A/N - Chapter 8! Again, thanks to my fiancé for proofreading. Please review!
Chapter 8 - Pains and Gains
I think I'm lost. Red was currently trying to navigate the maze that was Viridian Forest. It had been three days since he had entered, and it had been three days since he had been lost, though he was only just now admitting it to himself. He had entered a small clearing which had patches of burnt grass on one side. That didn't help him at all and so he resorted to other means.
He turned around in a complete circle, hoping to see a glimpse of something that could help him get his bearings. Beside him, Charmander also circled around, imitating its Trainer. Pidgey had landed on a branch of a nearby tree, waiting for its Trainer to start moving in a direction again. Okay, I know I'm lost. Argh!
He swivelled his head from left to right, trying to find something that would help him, but to no avail. His map dangled helplessly in his hand. He had long given up trying to use it; one couldn't use a map if one couldn't tell where one was on it!
His sight fell on his backpack, which he had discarded in his confusion of which path to take. His thoughts honed in on his latest prize and the method of acquisition. He remembered the details vividly.
The day he defeated his first human opponent Alice, he had then spent the rest of the day wandering Viridian City. He had gone to the Gym as well, to scope it out if nothing else. See if he could learn anything to give him an advantage for when he actually could battle the Leader. Gym Leaders weren't easy to defeat; all of them had been training Pokémon for years and it required careful preparation and strategy to win against them.
Over the last five years, Red had done a lot of research to prepare for his journey. He knew the first step to becoming Champion was to beat the Gym Leaders. The town where he had grown up had many Trainers passing through regularly. Since he had worked at the store, and a visit to the store was a priority to many Trainers, he had always had Trainers to talk to and to ask questions of. He had even met Blue once, but the prodigal Trainer had boisterously refused to answer any questions stating that his secrets were his own. Regardless, Red had found out the best routes to take, where the shortcuts were, which Pokémon were available at each locations and how to catch certain evasive species. Sadly, even with all this knowledge he was lost in Viridian Forest. How do I read this bloody map? All I see is trees, trees everywhere!
His research, however, was much more exhaustive than simply the secondhand information from other Trainers. He was regularly up to date on the League rules and changes to them. In short, he was as prepared as any Trainer could be before leaving home.
He knew that the Gym in Viridian was empty. It was empty most of the time. The Leader was a rich and powerful man who fought from the shadows, and whose occupancy in the business and political worlds took up most of his time. He used very strong Ground Type Pokémon, but he accepted challengers only on a few days a month, when he could take time off from his busy schedule. Potential challengers would have to wait in Viridian until one of those days, which is what Red gauged at the nearly empty Pokémon Centre. If the Leader had been taking challenges, the Centre would have been crowded with all the Trainers who had been waiting for the last month. The League rules stated that every Gym must be open for five days a week and that the Gym Leader must be present for at least two hours everyday that the Gym is open. The Viridian Gym system was blatantly against the policy of the League, but the Leader's influence and contacts could cut through all the red tape, so he remained Gym Leader much to the frustration of many Trainers.
Once he was turned away from the Gym, he made his way to Route 22, to the West. Route 22 led to the Pokémon League but Red wasn't headed there. He reached the outskirts of Viridian and started training Pidgey and Charmander. They trained for the rest of the day, and returned to the Centre in the evening exhausted and perspiring. Pidgey really seems to be getting stronger. Still a long way away from Charmander though.
As Red entered the Centre, he noticed that there were quite a few more Trainers lounging in the reception area than there were earlier in the day. There were a few who were dressed like that Rolando, the boy who picked his Pokémon at the same time as Red, dressed in red tracksuits. Through the window, he could even see some Trainers around the battling field, with a cyan coloured rabbit like Pokémon battling against a Rattata. The Nidoran(F) is going to win. It's a few levels higher at least.
He turned away from the battle and got his Pokémon healed. While at the counter, he rented a room for the night too. He walked down the right side hallway and climbed the stairs to the upper floor. Charmander hopped up the stairs beside him He walked all the way to the end, passing by an open door. As he walked by, he looked inside and saw the girl from earlier. Except she was dressed in only a towel. Red felt his face live up to his name and he quickened his pace. Once he reached his room, he looked back down the hall and saw that Pidgey had landed on the floor outside the open room and was looking inside. Great, just what I need - a pervy Pidgey.
He snapped his fingers twice to gain Pidgey's attention. Once he had it, he raised his eyebrow at the bird Pokémon, who flapped its wings once to lift off, took a last glance inside and flew back to land on its Trainer's head. To some, such behaviour would seem derogatory, as if a Trainer thought his Pokémon were slaves, but Red's Pokémon knew better. He just was not a talker. If something could be accomplished without speaking, no words would come out of his mouth. They accepted him as he was, and he was grateful for it.
The two Pokémon and their Trainer entered the room and settled in for the night. Red showered and gave his Pokémon a bath as well, or in Charmander's case, a sponge bath.
Once the trio was clean and fed, they retired for the night. Red was knowledgable and he had studied a lot to prepare for his quest, but he was yet not experienced. There were certain things that no guide or text book would mention and one would only learn the hard way, learning life's lessons empirically. This night happened to contain one of those lessons. Red forgot to lock his room door before falling asleep.
It was around midnight, and Red had been having a pleasant dream. A very pleasant dream. The dream involved him, the girl from the cafeteria and lots of chocolate sauce with a healthy serving of whipped cream. They were in the middle of a very compromising scene when all of a sudden she let out a large roar and he woke up flailing around in his blankets.
The first thing he noticed was that the door was slightly ajar, letting in a bar of light from the hallway outside. The second thing he noticed was that there was somebody in the room, the person's features hidden due to the light falling the wrong way. The last thing he noticed before jumping out of bed was that the mysterious person had grabbed Charmander, who didn't appreciate being manhandled that way, and had subsequently let out the roar that had roused Red from his randy reveries.
The stranger, on seeing the room's human occupant up and about, ran out the door while still holding on to the Fire Pokémon. In the midst of the commotion, Pidgey had also woken up. Together, Red and Pidgey chased the kidnapper out of the room. Once in the relatively well lit corridor, they saw that the stranger was wearing a black outfit with a ski mask on. Charmander was flailing around in the person's arms, trying to break free and get back to its Trainer. They were almost at the staircase at the other end of the hallway, the staircase that led down to the exit. Red knew that if he didn't catch up with them before the stranger exited the Centre, there was little chance of him finding Charmander.
He sprinted down the corridor, while Pidgey zoomed ahead. Flying is always faster than running. And Red's Pidgey was larger than the average Pidgey. The size difference extended to its wings as well, which allowed Pidgey to fly faster than a normal Pidgey and move much faster than Red could run. The result of this was that Pidgey caught up to the black suited person just before they could open the door to the stairway. Pidgey rammed into the back of the person, causing them to slam against the door, instead of opening it. Still the person managed to twist the doorknob. Since the door opening outwards, the three of them, two Pokémon and the kidnapper, tumbled out onto the landing. The intruder tried to get up and grab Charmander, but now the fire lizard had escaped and was wary against such an attempt, using the flame on its tail to ward away the stranger's hands. To make matters worse for the kidnapper, Pidgey had gotten entangled in his feet, creating an issue of maintaining balance.
Red caught up to them just as the kidnapper lost the battle for staying upright, and fell straight onto Red. Red, trying to halt after a sprint at full speed, was off balance himself, and both collapsed on to the floor, with the black suited intruder on top of Red. He didn't waste a moment, and pulled the mask off.
It was the girl from the cafeteria.
Her long brown hair cascaded onto Red's face, who was stunned. She squirmed away, trying to get up, but Red was faster. He regained his presence of mind and rolled over her, keeping her pressed to the ground. Unbidden, memories of his dream played in his mind, and he felt an uncomfortable pressure in his groin area. The girl stopped moving, her eyes widening into saucers. Uh-oh, looks like she feels it too. What do I do, what do I do? Red had never been in this situation before. He had never been in any situation with a girl before.
He quickly got to his feet, watching out for any movement the girl might make. She had a couple of Poké Balls attached to her belt. She might try and escape. There's no way I'm going to let her. Not after she tried to steal Charmander.
"Grr, I didn't think you'd catch me. I couldn't help myself! That Charmander is so powerful, it's a Perfect Pokémon right?" she said, as she picked herself up. "Judging from the look on your face, I think I'm right. Man, I never thought I'd see another Perfect Pokémon," she grinned at him.
Red knocked the shocked expression from his face. How does she know? I never mentioned it to anybody! And why does she seem familiar? He scowled at her, "Police."
"NO! Please don't! I..I..I'm sorry! Please don't call the cops!" wailed the girl. Red narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. Why not?
"I…I'll make it up to you! I've got something that you can have if you let me go." Interesting, let's see what she puts on the table. He motioned for her to keep talking.
"It's right this way, in my room. Come with me!" she turned away from Red. Not so fast! Red lunged forward and grabbed the two Poké Balls that were hung on her belt. He didn't want her to use her Pokémon when he couldn't see. He noticed a tightening of her mouth as he took the Poké Balls, and was glad that he had anticipated her move. He pointed at Pidgey and then towards the girl. Pidgey understood what he indicated and swooshed forward to keep an eye on her from the front. Charmander, without requiring an order, moved behind the girl, blocking any method of escape.
The girl slumped in defeat and shuffled forward towards her room. Pidgey and Charmander escorted her inside, with Red following. She reached towards her backpack which was lying on the bed, but before she could, Charmander puffed out a lick of fire causing to pull her hand back in reflex.
"Okay, okay, I get it. No funny business. You get it out then. It's big and round. Don't press too hard, or it'll break."
Red reached into the bag and felt around for the item that she described. He found it almost immediately. It was as she said - big and round. He pulled it out of the bag and saw that, in his hands, he held a Pokémon egg. It was quite large, a little bigger than his head, and was light green in colour, with patches of darker green spaced unevenly on it. Wow, an egg! I wonder which Pokémon will hatch from it.
"There you go. I got that egg when I picked up my Pokémon from the Day Care on Route 5. Now that you've gotten your prize, leave me alone. I hope to never see you again," saying so, the girl turned away from Red. He left the room followed by his Pokémon and in the morning when he passed by the girl's room, he wasn't surprised to see that the room was completely devoid of any sign of life.
That was how he came about to possess a Pokémon egg, the one that was currently in his backpack. His mind warped back to his present dilemma — finding a way out of this infernal forest. Charmander and Pidgey had retired to sit under a tree. Red decided that this was as good a place as any to take a lunch break. He put out some Pokémon food for the two, sat with his back to the tree and set upon his own lunch of dried meat and cheese.
He was watching his Pokémon eat, when all of a sudden a piece of their food started floating upwards. Charmander and Pidgey stopped eating and stared suspiciously at the morsel that was flying away from them. Red peered at it too, and noticed that there was a string attached to it that was pulling it. The string was so thin that it was almost invisible. His eyes followed the string along its length and saw the other end of it protruding from the tail end of a green caterpillar like Pokémon sitting on a branch above them. There were yellow rings on each of the segments that made up its body and a pair of red antennae on the front. A Caterpie! How dare it steal food from my Pokémon! After three days of being lost in the forest, he didn't know when he would find his way out. As such, he would have to conserve the food for both him as well as his Pokémon.
He pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the bug.
"Caterpie: Worm Pokémon. It has a voracious appetite and repels enemies by releasing a horrible stench from its antennae," the machine spewed.
Oh man, that smell part sounds gross. Better take it out quickly. "Pidgey, Gust! Charmander, Ember!"
Pidgey launched itself into the air and flapping its wings three times, while Charmander stepped back from the food and opened its maw towards Caterpie to shoot a small flare at the bug. Caterpie was hit by both attacks, and it fell to the ground in submission. The piece of food dangling from the thread was knocked away. Might as well catch it, thought Red as he lobbed a Poké Ball at the fallen Pokémon. Caterpie was caught!
Red picked up the Poké Ball containing Caterpie and sent out the newly caught Pokémon. Now that he had caught it, it was his responsibility, and if it was hungry he would have to feed it. Caterpie emerged from the Poké Ball looking battered and bruised from being attacked. Shit, I need to heal it. He got out a Potion from his backpack and gently sprayed it over the Bug Pokemon's foot long body. The bruises rapidly disappeared and soon Caterpie was healthily munching on some food. Meanwhile, Charmander had gone to look for the fallen morsel. It was about to pick up the piece of food, when it disappeared from the ground. All the Fire Type saw was a yellow flash. Charmander looked up and saw a yellow Pokémon munching on the morsel a dozen feet away.
Red glanced at Charmander and saw that it was staring at a yellow Pokémon some distance away. The Pokémon had yellow fur with long pointed ears that were tipped in black. There were two red circles on its cheeks and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. It sat there, just in front of a bush chewing on a piece of food. It cocked its head to one side in curiosity.
"Pikachu: Mouse Pokémon. It stores electricity in the pouches on its cheeks. It roasts hard berries to soften them. When several of them gather, they could cause lightning storms."
Red put his Pokédex away. He already knew which Pokémon it was, but he had decided to start collecting information in the Pokédex, not just for the professor, but for his own benefit as well. He had studied up on many Pokémon, but remembering all the information about every single one of them was not easy. He might forget important facts that could turn the tide of a battle. With information stored in the Pokédex at his fingertips whenever he needed it, he had no worry about forgetting minor details.
Pikachu, huh? They're quick and powerful. Will definitely be helpful. I'll catch one.
"Charmander, Ember!"
The lizard released a small flame that shot towards the mouse. The Pikachu stared at it as it approached. Just as it was about to make contact, the yellow Pokémon flashed away. That Pikachu is very fast to have dodged Charmander's attack!
The Electric Type looked annoyed at being attacked. It sent out a bolt of electricity at Charmander. "Dodge it, and get up close to Pikachu," but Charmander was already on its way. How does it read my mind? "Use Scratch!"
Charmander raised its right arm and lunged at Pikachu with its claws leading the way. Again, the Pikachu tried to zip away, but not before Charmander managed to nick it in the side. The speed with which Pikachu was moving and Charmander's hit unbalancing it caused the Electric Type to tumble away instead of moving on its feet.
"Now, use Ember!" Charmander launched a flame again, taking advantage of the prone Pokémon. But once more the wild Pokémon proved that it was faster by avoiding the attack. It flashed away and staring running towards Charmander, building momentum. Every few steps it would flash and appear closer to Red's Pokémon. This is its Quick Attack! It's much too fast for Charmander!
"Charmander, grab it when it comes near!" As Pikachu was about to make contact with Charmander, the latter grabbed hold of the former, showing speed Red had come to realise belonged only to Perfect Pokémon. But the Pikachu was a wily one. Since it was so close to Charmander, it released a bolt of lightning in the Fire Pokémon's face. Damn! That's the first solid hit on Charmander!
Red was worried about his starter, but Charmander shook off the attack. The surprise had caused it to let go of Pikachu, who had again zipped away to keep some distance. It again decided that speed was its best bet and started another Quick Attack. What can I do? Pikachu is too fast for Charmander's ranged attacks. A glimmer of an idea sparked in Red's mind. On the battlefield, Charmander tried to dodge the Quick Attack but Pikachu managed to get a glancing blow in, though it didn't really hurt Charmander. Pikachu flashed away again, ready to attack again. Yeah, come at us!
"Charmander come back, Caterpie use String Shot!"
Charmander took a step back reluctantly. Red could see that it still wanted to battle. This was the first opponent that had come close to challenging it. Red had no doubt that Charmander would defeat Pikachu in time, but he wanted to wrap this up quickly and test out Caterpie's capabilities. Caterpie emitted a roll of sticky string as Pikachu charged at it. The thread was very fine and hard to see, so Pikachu couldn't see it at the speed at which it was travelling. The string caught hold of Pikachu and wrapped around the yellow mouse, stalling it in its tracks and causing it to take a tumble. Pikachu couldn't move since it was tied up in sticky string. It tried to break free by gnawing at some strands.
"Caterpie! Tackle, now!"
The Worm Pokémon charged at the stationary mouse, who watched in alarm. Caterpie tackled Pikachu, finally getting a solid hit for Red's team. Pikachu rolled away in pain. It was still debilitated by the sticky thread and could not move.
"Tackle!"
Again Caterpie rushed at Pikachu with the intent to knock it down, and again Pikachu was hit directly.
Now's my chance! Red tossed a Poké Ball at the exhausted wild Pokémon.
A/N - Wow, the chapters just seem to be getting longer! I had planned for about 2000 words and reached almost double of that!
Come on readers, review! Give me your opinions and I'll give you faster and longer chapters!