I would like to apologize to everyone for the delay. Easter kinda got me busy, the next chapter will be out on Monday as always. Thank you for your patience.

Special thanks to my awesome Betareader MewMewExorcist: if this chapter is here is thanks to you.

It would be great if you would like to show her your appreciation and/or have a look at her stories too: u/3246323/MewMewExorcist

Chapter 4: Forward

February 28th 1996, Wednesday– Pallet Town

It was almost 10 AM when Red went upstairs to his room to get the backpack on his bed. Covered in rigid brown leather, it was surely capacious, and not to mention quite sturdy. That object would go through a lot, and Red almost couldn't wait to see it covered in dust and scuff marks. To most people it would seem like an old backpack to throw away, but to his eyes it was certainly going to be a precious diary engraved with every experience he had been through.

But his mind was wandering off. After all he still was in his bedroom staring at a new and empty backpack on a bed. His bed.

This is crazy, he thought. I'm really about to leave... And to be a Trainer. A couple of years ago I wouldn't even if tortured...

He put on a faint smile while heading towards his desk. There was a cap on it, a baseball cap with a straight visor. It was a warm red color, with the only exceptions being the white areas under the visor and the front half of the hat. He chose it just because of that half. That snow white rectangle was the first detail that everyone noticed while looking at that cap, it almost looked like a canvas ready to be painted. Everything he would like to put on it would certainly stand out.

Red opened his desk drawer and took out a little pin with printed a green leaf icon. He'd cherished it for years and would like to keep on having it with him. It was an old prototype of the current official Pokémon League Badges: the proof left to the Trainers who defeated a Gym Leader. It had been six years since Blue gave it to him, but only now was he able to comprehend its sporting value. But it had a totally different meaning to him.

He was attaching the pin to his cap when someone knocked on his door.

"Come on in mom, it's open."

As soon as she entered, Claire felt a weird warm feeling in her chest. He was the same young man that had breakfast with her a while ago, yet he looked like a full grown adult ready to fly out of his nest.

"I've brought you a toothbrush," she said.

"Ah... Thanks, I'm already forgetting things." Red chuckled as he stepped away from the backpack he was filling to take the little pack his mother was holding.

"I had no doubt about it," she teased.

Finally he was right in front of her, her little boy, dressed with clothes he chose himself for the journey: a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and a wine red trekking waistcoat covered in big and practical pockets.

"You really like that shirt?" Claire didn't know why, but she kept on remarking upon the smallest of things to her son that morning. Maybe… Maybe it was just her way of coming to terms with the fact that he was leaving for days, maybe months.

"Yes," Red said casually while putting a huge rope in his backpack. "I mean, it's nothing special but... Look at it." He turned around, spreading his arms wide. "It just looks great under this waistcoat!"

"Sure? I don't like those white sleeves... Don't you have a whole black one?" Claire was smiling. It had been a while since she had seen him this radiant.

"Nope, this one is fine." He stopped. "But I will put another one in the backpack if you want me to. Two shirts will be of help," Red said, taking another t-shirt out of the wardrobe.

"Two shirts?" No mother on Earth could ever overlook this kind of topic. "You're leaving with just two shirts!?"

"I have two trousers too, and a spare set of shoes...! Mom I'll be constantly washing everything!"

"Are you kidding me!" She shouted. Red gulped; his mother was heading in the direction of his backpack astoundingly quickly.

"But... They told us over and over! We have to travel with no extra weight... We don't know what valuable items we could find along the way!"

Claire sighed while passing him a light hoodie.

"Take this at least..." A barrage of emotions were shaking her during those instants. Her only son was going to leave on a dangerous journey with no one at his side. It was hilarious that she was the one that forced him to just a year before.

It was in that moment that she noticed it. Well-displayed on the young man cap, there was a little pin.

"Oh, Red... Are you taking Blue's pin with you?" She smiled nostalgically. She knew that Oaks were back in Pallet and the idea that the two old friends could travel together was a relief to her.

"Mom..." Red sighed, showing a tired smile. "I don't cherish it for that reason." It was clear that that was a topic which had already been spoken of in the past.

"Well, yes, I know. It's just..." She paused while putting the hoodie in his backpack. "Don't you think it would be good to travel side by side with a friend?"

"Friend? Mom, listen, he walked out on me six years ago," said Red, walking towards his mother. "I'm not mad at him, I just haven't seen him since he was nine! I don't even know what kind of person he is..." Red shrugged, a small helpless motion.

"Red..." started Claire, her mothering instinct coming to the surface. But then she suppressed every single piece of advice she could tell him once again.

"Mom don't worry, I'll be fine and... I'll use the toothbrush you have given me." Red grinned, winking.

"Oh don't be a moron... I was serious." She smiled with teary eyes. "Take your time and don't forget anything. I'll be downstairs packing your lunch."

The door closed once again, leaving the young man alone in his room for one last time. In a few hours he would be in the carriage to Viridian City. He always wanted to have a ride on one of those luxurious carriage dragged by ponytas, like the one of Blue's parents wedding that his mother always told him, but he would have to be satisfied with some doduos of the public transportation system.

He looked again at his room. He wouldn't be able to see it for a long time, yet for many years, it had been his kingdom. It wasn't a palace, only a bed, a desk, some shelves, an old computer and a Super Nintendo cabled to a TV, still turned on. He walked towards it to turn it off. A movie was on, four boys walking on railroad tracks: 'Stand by me'.

Appropriate...

Red took both his cap and waistcoat off and went back downstairs. While walking down the stairs he clearly heard the ring of the doorbell and his mother's steps.

"Good morning!" Said the cheerful voice of a girl.

"Daisy! I can't believe you're here!" The voice of his only parent came from the front door. "Red come here, there's Daisy!" Said the woman while hugging the girl. It seems like they had guests.

As he got closer, Red managed to peek beyond his mother only to see a girl. Her eyes were a radiant blue, and she had long ash blonde hair held by an emerald colored hairband.

"My goodness, Claire, how many years have passed?" Daisy continued. "And you haven't changed a bit!"

Claire gestured for her son to come closer only to address to the young woman again. A beaming smile covered her face, and she tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear, hands aflutter with excited nerves.

"So you really are back in Pallet! And you already came pay us a visit... But look at you, you're gorgeous!" She seemed possessed by an overwhelming happiness. "How old are you... 18, 19?"

"Oh I wish... 23 actually!" Even Daisy was showing a radiant smile. "But... Aren't you the little Red?" She looked past Claire to see Red approaching. "You and Blue grew a lot during this... How much? Six years? I almost didn't recognize you!"

But Red had something else on his mind as he reached the doorstep. He noticed another person that, slowly, was approaching. A tall guy that hadn't been in Pallet Town since six years ago. Curly strands of hair covered part of his forehead while other locks had been shaped upwards. He wore a tight turtleneck, lilac in color, light despite being long-sleeved, black cargo pants covered in practical pockets, and a pair of soft leather hiking boots.

"Blue!" Exclaimed Claire gasping at him. "My gosh, you're like a model!"

"Yeah, I can't complain," grinned the new arrival. "Hello Miss Claire, it's been a while."

Blue was once again in Pallet Town and Red was actually tempted to make some small talk with him, but something in his eyes stopped him. He looked different, suffocated, and tension fell upon them while his blue eyes stared at Red, who preferred to stay a couple of steps behind the doorstep. However he could swear he saw a nostalgic yet regretful smile faintly appearing on his face.

But, obviously, Daisy didn't like to be ignored.

"Say, do you still wet your bed?"

Red's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his own ears. Daisy was looking at him with a sharp smile on her face, for she actually managed to get his attention, and Blue hinted a faint laugh to himself while he stopped a couple of steps behind his sister. Right in that instant a labored breathing come from behind their backs, accompanied by the taps of a walking stick.

"You know it's not polite to make a poor old man run like this, do you?" It was the professor, Samuel Oak, that had laboriously managed to reach the place of the discussion. "Oh, you're having a reunion?"

"It's been a pleasure. I hope to see you soon." Said his grandson Blue, almost like he was reacting to those words, and turned his back heading to the trail that leads out of Pallet Town.

"Where are you going!? I have to teach you how Pokémon Battles work!" Oak shouted, trying to reach him with his voice.

"Gramps," said Blue calmly while turning again to face him. "You should know better than this, you have nothing more to teach me."

Not so distant from him, a certain young man would have liked to slap him in the face.

"Oh, right! I forgot that YOU are the Pokémon Master...! Knock it off!" Oak snapped. "You may even be able to recognize the pokémon you'll find along the way... But you know nothing about Battles."

Now it was Red that looked at him with a satisfied smile stamped on his face while Oak took his grandson back on the trail between the two houses.

"Say, young fellow" Said the old professor loud enough to let Red hear. "Would you like to challenge my grandson? Like... Right now."

Honestly, Blue was the last person he wanted to do anything with.

No, he thought.

But the answer didn't came from his lips.

"I thought you'll be my opponent, why against HIM?" Blue snapped irritably. Those words rattled Red, and visibly angered the old professor.

"Ahh! That's enough! Now you come right here and throw your PokéBall, now!" Ordered the old Samuel.

"Whatever, this will only last a moment..."

With a confident smirk, Blue withdrew a PokéBall from his fanny pack, and, just to show off, twirled it expertly on his pointer finger. With a natural gesture, Blue clicked the circular button in the middle of the PokéBall, throwing it up into the air with a smooth movement as he did so. The PokéBall whirred in mid-air, sounding all the world like a small electric turbine. The two spherical halves opened up from the whistling and spinning black stripe, letting trails of pure white light burst forth and combine on the ground to reveal a pokémon: Red's first ever opponent.

It was a tiny Monster, kinda short, a bipedal turtle with a cyan hue, a big head and two big sparkling eyes. A typical little pet every girl could go crazy for. The friendly little creature made some cute gurgle out of its mouth before looking at Blue. The shape of its muzzle resembled a smile, granting it an even friendlier appearance. It was a squirtle, a Water Type, and Blue's starter.

"Odd knickknacks these devices are, am I right? I still can't grasp its mechanics fully... And to think that I gave a hand in the implementation," said a chuckling professor Oak.

"I will be grateful to you if you could stop interrupting me, gramps. And to you, if you could hurry up, gee..." Blue trailed off, grinning at Red. Normally an innocent expression, but Red could see the traces of arrogance tucked away in derisive curl of Blue's lips, in the way that his rival's eyes narrowed condescendingly.

"..."

I can feel it. I'm about to punch that face...

Since the previous night he always had his little metallic Ball with him, and now he was actually happy about that.

He moved a couple of steps out of his house and, even with a gesture far less elegant, Red threw his Ball too. His device did the same things as his rival's and pure droplets of light fell on the ground.

A salamander appeared at his feet, far bigger than any other salamander of the planet. Four-legged, with a tongue of dense fire coming out the tip of its tail. It had two hypnotic beady eyes, black sclera, ochre irises, and fissure-like pupils.

The creature emitted a hiss. Despite looking quiet and calm it felt like it was ready to rush at its opponent: Red's starter was a charmander, an impetuous Fire Type.

Claire was looking at them with sparkling eyes, for even if she left her work, she still loved that biological miracle called pokémon.

"Charmander? You knew what pokémon I chose, yet you chose this?" Blue laughed at Red. "Ahh... I'm against someone that fights water with fire..." He concluded in a murmur.

Oak stopped his grandson and cleared his throat, to get the audience's attention.

"You know the rules and... Erm, even if today's not an official match, and it's far easier to end a match by hitting the opposing Trainer..." Said Oak, looking at Blue. "Let's behave like fair sportsmen and, well, just don't hit the opposing Trainer. Understood? So...

"If all of your pokémon are knocked out: you lose.

"If a pokémon stays down for 5 seconds: it loses.

"And, for heaven sake, don't forget that to give orders to a pokémon, it's crucial to hold its Ball tightly in your hand." This being said, Oak looked at Blue once more. The young man clearly didn't like his grandfather's attitude and looked away while emitting an irritated huff.

But Red had something else on his mind, something so important that didn't let him enjoy that scene. He already tried to train and give orders to a pokémon, a little bird, Elm's pidgey, but never before in a Battle... and never before had he tried to give orders through a PokéBall. Truth being said, he couldn't even concentrate on this. To be honest, he was actually hypnotized by the beauty of his charmander's tail flame, his very first own pokémon.

So, I hold this Ball tight... Once he had done this Red felt a deep link establish between him and his charmander. This is crazy, it's like I'm in its head...

"Do you mind if I put an end to this? It's a long walk 'till Pewter Gym and I would like to leave as soon as possible."

Blue couldn't stand anymore interruptions, he looked like someone that had used a Monster in Battle before.

"Oh, yes, please. Show me your marvelous skills, grandson," mocked Oak while, just as taught, both young Trainers took their respective PokéDex in their hands.

Ugly pixelated images appeared on the display, those of the two pokémon involved in the battle. Each one was sided by a gray bar, indicating the Monster's amount of stamina, and a number. This last data stated them to both be at level five.

Red checked the moves of his Monster: Scratch and Growl. Luckily enough, he knew what both did.

The first one could damage the opponent through the user's claws, while the other aimed to stun, inhibiting their opponent's strength, though, as stated, a growl.

In order to win the battle, the turtle had to go down. It was an obvious choice.

Scratch, thought Red. But Blue spoke first.

"Alright Squirtle, use..."

With its claws well displayed, Red's charmander raced at Blue, who widened his eyes and barely avoided the salamander's nails.

The audience was muted. Even Red.

"Red!" His mother shouted. "What have you done! Do you realize what could have happened!?"

"No Claire..." Reassured Daisy, even if she got scared too. "Red didn't order anything, it's that pokémon. A charmander is not easy to..."

"Tell me... Red, right?" Oak interrupted the young woman gently, setting a hand upon her shoulder in a soothing motion. "Did you order your charmander to do that?"

"I'm... Not sure." The young man answered sincerely.

"Well, well! Not bad at all! It's not every rookie can give non vocal orders on his first match, congra..."

"Tackle!"

Oak got abruptly interrupted by his grandson. Blue's pride couldn't wait anymore.

The turtle ran at its opponent, withdrawing into its hard shell to perform a crashing leap. Caught off-guard, the poor salamander couldn't manage to avoid the hit, and skidded backwards to its Trainer's feet.

"Nice one Blue, that charmander really had no chance to avoid that. Now you can notice how charmander's stamina bar dropped due to the taken hit and... Listen, Red." Oak paused while locking eyes with Red. "If I were you, I wouldn't use 'Mental Impulses' until you obtain more experience. It's just too risky now, you understand me?" Red nodded, then, with the Ball held tight in his hand, he looked at Blue in the eyes.

"Use scratch."

The battle continued with some exchanges of hits for about a minute but neither of them could manage to land the final blow.

"Aren't they just doing this wrong?" Whispered Claire at Daisy's ear, getting Samuel attention.

"Well... squirtles are a specimen quite resistant to physical attacks, so charmander's hits are not as effective they should be." Daisy answered, noticing her confused expression. "On the other hand, squirtles are not famous for their strength, so it can't manage to pull off a good hit." Claire nodded. Despite being a good researcher she knew nothing about battles. The professor looked away from the woman to talk out loud to his grandson.

"Anyway... I wonder if Tail Whip can lower your opponent's defense enough to get you closer to the victory, Blue."

What the... Is he helping him!? Thought Red.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to play a bit before... Tail Whip, Squirtle..."

To those words, the turtle turned around to wave its tail on the charmander muzzle. This move, apparently useless, aimed to distract the salamander into letting its guard down.

Was this the big idea? Thought Red.

"Growl, Charmander!"

The pokémon hissed wildly at its opponent, making the squirtle pull back. The annoying cry almost stunned the turtle.

"Well, well. Squirtle lowered your defense so you tried to hold its attack back? But I wonder if this'll be enough." Said Blue, smiling.

Once again he sent his pokémon charging and the attack landed, strongly slamming the salamander into the ground. This time the hit had been critical. Red looked at his PokéDex. Both Monsters hadn't much left but his charmander's stamina was dangerously low.

"Ok, that's enough." Oak interrupted the match. He smiled while moving a couple of steps forward, lightly clapping his hands. "Now stop."

"The hell are you saying!?" Blue snapped, dumbstruck. "I was about to win!"

"Indeed, thanks to me. Otherwise those poor pokémon would still be uselessly clashing against each other."

Red felt something on his leg; it was the salamander. Oddly enough it seemed like a cute purring cat wanting some cuddles, but instead he rapidly withdraw it back into its PokéBall and went back to listen to Oak's speech.

"In a Battle there's not only sheer force. You win because of your brain, not just because you have a stronger Monster." The old Samuel had a point. "Oh, well. Anyways, now you know how it feels to have a Battle. Neat, isn't it?" He looked somewhat amused.

Oak gestured both of them to come closer to him. What he was going to say was surely important and Red knew he should grasp everything he could from his mentor. Yet Blue didn't think like that. He huffed in boredom and reluctantly shuffled towards his grandfather.

"Blue, Red," continued the professor, ignoring his grandson's attitude. "Starting from now the road to be a Pokémon Master is full of challenges. Hundreds of other Trainers like you are traveling with the same purpose and each one of them will surely stand in your way without a second thought. Eight Badges..." Oak showed a nostalgic smile. "It wasn't like this back in my time. Everyone had access at the Tournament on the Indigo Plateau, yet now you have to collect all the eight Badges. Do you know what this means? That bureaucracy is a pain first and foremost," he chuckled. As always it didn't took too much to him for regain his usual self. "And second... that you have to beat the eight strongest Trainers on Kanto." Oak laughed heartily. "Don't ever forget that knowledge and brains are the keys for success. And you can't get either of them if you forget a crucial point: Catch 'em all! And some monsters are really scary!" His age surely hadn't affect his humor at all. Oak made it sound like the easiest task ever but, of course, it wasn't.

To find and catch the perfect Monsters to build a personal team, to tame and raise ferocious dragons as obedient puppies that would correctly react to the smallest orders. Red knew how dangerous and hard this task would be, maybe it was easier for him, a novice athlete, to enter a pro soccer team than beat all of the Gym Leaders. Or at the very least, safer.

To catch and to train pokémon. Those so close yet so far, practice gave to the fresh blood the possibility to aim at two diametrically opposed roles in society. In the first case, one could became a researcher specialized in studying pokémon, such as professor Oak. There were a lot on Kanto Island that had played the most disparate roles. Those monsters were such a mystery that that job was the most stable occupation on the island. While the second case was the most craved, the most dreamed: the sporting career.

"I have high hopes for the both of you." He put his hands on the young men shoulders. "Good luck."

After saying this the old Oak seriously glared ad Blue, and for an instant, Red saw his childhood friend look away from his grandfather. The professor waved a hand to both Claire and his granddaughter, Daisy, and simply turned around to go back to his laboratory.

"What a bunch of useless words" sighed Blue dejected, a faint resigned smile on his face. "I could have been already in Pewter by now... Smell ya later." He waved his hand casually, turning to walk away. In few quick steps Blue reached the fence that borded the small town and left Pallet, disappearing in the tall overgrown grass.

"What!? Wait!" Daisy shouted at her brother.

She hadn't the slightest intention of letting him go alone in the wild grassy areas around the inhabited centers, the so called Routes, and moved after him with quick steps. But it was already impossible to see him and the young woman didn't wanted to trespass by foot that border: it was simply too dangerous.

"Argh! I hate you when you say that!" She yelled at the empty route in front of her.

"Daisy, let's call the professor back and stop him!" Suggested Claire.

"No, Claire..." The other woman sighed. "He did lots of excursions with gramps on Route 4, at Cerulean City... There's no need to worry about him... Near Pallet there are only pidgey and rattata!" She smiled while pronouncing those words but a persistent tone of sadness and concern in her voice veiled each syllable.

The way departing from Pallet Town was called, simply enough, 'Route 1': it had been the first one to get smoothed. In the past, the first Trainers pushed back the most big and dangerous Monsters away from the laboratory. In the wild zones, those creatures established in distant areas created a progressive increase in danger the further one got away from Pallet. Indeed, Route 1 was the least dangerous route of all.

Information like this was of public domain, yet Claire still couldn't do anything but widen her eyes to Daisy's words. She couldn't believe what she was saying... Nor to the amount of faith she had in her younger brother. She was a bit envious about that thing. Anyway it was clear that such confidence wasn't to calm Claire down, nor even Red: those comforting words were for Daisy herself. She knew that her brother Blue could easily pull through that, but the fear that something could happen was tightening her chest like a grip from which she hardly could break free.

"I think I should leave now too," said Red.

"What!? Are you crazy! All alone walking through those woods filled with wild pokémon!? And what about the carriage?" Snapped Claire with a mix of astonishment and concern. She was still too shocked from Blue's actions, and the over-condescending reaction of his sister, to withstand such words from her son.

During all those years in Pallet town no one ever thought about doing such a thing, of course no one ever had a pokémon, a protection in case of needing, but what the boys were doing was still something new to her. Even Daisy gave him a shocked look. She knew that Red, with his classmates, had been thoroughly prepared on how to traverse areas far more wild of the woods around Pallet, but, unlike Blue, his preparation had been just theoretical.

Daisy felt very relieved.

She felt guilty, but it was impossible for her not to be relieved thinking about Red's reach, and how much better it would be if he accompanied her brother during his first steps on the wild side of Kanto Island. She had been pretty confident that the two of them would have traveled together since they met earlier, but she had been strongly doubting that during the last few minutes. Although it was obvious, it was lucky that she couldn't know how much Red didn't want to travel side by side with anyone.

"There's only one carriage per day that stops here, at 5 pm." Red explained.

"SO!?" Claire was still incredulous.

"But mom I won't be alone, there's Blue!"

At those words Claire felt extremely relieved. If her son would travel with his prepared childhood friend, she would surely be less concerned. "You'll travel with Blue? Really?" Asked Claire, and he nodded. Only then she saw the smile he had on his face.

"Why... Wasn't it obvious?" Said Daisy. "Blue talked often about Red in these years: 'who knows what is he doing', 'so he still play soccer'... Ah! You should see his face when Grandpa Sam told him that YOU were the second place at the test! He couldn't believe it!"

That wasn't so odd, before then Red had ever had interest in pokémon at all. But that was not the point. What Daisy just told felt simply unbelievable, he had almost forgot Blue after all this time. When the Oaks left Pallet, not only did he not want to talk to him, but he didn't even want to look at him. It felt clear: 'that kid don't want to be my friend anymore.' So why was he pining about something like this? There was no need at all. Yet Blue was still thinking about their friendship?

"You don't?" Asked Daisy surprised.

"Oh, of course, of course... Even Red always talks about him!" Lied his mother.

The conversation continued in Suzaku house, while Red was getting ready upstairs.

"Red, so you'll go with Blue?" Asked Claire cheerfully smiling. Daisy was already outside so she wanted to clear her ideas about this change of mind from her son.

"Yeah... Who knows, maybe after six years he's not a moron anymore." He tried to hide a smile while answering.

"That's better... I will be less concerned!" The woman was radiant. "So, where are you going?"

"Pewter City, to the Gym."

"I don't want to hold you back here, but..." One more time Claire swallowed everything she wanted to tell him. She wanted to act like Daisy and gave her son her full faith. "Just one thing: Come home from time to time." While saying those last words her voice almost broke out in crying.

"Of course" he nodded. "But not before becoming an overpaid celebrity with hundreds of suitors!"

"Oh..." Exclaimed his mother on the verge of crying. "Come here, let me hug you!" She couldn't hold her tears back anymore. "Who knows how much the world will change you out there!"

Claire held her son to her chest and then she held him ever tighter. Red felt his cheeks becoming wet from his mother tears while nostalgia already began to spread from within him.

Anyway, I'll be back soon... He kept thinking.

For the first time he walked alongside his mother 'till Pallet's borders.

Red lifted his head. Both the side of the trail were bordered by a white painted fence, and beneath his feet the ground was stretching out forward disappearing under trees and grass as tall as his hips. From time to time some lock of grass got shaken by little creatures hidden in there, the perfect home for rattata and pidgey. Viridian City couldn't be seen from there, not with the eyes at least, but Red could already feel it. It was finally time. He had saw that scene so many times, like a canvas on a wall. But now he was able to step in that canvas, he was able to step in Route 1.

"Oh, Red." It was Daisy. Her voice snapped the young man out of his fantasies. "Could you give this to Blue? It's the Town Map, he forgot it in his hurry."

"'Course," Red smiled, while putting the item in his backpack.

"You'd better give that to him for real!" Stated Claire to her son with a recovered smile.

"Of course...! What, you don't trust me?"

They had their last laugh together, no one could knew when he'll be back home again. Red was finally ready, he fixed his cap on his head and waved a goodbye.

Blue... I don't get you at all.

For a couple of seconds Claire and Daisy kept waving their hands, then the young man disappeared in the thick of the wood.

"At least he didn't say that weird 'smell ya' stuff," chuckled Daisy to herself. "Hey, want to come to my place?"

"You think..." Claire started absently. The woman wasn't paying attention at all. "I should call him back? I mean... Let him stay here some more, I mean... He's only sixteen..."

"Claire..."

"Yeah?"

"They'll be fine."

Question Of The Week

Let's talk about Red and Blue... They're leaving their houses for the danger of the wild side of Kanto. Are they prepared enough?
And what about you? What would be the most essential item you'd put in your bag for this kind of journey?

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