Chapter 6 – Oak's Parcel

Viridian City was just as Red remembered it. His mom had brought him to a restaurant here for his tenth birthday just last year. He also used to go to the Trainers' School here with Blue. It was what got both of them interested in being a trainer in the first place.

Red glanced at the restaurant, Evergreen Eatery. He realised that he was still going to have to eat. In his excitement, he had not even remembered that. "Hm… it's still morning, but I might stick around for lunch…"

Red took in everything, from the small pond teeming with fish to the blue friendly-looking Poké Mart.

He had intended to head straight for the gym. However, he remembered the Poké Mart worker's words and his grateful look. Feeling sorry for him, Red decided to visit the Poké Mart first.

Once inside, Red gasped. This was his first time in a Poké Mart, and it was amazing. He had never seen so many Pokémon related merchandise and items ever in his life. There were rows and rows of shelves, each selling unique items like Poké Balls and Poké Dolls… Red felt giddy. He wanted to buy them all.

The clerk saw him standing there, awestruck, and seemed to recognise him.

"Hey! You came from Pallet Town?"

Red stumbled his way to the counter. "Uh… Yeah. Why?"

"You know Professor Oak, right? His order came in. Will you take it to him?" The clerk showed Red a small parcel wrapped in brown paper. There was a big red card hastily pasted on that read:

Special Delivery for Professor Oak

Address: Pallet Town, Kanto

"Okay!" Red took the parcel, which was not very heavy.

"Thanks! Say 'hi' to Professor Oak for me. I'm a big fan!"

"You're welcome! I will!" Red was already halfway out of the door.

Back on Route 1, Red saw a young trainer wandering around in the big patch of tall grass. Red introduced himself.

The trainer gave Red a piece of advice that would certainly prove useful later on. "Hi! You must be a new trainer, like me! Lemme give you a tip. See those ledges along the road? It's a bit scary, but you can jump from them. You can get back to Pallet Town quicker that way," he helpfully explained.

Red was in a hurry to get back. Nodding his thanks, Red leapt down all the ledges (carefully at first) until he reached Pallet Town. He burst into Professor Oak's lab.

When the Professor saw Red, he smiled. "Oh, Red! How is my old Pokémon?"

Red gave Bulbasaur's Poké Ball to Professor Oak to examine. The ball was put into a strange machine with lots of weird wires sticking out of it.

Professor Oak read some data on the machine's display. "Well, it seems to like you a lot. You must be talented as a Pokémon trainer!" He concluded.

"Professor Oak, I brought something for you!" Red exclaimed.

"What? You have something for me?"

Red passed the brown parcel to the Professor. He squinted at the small lettering on the card.

"Ah! This is the custom Poké Ball I ordered! Thank you!" Professor Oak grinned. Then, suddenly -

"CRASH!" Blue had run into the lab, knocking into one of the bookshelves and sending a dozen books tumbling down at once. Seeing this, one of the aides sighed and quickly gathered up the books strewn across the floor.

Blue, who was panting, ran up to them. "Gramps! What did you call me for?"

Professor Oak answered, "Oh right! I have a request for you two. On the desk there is my invention, Pokédex! It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught! It's a high-tech encyclopedia!"

Red was immediately enraptured by how such a small device could hold so much information. Even the most modern computers (for that age) were relatively big and clunky.

Professor Oak grabbed two of the shiny new Pokédexes and held them out for the boys to take.

"Red and Blue! Take these with you!"

"Really?" Red was shocked. "Professor Oak, thank you, it's such an honour!"

Professor Oak shook his head. "To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world… That was my dream! But, I'm too old! I can't do it! So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me! Get moving, you two! This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!"

Blue immediately took up the challenge. "Alright Gramps! Leave it all to me! Red, I hate to say it, but I don't need you!"

After pausing for a few seconds in mock thought, he sneakily added, "I know! I'll borrow a Town Map from my sis! I'll tell her not to lend you one, Red! Hahaha!"

While he ran out of the lab, Blue was still laughing his head off at his 'evil plan'. Red, however, was not worried. He knew that Daisy would never be as mean as her brother. As long as he asked nicely, she would still give him a Town Map. So, after he thanked the Professor again, he headed straight to their house.

"Blue? What is it? Did you forget to pack more underwear again?" The soft, familiar voice rang out. Red noticed that Daisy was serenely sipping a cup of tea.

When she saw Red, she put down her cup and smiled. "Oh, hi, Red! What do you want?"

"Professor Oak asked me to help fill out his new Pokédex."

"Grandpa asked you to run an errand? Here, this will help you! If you ever get lost, use the Town Map to find out where you are." Daisy produced a Town Map out of nowhere, as though she had several copies just lying within arm's reach.

"Thanks, Daisy!" Red sometimes wondered why Blue was the way he was. The rest of his family was so kind…

Red found himself on Route 1 yet again. Red tried out the functions of the Pokédex. He purposely looked for Rattata and Pidgey again. Each time he heard a satisfying 'beep' that played as the Pokédex recorded information. Once safely out of the tall grass, Red switched the Pokédex on and was greeted with a simple interface. A box in the top right read:

SEEN
4

OWN
1

The numbers were right; Red had encountered 4 Pokémon: Charmander, Rattata, Pidgey and Bulbasaur, which he owned. He scrolled down, but the last entry was Rattata's. At first he thought it was a glitch, but then he realised that he just had not seen enough Pokémon yet. Red knew that there had to be more than just 19 Pokémon, there were more than a hundred. He clicked on Rattata's data, but the only information the Pokédex had was its cry, which was recorded during the battle.

Red sighed. He had a long way to go…