mega Drain, Swords Dance, and Fire Blast. Funnily enough, the only Pokemon whom Alex did not recommend changing any moves for was Abra. Guess Dad knew what he was doing, after all. It made Ryan feel a little guilty that he needed Alex to tell him the movesets for his Pokemon, for he was sure his father had come up with the list for Abra and his other Pokemon on his own.

"Well," said Ryan, sighing, "this'll cost a lot of money, and I'll have to look all over for these TMs. I have no idea where they are."

"You're not in that much of a rush," Alex reminded him. The two looked over at Rahul, who was rattling his knuckles on the table. The big man was clearly in a rush. Doctor Who waits for no man. "The Tournament isn't for a few more months. You'll have plenty of time to search around for these moves. You will be able to buy most of them in Pokecenters, I believe."

Once they were done eating, the four got up to leave when suddenly the Squirtle in the wig came darting over from the table it had been sitting at. It grabbed Alex's plate and ran off with it, hoping to eat the last crumbs and remnants of food that the small Asian boy had left.

"Well, that was rude," Alex said, but he didn't seem to mind.

The Squirtle came running at them again, a moment later. He first went for Rahul, but seeing that the boy had left not even a crumb on his plate, he instead turned to Ryan and Abra. Abra was still holding Ryan's platter of fries and was eating from it quite slowly. The Pokemon made its way for Abra and scooped the little basket of goodies right out of his hand.

"Abra?! Rah, bra!" Abra shrieked. He ran after Squirtle into the darkness, behind the food shoppe. A second later, a bright pink flash of light and a shout of pain followed.

"Hey, Abra!" Ryan yelled, running after his Pokemon. Rahul and Alex followed close behind.

When they rounded the corner, the three trainers were met by pitch black. Ryan reached into his bag and grabbed a flashlight. Shining it into the darkness, he saw Abra standing there, eating golden, crispy fries from the platter. He stood uncaring over the unconscious body of Squirtle.

"Whoa, Abra, why'd you do that?" his trainer asked.

"Abra, ra, ra, ra, bra, abra. Abra, ra. Ra, abra!" the Abra said earnestly.

"Come on, we've gotta get to the hotel!" Rahul whined.

"Fine," Ryan replied. "Come on Abra, let's go."

"Ra."

"And…" the trainer said, a small grin forming on his face. "Let's not forget the Pokemon you just captured for me, buddy!"

Ryan threw a Pokeball at the unconscious Squirtle. In a second, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon was overcome by a strong white light and sucked inside.

"Whoo baby! That's another one for me! I've caught so many Pokemon! I'm so good at this!"

The others didn't seem to care. Instead, Rahul led them frantically to the hotel they would be staying at so that he would not miss his precious show. As to if Rahul actually got to watch Doctor Who on time, Ryan never learned. For as soon as he settled down in the hotel and took off his backpack, he made his way back out into the night, towards the Pokecenter. He had to make sure his new Squirtle got healed before the morning came, after all.

Two Chanseys were playing ping pong when Ryan entered the Cerulean City Pokecenter. The one nearest Ryan scored an ace just as the boy walked inside and it screamed like Ryan had never heard an animal scream before. It was less celebratory than it was deathly, in the boy's observation.

He made his way up to the desk, where a Nurse Joy sat snoozing in her office chair. One slap of the bell on the countertop awoke her like a bucket of cold water being thrown upon her head.

"H-huh, what's going?!" the pink-haired woman asked Ryan.

"I need one of my Pokemon healed," the boy explained.

"It's late," the Nurse Joy yawned. Ryan thought she looked mighty cute when she yawned.

"But this is urgent! I just caught him."

Nurse Joy nodded. Taking the Pokeball, she handed it to a Chansey lurking behind her. "It'll be an hour or so," she said sleepily. "You can wait in the waiting room while we attend to your Pokemon if you wish." Ryan went to leave when suddenly, the Nurse Joy leaned over the counter and spoke again, "Wait a minute. You wouldn't happen to be Ryan Morgan, would you?"

Ryan's eyes narrowed in confusion. "How do you know that?"

"I was told to be on the lookout for a boy with blue hair. That's you, right?" Ryan nodded. "Okay, I have a video message for you from your mother. She asked me to keep it until you reached Cerulean City. Do you want to see it now?"

Ryan nodded curtly. A video screen on the other side of the room turned on, and Ryan walked over to it, to get a little privacy. Then, a message began to play. There his mother sat, in her Sunday best, still as a sleeping Goldeen, in the living room of their house.

"Hi Ryan, this is your mother. I know you are busy collecting Gym Badges, but I would like you to return home as soon as you can. Your father and I need to speak with you about something. Please come as soon as you can, and make sure you bring Abra. Please hurry, Ryan." She paused, looking down briefly, then returned her gaze to the screen. Ryan could see the glimmer of tears in his mother's eyes. "I'm proud of you, Ryan. I really am. You're doing so great collecting all of the badges. I love you very much. But please come soon. We can't wait much longer. Goodbye."

And with that, the video feed cut. Ryan didn't know what to think. What's going on? Why do they want to see me and bring Abra too? And why was she crying? Was it because of me getting all those badges so far… or something else? The boy had no clue. It was bizarre, though, that he was getting this message now, after all those messages he left for his parents without getting a response in the days and weeks before. He realized at that moment that he hadn't spoken to or seen his parents since the day he set out on his Pokemon journey. That was a lifetime ago.

While waiting for Squirtle to be healed, Ryan went over to the Pokecenter's small shop in the back right corner of the building. When he saw a section for HMs and TMs, Ryan took out the napkin Alex had given him and looked for any and all TMs he would need.

"Alright!" he whispered after a few moments. Holding up two canisters containing the moves "Swords Dance" and "Fire Blast", Ryan knew he had found two moves for his Charmeleon. When he reached the counter, and the man told him it would cost him 2000 Pokedollars, Ryan nearly had a heart attack.

"I only have 2000 left!" The boy's voice rang with horror.

"Well, either use that to buy the moves or put them back," the cashier replied in annoyance.

"Fine." Ryan handed him the money. Aegon better be happy about this. Now I can't even buy anything to eat until I get my next badge. All that battling on Route 4, and I blow it in one day. But it's for the greater good. Aegon needs these moves.

Ryan returned to the waiting room, watching the fierce battle between the two Chanseys for a while longer. The Chansey nearest the door was the far superior ping pong player, and it destroyed the other one in back to back to back games. That was as long as Ryan paid attention. He tried to read a magazine and sleep, but he couldn't shake the thought of what his mother said. So instead of sitting there, Ryan got up and began to pace.

It was near midnight by the time Squirtle was healed.

"Here you go!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

Now it was Ryan's turn to be tired. This was far, far past his bedtime, especially considering he was going to participate in a Gym Battle in the morning. He took the Pokeball and put it into storage, sending Squirtle all the way back home. I'll be there soon. Then, he gave his new Pokemon the fancy name of "Georgie Boy".

Feeling the call of sleep tugging at his eyes, Ryan stumbled out of the Pokecenter and returned to the hotel, where he found Rahul and Alex already fast asleep. Rahul had the remnants of some kind of food on his wife beater. Ryan, however, did not order anything to eat from room service before going to sleep. Though his stomach rumbled, he had no more money. He knew he'd have to wait until the morning. I'll challenge Misty first thing in the morning. Rahul won't get to go first this time.

And when Ryan got into bed, despite his hunger and the anxiety his mother's message had given him, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

In the morning, Ryan got up before the others had even begun to stir and ran all the way to the Cerulean City Gym. The air was bitterly cold, and it stung his face as he ran; yet, as soon as Ryan entered the gym, he was hit with a blast of warm air. This is the water gym… why is it so hot in here? This is more like Cinnabar than Cerulean. The boy's questions were soon answered when he came to the great indoor pool. There, at the far end, stood the gym leader Ryan knew to be Misty - she was a young woman with spiky red hair and a two-piece bathing suit on. In the water, floated several kids and aspiring trainers, it appeared. Most of them had flotation devices around them - like tubes or smaller pouches on their arms. Ryan figured he would have to fight them too, if the past gyms had been any indication. From the waters rose steam, evidence of the pool being heated in these cold winter days. Ryan was happy for that, at least. Misty was smarter than she looked.

"I'm here to challenge you!" Ryan shouted across the water.

Misty was standing at the base of a white plastic chair elevated by a staircase. She began walking down the stairs as she spoke, "I bet you're here for this, aren't you?" she asked, holding up a shiny blue speck that looked like a teardrop. "Well, if you want it, you have to beat me first."

"I'll beat you!" Ryan replied. "I'm a great Pokemon trainer."

Misty laughed. "We're not going to do a standard battle like you have participated in with the other gyms. If you want to win yourself a Cascade Badge, you're going to need to beat me in a water race! So, are you up for that?"

"A water race?" That was the last thing Ryan expected. He knew he could beat her Pokemon with his own. He had trained them well. But this… a race? He didn't like his chances.

"If you're too scared," Misty said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "the door's behind you."

"I'm not scared! I'll do it!"

"Then get changed into your swimming pants and we can get started. You get one Pokemon to ride on, so choose wisely."

Ryan scampered off into the dressing room, which was in an enclave on the right side of the building. Once he had changed into his old pair of swimming pants, which were black with white tropical flowers lining the top, Ryan stepped out and contemplated which Pokemon he could use. I have Myrrah, Clawey, Shenlong, and Georgie Boy… but none of them are very high levels. Myrrah's the most experienced one, but I don't think I could ride on her shell… wait! Thurnax knows Surf! I wonder if that's okay. He looked down, grasped onto his Dragonair's Pokeball, and began to walk forward, when Ryan ran into someone. Stumbling backwards, he looked up and beheld a face he had not expected to see here of all places.

"Hi… Ryan, right?"

"Y-yeah," the boy replied. "But what are you doing here, Ash?"

The young man smiled devilishly. "Just visiting. How's Tauros?"

"He's good. I've been training him a lot. He'll be really strong by the time the tournament comes around."

"I'll be watching to see," Ash replied. "Did you get your Cascade Badge yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm about to. Well, first I have to do a water race or something. I'm not entirely sure."

Ash shook his head. "Be careful. Misty's a great racer. She won the Tour de Alto Mare about twelve years ago," he said. "Don't underestimate her."

"But what can I do? I've never been in a race before in my life!"

"Make sure you have a high level Pokemon. They have better speed." Ash patted Ryan on the shoulder. "You'll do fine. Hundreds of trainers get this badge every year. You will too. It's not a big deal."

That's easy for him to say. "Alright, thanks Ash. I'll see you around."

Ryan returned to the pool with a towel slung over his shoulder and Thurnax's Pokeball in his hand. There were now floating balls of orange and white that dotted the waters, forming the lanes for the Pokemon to race through. Across from him, on the other side of the pool, Misty sat on a Gyarados - as magnificent and terrifying a Pokemon as there was. Ryan found himself longing for Shenlong to evolve.

After letting Thurnax out of her ball, Ryan jumped on her back and ordered her to swim over the Gyarados. Thurnax did so obediently. Once the two Pokemon and their riders were lined up, Misty looked over at Ryan. "Whenever you're ready…" she said.

Ryan nodded. He leaned forward, and whispered to his Dragonair, "Just go as fast as you can, Thurnax. Use all of your speed. But don't use it all at once. Swim steady." It was then Ryan remembered that Dragonair and the evolutionary line Dragonair came from was not one renowned for speed. Too late now. "Put all your concentration into swimming fast and smooth. Follow the lanes, and you'll do great. I believe in you, Thurnax." He patted his Dragonair on the back. "We're winning this thing."

Thurnax went, "Neieieieieie," as she was wont to do.

"Alright, let's race."

Out of nowhere, a Pikachu riding a Squirtle came flying into view. The Pikachu had a whistle in its mouth and a white flag in its hand.

"Pikachu'll be the referee," Misty explained. "Just follow him as soon as he blows that whistle."

Ryan nodded. He took a deep breath and held onto Thurnax tight. And then, he heard the shrill whistle echo through the hall. They were off.

"Go, Thurnax, go! Race to victory!" Ryan screamed. It was a familiar scream, one that made him think of Olivia. She was pretty; even prettier than Misty.

"Don't let up, Gyarados," Misty shouted. Her Pokemon growled and lowered itself further into the water.

It began to pull away from Ryan and Thurnax, and by the first bend in the path, Gyarados had outpaced them by almost a yard. Thurnax lowered herself into the water, just as her opponent had, though she barely kept pace.

After the first turn, the water swirling around them, Ryan and his Dragonair were met by a trainer floating in the pool. "Heck yeah, Seaking! Waterfall attack!"

"Dodge it!" Ryan clung to his Pokemon's neck as hard as he could. When the Seaking dove under the surface and then came roaring up on plumes of water, Thurnax jumped out of the water, arcing in the air like a rainbow, before landing beyond the Pokemon and its trainer. "Great job! Keep going!"

Gyarados was now pulling away from them even more, and Ryan didn't know what else his Pokemon could do. Dragonairs aren't known for their speed. I was so stupid choosing Thurnax for this. She's trying her best, but it's just not going to cut it.

Zig-zagging through the lanes, Ryan and Thurnax dodged other trainers' attacks - Starmies and Staryus shot Water Guns at them, and Seakings and Seadras attacked them from beneath the waters. Somehow I don't think Misty's having the same problems. Indeed, the red-headed woman and her Pokemon were nearly the length of Dragonair's body in front of them. The Pikachu kept weaving in between the two racers on his loyal Squirtle, squeaking "Pika pika!" and waving his little flag, but Ryan paid him no mind. His eyes were locked on the Gyarados. We've gotta try something drastic.

"Hard turn!" Ryan ordered his Pokemon. "Let's regain the lead!"

On the next bend, Ryan's Dragonair cut hard, making such a sharp turn that the trainer was nearly flung into the water. He held on just barely and ordered his Pokemon to take another sharp turn on the next one. He noticed how Misty was just barreling on with her Gyarados. Her Pokemon was sprinting, and as a consequence, it was swimming sloppily. It was taking its turns wide. Within three turns, Dragonair had closed on Gyarados again, nearly drawing level with it.

"Nice try, but not good enough! Let's go offensive, Gyarados!" Misty yelled. "Use all of your power! Keep the sprint going!"

Her Gyarados roared. Water flung up around it, laying a lane for it to glide through unimpeded. Ryan urged Thurnax to remain in Gyarados' wake to get a little boost too, but the Dragonair was too slow and was instead hit by the waves Gyarados had made, slowing it even further. To make matters worse, a line of four trainers were floating in front of them, just in front of the finish line, where the Pikachu was riding about on Squirtle. All four threw their Pokeballs at once, as Dragonair roared towards them. Out popped four Gyarados.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Hyper Beam!" the trainers spoke in unison.

The light was blinding, so much so that Ryan had to shield his eyes and look away. The situation was quickly growing dire. His Dragonair couldn't afford to dodge the attacks, for she would lose her momentum. There wouldn't be enough time to regain it. The finish line was too close. And she couldn't take the hits either, for even one Hyper Beam would have surely been enough to KO her - four would do some serious damage. He wasn't about to let his Pokemon get hurt like that. I need to think of something… anything. Ryan thought as hard as he could, but there was nothing; his mind was numb from the hysteria of the race. It was all too much. And then he saw the waves. They were flying this way and that around the pool, courtesy of the race that was going on. One passed just in front of Ryan and Thurnax, between them and the incoming Hyper Beams. That gave Ryan an idea.

"Thurnax, Surf! Dive underwater!"

"Nieieie!"

Ryan took a big gulp of air and then pressed his body against Thurnax's neck. At once, he felt his Pokemon surge forward on her Surf attack, riding a wave of her own creation. Under the water she went, below the Hyper Beams, below the churning currents. Ryan opened his eyes and saw the Gyarados straight ahead, bearing down on the finish line. Come on, come on! Just a little more!

Thurnax was moving as fast as she could, torpedoing through the water and gaining on her foe. Ryan watched them get closer and closer to Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokemon was slowing up, running out of energy. Misty risked it all with a sprint, and now her Pokemon's exhausted. Thurnax had kept a fast pace as well, but she had never gone all out as she was now. She had more energy, Ryan knew. And thus, they closed on Gyarados. The finish line was approaching; the Pikachu was screaming so loud, Ryan could hear it all the way under the water. His ears were popping, his lungs were screaming for air. Thurnax swam on, gaining speed, gaining distance, gaining hope. The closer she got to Gyarados, the faster she went, the more she realized she could win this thing. Ryan was feeling dizzy. He knew he couldn't hold his breath much longer. He needed air. He needed to reach the surface. But he couldn't let go. That would disqualify him. He squeezed Dragonair's neck lightly, urging her forward. She got the message and boosted into a new gear, a speed yet unseen.

Gyarados was just about to pass the white ribbon that was hovering over the finish line when Thurnax broke the surface in an explosion of water. Before Misty had time to turn her head, Ryan and Thurnax crossed the finish line, the broken victory ribbon streaming around them. Ryan was panting heavily, and Thurnax collapsed in the shallow water just beyond the finish line, letting her trainer roll of her and lie in the shallows too, his chest heaving, his throat raw.

"Well done," Misty said at last, riding her Gyarados over to Ryan. "I can't believe I lost! I thought I had it won, but you came up in the last second. Your bond with your Pokemon really shows. You two earned that victory together."

All Ryan could do was muster up a hoarse laugh. His stomach was rumbling, and he was seeing spots. He wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel and collapse in bed with a bowl of cereal.

Misty stopped just in front of Ryan and dismounted from her Gyarados. Wading into the water, she made her way over to Ryan and held out her hand. "All right! You can have the Cascade Badge to show you beat me!"

Ryan took the little glass drop of water from her hand and held it firmly. "Thanks! That was one heckuva race!" But your all-out offensive approach got you beat in the end. Sprinter never wins such a long races. Smart and steady wins the race. Beaming ear to ear, he got out of the pool and looked down at his Dragonair who had brought him the most miraculous of victories. "Hey, Thurnax, you did awesome!" He patted her on her tired head, and took out her Pokeball. "I'm so glad I have you as part of my team. Now how about we go get a little rest?"

"Nieie…!"

The Pikachu jumped off the Squirtle and ran over to Ryan on all fours. Once it reached him, it stood up on its hind legs and murmured. "Pika, pika, pikachu!"

"Hey, you look familiar!" Ryan said, kneeling down to observe the Pikachu further. "Haven't we met before?"

Pikachu cocked its head. "Pikachu?! Chu!"

Ryan stood up. He was faintly reminded of being handed a pillow once by this very same creature. A wide smile burst across his face. He turned back to Misty, who was tending to her tired Gyarados. "Hey Misty, tell Ash I said hi." She won't know I already saw him in the dressing room.

She looked up and gave Ryan a weird look before nodding silently. Ryan returned Thurnax to her ball and then grabbed his towel. Once he had dried off and put his clothes back on, he walked back to the Gym's entrance. There was no sign of Ash, and that made Ryan think of Kelly and how she had left him in Viridian City. I'll see her again, he promised himself. I'll fight her in the finals of the Indigo League. Then she'll finally respect me.

Ryan stepped out of the Gym and was greeted by the bright light of day. Yet it was not that he saw. A dark shape descended upon him at that moment, and he felt a stinging sensation spread across his face. He was falling, falling to the paved ground. And when he hit the cement sidewalk, he felt Thurnax's Pokeball slip from his grasp. Just as he began to wonder what - or who - had hit him, darkness covered the boy's eyes, and he thought no more.