Chapter 4

Novice Again

The next few weeks passed quickly, with Patrick attending 3 or 4 classes a day. Each morning Patrick would arrive at the gym and immediately be ambushed by Jason and one of his Pokémon. Sandslash was one of Jason's favorites however he also used a Marowak and a Golbat to attack Nidoran. The Golbat was especially difficult, as it could disappear in the darkness of the large gyms vaulting ceilings and then swoop down in Nidoran's blind spot to attack. Patrick and Nidoran quickly learned to use the pillars for cover from the agile bat.

After Nidoran was thoroughly exhausted, it would be Patrick's turn to train with Takashi. Although the other trainer was almost 30 years his senior, Patrick could barely keep up with the older trainers' workouts. The first week had been strictly strength and conditioning before alternating between survival skills and more conditioning work. Patrick could guess what the class would be on depending on what Takashi was wearing. His white martial arts Gi meant strength and conditioning and his green gym uniform meant survival skills.

In the afternoons Samuel would take Patrick into the surrounding forest to battle the local Pokémon and discuss strategies for each Pokémon they encountered. Bellsprout could extend its limbs using vine whip and had a deceptively large attack range. Pidgey and Spearow preferred to swoop down from above, however, if their first attack failed, they would typically flee. Mankey were extremely territorial and would drive you out of their territory but wouldn't pursue any further. Samuel would watch each battle closely and have a Pokémon on standby in case Nidoran was ever in danger of getting seriously injured. Once Samuel's Nidoking entered the battle, the opposing Pokémon would quickly flee rather than face the pink mountain of muscle and venomous spikes.

Even Bug would take part in some of the training sessions. Although still young, the arachnid could fire a few thundershocks and string shots before needing to recharge. The spider even managed to defeat a Caterpie during their latest outing with Samuel, a fact everyone was sure to congratulate the happy insect on.

Occasionally, Kelly would teach some first aid classes to Patrick and show him how to properly bandage and treat himself and his Pokémon while in the wilderness. Although, it depended on her availability. As she oversaw the gym's day-to-day management, jobs a Leader would do if one were present, her hands were full most days.

After the first week, Kelly gave Patrick an uncomfortably large bill for all the private classes he had attended. Luckily, most of the classes were subsidized by Oak Labs and Patrick had to pay very little out of pocket. While Patrick's salary for his research work was quite low, his benefits were very generous and Pokécenters and Gym fees were charged to the Lab.

Their intense training schedule was broken up every 4 days by an off day, where Patrick and his Pokémon were expected to rest and recover.

Moving his aching limbs, Patrick slowly rolled himself out of his bed at the Pokécenter and stretched. He had been staying at the center for almost three weeks now and had fallen into a comfortable morning routine.

Patrick would make sure Joltik was fully recharged and then pour some kibble in a bowl for Nidoran to munch on. Next, he would have a shower and let the hot water soothe his aching muscles before heading down the stairs to the lobby of the Pokécenter. Invariably Joy would be in her nurse uniform manning the front desk and Silvia or Barry would be working at the café.

Today was one of Patrick's off days where he was free to wander and explore the city. He had been slowly investigating each part of the city on the lookout for any signs of extrinsic evolutions. None of the trainers at the Viridian Gym had heard of or seen extrinsic evolutions in the city but he had to be thorough. Today he planned on exploring the northwest part of the city.

Located between the North and West Gates, the Northwest portion of Viridian was traditionally a warehouse and factory district, used in the processing of goods and foods that were funneled into Viridian and then dispersed to the other cities west of Mt. Moon. Most of the products were used by Indigo to the west and Pewter to the north with the smaller towns and hamlets of the region consuming the rest. However, with the downfall in Viridian's economy, many of the factories were forced to shut down due to a lack of a labor force. Since the outer city was no longer a safe place to live, many of the workers had moved to the other towns in the region, mainly Pewter. The northwest was now full of dilapidated buildings and empty streets.

Or so Patrick had been told.

The further Patrick went into the deserted district the more it came to life. What should have been the emptiest part of the city because the busiest. In the rest of the city, the homeless were hidden in the back streets and alleys. However, in the northwest, alleys had become shanty towns that spilled out onto the streets. Abandoned shop fronts had been broken into and repurposed into housing, black market dealers, and drug houses.

The residents of the district barely seemed to notice the trainer walk through the busy streets. People and Pokémon rushed back and forth, calling out to friends or playing dice or cards on the sidewalks. Small vendors sold bowls of brown liquid or meat on skewers. Bottles and cans that could be turned in for money were collected and fiercely guarded. Barefoot children ran through the streets, playing with rubbish and chasing or being chased by local Pokémon.

Whenever Patrick came across someone who didn't look to be in a hurry or already in a conversation, he would quickly introduce himself and ask if they had seen any strange or exotic Pokémon in the city.

Many residents were quick to tell him stories of a mysterious or powerful Pokémon that they had seen in the wilds or with a traveling trainer. He had a dozen reports of flaming monsters, sea creatures, and living trees. Unfortunately, a quick scroll through the Pokédex usually confirmed the person had seen a rare but documented Pokémon.

While an extremely powerful tool for trainers, the Pokédex was still too expensive for an average person to justify purchasing one.

"A purple star! Hovering above the waves! It turned and looked at me with its single blood-red-eye before disappearing beneath the surf." An older man with an impressive white beard energetically described his sighting of a 'legendary Pokémon'.

"Did it look like this by any chance?" Patrick asked, scrolling through the Pokédex to find the right picture.

"That's the one! Is it Legendary? Have many others seen it too?" The man said, staring at the Purple Starfish Pokémon.

"Um… It's called a Starmie, it's uncommon. Usually seen on the coast of lakes and oceans. It's a strong Pokémon, but not a legendary Pokémon, unfortunately." Patrick said to the now disappointed bearded man.

Turning away, Patrick rolled his shoulders and rubbed his temples. He had been doing this for most of the day and hadn't gotten anywhere. Glancing at the sky, the sun was starting to dip towards the horizon and long shadows stretched across the street and cloaked the narrow alleyways in darkness.

Patrick scanned the crowd looking for any other people who looked like they could be stopped and questioned. His eyes landed on a large man with a bald head and a scar running along the left side of his face, from temple to jaw. He was standing alone at the mouth of an alley in a long black trench coat. Catching his eye, he gave Patrick a smirk and motioned with his head to the alley behind him before stepping back and disappearing into the shadows.

"Be on guard, guys…" Patrick muttered under his breath as he walked across the street to the mouth of the alley, confident in his Pokémon's abilities. Nidoran's spines bristled as it bounded in between and around Patrick's legs with nervous energy and Bug tensed up in the folds of Patrick's hood.

Every alley Patrick had walked past so far in the northwest had been filled with people and belongings. He had walked through a couple earlier that day but the cramped, smelly spaces usually drove him back to the street. This alley however was empty, with only a couple of abandoned crates and barrels scattered against the walls. And the man, leaning against a building smoking a freshly lit cigarette.

As Patrick approached the man, he realized he had grossly underestimated the size of the man. In front of the alley, there had been nothing to measure the man against, nothing to use for scale. But approaching him, Patrick tilted his head back to see the man's huge shoulders and face. Thick arms were crossed across his chest.

"Heard you've been looking for rare Pokémon." The man rumbled, pushing himself off the wall and striding over to stand in front of Patrick, who took an involuntary step back. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck as nervous energy raced through his body. As he spoke, the smell of cigarettes… and brimstone?... wafted towards the nervous trainer.

"Y-yeah, I'm traveling Kanto looking for rare Pokémon. Pokémon that haven't been categorized in the Pokédex." Patrick said, mentally berating himself for stuttering.

"Mmm… I might have what you are looking for." The man rumbled in the same bored tone, "My associates and I have amassed a collection of Pokémon that I'm sure a new trainer such as yourself could use." His dead black eyes casually scanned the alleyway.

"How do you know I'm a new trainer?" Patrick asked defensively, a little upset that he still looked inexperienced, despite the many hours put into pushing himself and his Pokémon to improve.

"You came into town from the south gate a couple of weeks ago. Bee lined straight to Pokémon center and have been training at the gym ever since. Your Nidoran and Joltlik are both young and are training to cross the forest." The man said, taking another drag of his cigarette. "I imagine that they weren't improving fast enough so now you are looking to buy a strong Pokémon to speed things along. With the number of private classes, you have been taking at the gym, I'm sure you can afford it."

"Oh! That's not what I mean! I don't want to buy a Pokémon, only study it!" Patrick said, taking another step back and waving his arms while explaining. More than a little unnerved by the amount of information the man had on him. "You know… to test and measure, find out the circumstances of their capture or evolution. Diet and preferences. That sort of thing. I work for Professor Oak!" Hoping that name-dropping such a prominent figure could gain him some leverage.

"I see… So, you are a waste of my time." The bald man said darkly. Dropping his cigarette and grinding it into the pavement with the heel of his boot.

"If he's one of Oak's, he won't do business with us." A high-pitched voice piped up from behind Patrick. With a start, Patrick spun around to see a petite woman daintily sitting on a crate near the entrance of the alley. Dressed in a finely woven green dress with white lace accents, she casually spun a parasol in her hands of the same colors. Her silver hair was neatly curled and framed an almost childlike face. She looked like she belonged at a royal garden party, not a grimy alley in Viridian.

Realizing he was effectively surrounded, Patrick pressed his back against the alley wall, eyes darting between the two but always keeping both in his peripherals.

"If you won't do business… You leave." The man's bored voice was now impatient. Further down the alley a black canine shifted in the shadows and came stalking toward the humans. Its pointed snout was curled up into a snarl and with every exhale, embers drifted past the wickedly sharp teeth. A pair of ivory horns protruded from the back of its head curled back down, tapered to points. Its lithe, muscular body was covered in coarse black fur and jagged scars scattered across its pelt. Muscles tensed like coiled springs, ready to explode into motion. A devil-like tail twitched and waved behind it.

Coming level with its trainer, it let out a low growl that reverberated throughout the alley. The tight space seemed to amplify the noise and Patrick could feel the very air in his lunges vibrating. A puddle formed around the rodent at Patrick's feet, Nidoran had lost control of its bladder.

"I'll leave." Patrick could barely gasp as he scooped up his terrified Pokémon and hurried out onto the street. "Excuse me." He whispered as he passed the small woman, who merely laughed at him and his terrified Pokémon.

"Ted, darling. That was a little dramatic." The woman's voice floated on the wind behind Patrick as he quickly ran away.

0000

Patrick slid down the wall of his room back at the Pokécenter until he was sitting on the ground. Nidoran quickly jumped into his lap and curled up, craving the feeling of safety its trainer provided.

Patrick's mind was racing. Despite all the progress he and his Pokémon had made during the past few weeks. Despite how hard he had pushed his Pokémon and himself. He was still a novice pretending to be a trainer. That Pokémon, a Houndoom, could have ripped all of them to shreds and there was nothing he could have done to stop it.

What should he do now? Technically, nothing the man had said and done was illegal. Patrick and his Pokémon weren't injured, besides their pride, and selling Pokémon is legal if proper protocols are followed. So, he couldn't report them to the police. Should he tell Oak? Situations like that were probably a regular occurrence in his line of work and there was nothing Oak could do from Pallet.

In the end, Patrick decided to keep the encounter to himself and to train even harder and learn everything he could so situations like that wouldn't happen again. He had walked into the alley cocky from all the wins Nidoran had accumulated during their excursions outside of Viridian, but he had left being firmly put in his place. Voicing his thoughts to Nidoran and Bug, they both agreed.

0000

"Again," Patrick said, pushing himself off the stone floor of the gym and rubbing his bruised jaw. He was drenched in sweat and his muscles cried for a break as he shakily stood up and faced his opponent. Takashi had been hammering him for over 2 hours with various self-defense drills.

"We should rest," Takashi said, even as he started moving through their drill again. He closed the distance between the two and threw a slow punch at Patrick's chin. Like he had been taught, Patrick shielded that side of his head as he darted forward and under the incoming punch. Once past the arm, he grabbed onto Takashi in a bear hug, intending to off-balance and throw him to the ground. However, his head was in the wrong position and Takashi casually grabbed him in a headlock and tightened it until Patrick was forced to forfeit or risk passing out. "You will not learn anything if you are too tired to think. Progress will come, you needn't push so hard." The wise, older trainer reiterated.

"Not coming fast enough," Patrick muttered to himself, grabbing his water bottle and collapsing on the bench. Images of the bald man and his demon dog had haunted him for days now. It wasn't the fear for his life that haunted him, though he had been terrified. It was the gap in power that existed between him and the man, between Nidoran and Houndoom.

In academia, Patrick had been a prodigy. Graduating from university at the top of his class, years ahead of his peers, and was accepted to work at the prestigious Rowan Labs. Under Professor Rowan himself. There he conducted a groundbreaking research study that changed the way trainers thought of evolution. And yet… Here he was, a novice once again.

"You have been a trainer for a month, you are progressing quite rapidly. Why the sudden rush? You seemed quite content last week." Takashi pressed, taking a seat next to his young pupil.

"I met a trainer the other day in the North West. The difference in our Pokémon was staggering. I need to get stronger to match people like that." Patrick said, thoughts once again turning to the man.

"I thought you were training to be able to study Pokémon. To document the undocumented." Takashi said after a moment, repeating the words Patrick had said weeks earlier. "Why do you care if a trainer is stronger than you. I am stronger than you, Red and Blue are stronger than me."

"I… I don't know. I'm used to being one of the best. I know more about evolution than most people on this continent. It's just hurting my pride… I guess." Patrick said, not happy with his answer but unable to think of a better one.

"Comparison is the thief of joy. There will always be a stronger trainer. Instead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday and strive to be more tomorrow. That's why the Badge Circuit exists, to prove your progress to yourself and others." Takashi said, standing up. "I will end the lesson for the day and allow you time to think." With that, the older man walked away to meet his next trainee, a young boy with a Rattata.

0000

Pushing open the gym's heavy wooden doors, Patrick stepped into the bright sunshine and made his way down the narrow winding alleyways. Deep in thought, he wove his way through the midday crowds and stopped by his favorite food cart to buy a couple of skewers of Taurus meat. Digging in his pockets for change, he took out his bright red Pokédex and kept searching. Glittering in the sun, his Pokédex was a dazzling rectangle of red light.

Until it wasn't.

"What the?!" Patrick shouted, looking around for his missing device. A feline shape dashed down the road, Pokédex firmly clamped in its mouth.

With an indignant squeak, Nidoran shot off after the cat and Patrick struggled to keep up as the two Pokémon lead him on a wild chase through the narrower streets of Viridian. Faster than the human, the distance between trainer and Pokémon grew larger as the chase went on. Patrick would often lose sight of them when turning a corner before spotting them again further down the block.

Deeper and deeper into the city the feline led them until finally it turned another corner with Nidoran right behind and Patrick further down the street. Patrick heard a victorious squeak and an angry yowl as he rounded the corner after his Pokémon. Nidoran had cornered the cat, a Meowth, and was standing protectively over Patrick's fallen Pokédex.

The Meowth, a large tan cat with its black ears pressed protectively against its scalp, gave another hiss but stumbled forward, suddenly appearing very weak. The reason became apparent when Patrick saw the puncture wound on the cat's side and the purple lines of venom already moving outward through the feline's veins.

With one last hiss, the Meowth collapsed onto the pavement, trembling as the poison began to work.

"Shit," Patrick muttered and he ran forward, grabbing his Pokédex as he approached the downed creature. He had grown lax with carrying Nidoran's antivenom with him and had left his entire supply in his room at the Pokécenter. Looking for a collar, Patrick couldn't find any indicators that this Pokémon had an owner but that didn't mean he was going to leave it here.

Gently picking up the frail cat, Patrick turned and ran back through the alley towards the Pokémon center. Nidoran bounded behind Patrick, confused by why he hadn't received any praise for defeating the thieving cat.

0000

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Centre. We restore your tir-" Joy began to say her line for what felt like the 500th time that day.

"This Meowth has been poisoned, we need Nidoran antivenom!" Patrick shouted, cutting off the nurse as he ran across the lobby to the nurse's station.

Joy's cheerful customer service face quickly fell away to one of complete seriousness and professionalism. Hitting a button behind the desk, the double door to her left flew open. Motioning to 'follow me' Joy rushed through the doors and was met by a pink egg-shaped Pokémon, with an actual egg in a pouch on its stomach, pushing a cushioned gurney towards them.

"Put the Meowth on the gurney." Joy instructed Patrick, turning to Chansey. "Please go to the storeroom and grab 3 vials of Antidote and a Potion. Meowth was stung…" Joy turned to look back at Patrick.

"Um… 12 minutes?" Patrick said, not completely sure.

"12 minutes." Repeated Joy to the Chansey who was already running back the way it came with the Meowth. "You got here fast, your Meowth should be fine." Joy said as a second Chansey appeared and pushed the gurney towards the doors labeled Emergency Room.

"Oh good…" Patrick said, sighing with relief. After a moment of silence standing with the nurse. "You were right by the way."

"About what?"

"The people who actually need healing run across the lobby and don't let you finish your greeting," Patrick said, reminding Joy of their first meeting.

"Yup, it's been like that for years." Joy nodded.

0000

Patrick had paced the lobby of the Pokémon center for nearly an hour before Joy had banished him from the waiting area with a promise that she would call as soon as Meowth's treatment was complete.

Collapsing on his white and red bed, Patrick gently scratched Nidoran behind his ears and congratulated him on defeating the Meowth. He then went on to explain that in the future, Nidoran should use less than lethal attacks to subdue any Pokémon they meet in a city. Although Nidoran didn't appear convinced that reducing force was necessary, he relented nonetheless.

After a quick power nap and no update from Nurse Joy, the two headed back to the gym to meet Samuel who would tell them what skills they would be learning and where they would go for training.

Entering the huge cathedral that was the Viridian gym they quickly spotted Samuel speaking with another trainer before handing her a manila envelope. The trainer, a middle-aged woman clad in black leather armor, broke the seal and quickly scanned the contents of the envelope.

The two trainers exchanged a few more hushed whispers before the trainer bid Samuel farewell and turned for the door.

Snapping her fingers, a golden-white fox detached itself from the corner it had been dutifully waiting in and padded over to her, its many tails floating behind it. Coming up to the trainer's waist, the huge fox rejoined its trainer and they both walked towards Patrick and the door. Both human and trainer moved with the same easy grace of a predator, footsteps falling without a sound. The Ninetales' crimson eyes flashed as it studied Patrick and Nidoran.

With a smile and a nod, the trainer passed by Patrick and through the Gym's massive front door.

"Badass isn't she." Samuel's voice said, right behind Patrick's ear.

"Gah!" Was Patrick's intelligent response as he stumbled forward and spun. Samuel was only a couple of years older than Patrick but had been a trainer for over a decade, getting his first Pokémon at the traditional age of 10. Slightly shorter than Patrick, he had a mop of brown hair and mischievous eyes, which were currently laughing at his pupils' actions.

"She just picked up an assignment in town… Ranger level." Samuel stated, waiting for Patrick's awed reaction.

Gym's functioned not only as a place to train and be trained but also as a job office of sorts. Residents in the town or surrounding area would post a job, typically with the gym leader but Samuel had taken on those responsibilities, and a level would be assigned based on difficulty. Simple jobs like scaring away Rattata or finding a missing Pokémon would usually be classified at a 1 or 2 badge level. Any trainer with a minimum of 1 badge could take the job. More difficult jobs, like stopping a rampaging Taurus or relocating a territorial Rhydon would be considered a 5-6 badge level. Escort jobs could be anywhere from 1-8 badge levels depending on the duration, route, and importance of the person requiring an escort.

Ranger-level jobs were for those trainers who had obtained all 8 badges AND passed the tests of all Elite 4 members. Those jobs were very rare, very dangerous, and very lucrative.

"Wow…" Patrick muttered, looking back at the door that she had exited through. "What's the job?"

"No idea, I wasn't even allowed to read the description. Just to advertise as ranger level and give it to a willing trainer." Samuel explained, "Most jobs at that level are like that. They usually involve VIPs or stopping criminal activities that are all need-to-know basis."

"Shouldn't the police be involved in things like that?" Patrick asked, specifically about the criminal activities part.

"Oh, the police are involved. They are the ones that post the jobs most of the time. But the police are just regular humans with an assortment of Growlithes, Zubat, and maybe a couple of other low-mid level Pokémon. They just don't have the firepower like a ranger would have." Samuel said, clipping on his pokéball belt and getting ready for the excursion out of the city. "We're heading out the west gate today by the way."

Exiting the gym, the two men made their way through the city towards the west gate. Patrick asking Samuel about any other Ranger-level jobs he had given.

"As I said, most are very hush-hush and I either don't know what they are or I can't tell you what I do know. Still, some have been interesting. One job was directly from the elite 4 asking for rangers to help with exploring and mapping the cerulean cave system. Not sure what they found but no one has been allowed in there since. Another was to escort the Saffron royal family to a PR event in Viridian. This one time, there was a job for a ranger to…" Samuel went on to describe all the exciting and dangerous jobs he had seen over the years he had worked at the gym.

Patrick listened intently, imagining himself as a ranger and doing all the jobs Samuel described. His future team is filled with powerful Pokémon like Charizard, Gyarados, maybe Arcanine, or even a Dagonite! He wondered if that bald man was a ranger. With how strong that Houndoom was, it was very likely. Patrick would need a strong team if they ever crossed paths again.

0000

"I don't like it." The bald man said, leaning over the balcony of the top-floor apartment. Night had fallen over Viridian, and the corner suite offered a magnificent view of the city. The city lights twinkled down below, stretching to the border wall and stopping abruptly. Beyond the protective stone structure, only a handful of lights stretched out to the horizon. Marking those strong enough, or desperate enough, to brave the night and all the nocturnal creatures it would bring.

"Are you still on about that trainer?" The man's female companion called from inside. Sitting at a beautifully crafted mirror, she was carefully wrapping a silk scarf around her hair, making sure not a single strand was out of place. "He is a nobody. You'll never meet him again."

"He is one of Oaks. Do I need to remind you what happened the last time that old man sent out trainers?" The man spat out the name as if even saying the name disgusted him. "If he is making moves, we need to tell the boss."

"We don't need to tell the boss anything because there is nothing to tell her. The brat's Nidoran pissed itself at the sight of Houndoom." Nodding in approval at her protective scarf, the woman stood up from the mirror and walked over to stand next to her large companion on the balcony. "And we have more important things to worry about. It's a long flight to the mountains." Putting her fingers to her lips, the woman let out a shrill whistle.

Two dark shapes that had been circling high above the city turned to the building and began to descend.

"And if he starts causing trouble? Then do we tell the boss?" Offering a large hand, the man helped his partner up onto the balcony railing before joining her on her unstable perch.

"No. If he causes trouble, we kill him." She replied simply.

With a nod of approval, the man took a step forward into the open air and began a free fall to the street far below. Double-checking her scarf was securely fastened, the women stepped off the balcony as well.

Seconds later the two were intercepted by their large feathery mounts, who caught them and shot off into the night.