The Genius on the Hilltop, Chapter 7

With Deneb on his way east, there was little else keeping me in Cerulean. From this point on, the brochure from the League only marked off the cities with gyms to tackle, so I was pretty much on my own. Saffron City, Celadon City, and Vermillion City were all close by, so any of the three would do for my next stop. Unfortunately, as I made my way back to the market to pick up that Pokedex, I heard something on a TV screen that pretty much put a stop to my plans. Saffron City's doors were closed to travel.

How they were able to shut in the people who lived there, and shut out everyone else doesn't make much sense, but for the moment it looked like I was stuck yet again in Cerulean City. Rather than start worrying, I picked up the Pokedex at the market, sure that everything would work out eventually.

Once I had that little red gadget in my hands, I could see why Gary said it was such a helpful tool. Everything that was in my encyclopedia was in here, all colorfully displayed on a small screen, and it even talked! I tested it on Vulpix, aiming the little camera eye at her and hitting the scan button. The gadget instantly turned on and displayed a picture of Vulpix.

"Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. At the time of birth, it has just one tail. The tail splits from its tip as it grows older." The Pokedex shouted, before switching to a list of all of Vulpix's abilities in battle. At least now I didn't have to worry anymore about going into battle unprepared.

Along with the Pokedex, there were a couple letters in the box. One was from Professor Oak, the other from Mom. I opened Mom's first, feeling bad that I hadn't given her a call since we last saw each other in Viridian City.

Dear Star,

How are you? It's been a week since I saw you in Viridian City. When Professor Oak told me he was sending you a package way out in Cerulean City, I quickly wrote this letter. I hope you're doing fine, and please, remember to call me once in a while! I miss you so much! Say hi to Vulpix for me.

"Mom says hi," I told Vulpix. She jumped into my arms, licking my face. It was always her way of saying hi to Mom. I folded up Mom's letter and put it in my bag. Next up was Professor Oak's letter.

Star,

Be sure to thank my grandson for letting me know about you. Inside you'll find all the instructions for the Pokedex, so it shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Also, I'm pretty sure you'd want to pay Bill a visit. He lives north of Cerulean, just follow Route 24. I'm sure he can be of help to you on your journey. Just tell him Oak sent you.

"Bill on Route 24," I mumbled to myself. I took a look at the map on the brochure, seeing a small house drawn somewhere north of Cerulean City. Whoever this Bill was, he must've been very important to have his small house marked on the map like that. Still, with Saffron City closed, there was no harm in making a small side trip.

After packing away Oak's letter in my bag, I started towards the north exit. Vulpix followed close behind, and neither one of us knew what kinds of trouble we were about to get into on Route 24.

~o~

Route 24 was actually more of a big bridge than anything, for your information. Sure, there was a beaten path and green forest, but the Nugget Bridge was the number one attraction here. It was a local trainer hotspot, where Pokemon battles were expected at every turn. Route 25, just beyond, was also another hotspot, that one more for wild Pokemon hunting than anything else. I was on my way to see this Bill guy, but that wasn't enough excuse for these trainers. Like it or not, I'd have to do battle with a dozen people along the way.

Naturally, I don't intend to bore you to tears with every battle I fought here. They were all mostly run-of-the-mill trainers, touting their Rattatas and Pidgeys and Spearow. A few even broke the mold with critters I hadn't seen yet in real life, like Nidoran, Grimers, and even one Abra. That was the highlight of Nugget Bridge for me, actually, I could not seem to get over how adorable that Abra was!

Moving right along, and for reference, I used Mankey a lot more than any other Pokemon in my team around these parts. Obviously he had the advantage, but I was trying to build a better relationship with him. He was the first Pokemon I ever caught, and I kind of felt he never got the attention he deserved. Having two badges under my belt also seemed to make him a bit more open to my orders.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Beedrill. I love him like I do any other Pokemon on my team (save for Vulpix, but we all know why), but Beedrill just wasn't holding up against these trainers. I've always heard bug Pokemon are sort of the beginner's type, easy to work with, but never really as strong as most other types. I'd never ask Beedrill to leave my team, but I was getting more and more sure that he'd be sitting out battles in the future.

Clefairy, on the other hand, was slowly toughening up. I had to remind her that Pokemon battles were necessary in my adventure, and I'd love it if she could chip in. She might not be the strongest Pokemon in the world, but she certainly did have a few tricks up her sleeves... if she had any sleeves. Not that I figured myself a tactical trainer, but playing Clefairy's strengths in weakening her enemies with Growl and Sing really let her win fights quite easily.

As for Vulpix, she's pretty much in a league all her own. Since she's been with me the longest, it's only natural she's stronger than all my other critters. Of course, I'm also a bit sad to see her sit by me on the sidelines, watching as the other Pokemon have all the fun. It didn't matter that while she was out there she could be getting tossed around and hurt, she wanted to prove her loyalty by fighting for me. Every time I didn't send her out there, I made sure to give her a nice hug, to remind her I still loved her.

Though something strange did happen once I plowed through Nugget Bridge. There were quite a few trainers doing battle all over that place, so while I did do my best to avoid getting into fights, it wasn't something I could avoid entirely. A few of these referred to themselves as 'The Elite Five of Nugget Bridge'. At first I just thought it was a silly little group name, until I was stopped by a man at the end of the bridge.

"You just defeated the last of the Elite Five, didn't you?" He asked me out of the blue, which left me more than a bit unsettled.

"Y-Yes? I think that boy said he was," I replied. Vulpix started growling at the man, but he didn't seem to pay attention to her.

"My boss is always on the lookout for exceptional trainers," he continued in a hushed whisper for some reason, "So I have an offer to make if you're interested."

Of course, my mindset at this point is to say 'no' and walk away. I felt something off from the moment this guy approached me, but it was more of a sinister air than one of outright malice. That's just me putting words to the feelings now, long after the fact.

"What do you want?" I tried to sound as confident as possible. The man dug into his pocket and fished out a small, round ball made seemingly of gold.

"For your cooperation, my boss would like to offer this golden nugget. It's worth quite a lot of money, and all you have to do is agree to join our organization."

"Wh-What organization?" I asked, a bit taken by the lump of gold being offered. It was hard to resist something that could make me rich.

"We're a group dedicated to Pokemon. We're known all over the world, and especially here in Kanto." Though he was answering the question, he was doing so in the most cryptic manner imaginable. I might've been temporarily hooked by the nugget, but even I caught on to his shady speech.

"What's the name?"

"Oh we're known by so many names," he dodged again.

"Okay, so what are you called here?"

"Rocket."

All at once, my daze vanished. That was the name of the group that attacked me in Mt Moon. I took a step back, and Vulpix jumped between us. She started barking as loudly as she could at the man, which drew the attention of a few others on the bridge. That was almost better than picking a fight with the guy, it seemed. Once the eyes of the other trainers were on him, he started to panic.

"There's nothing to see here, folks!" He yelled out. "The girl's Pokemon is just a bit enthusiatic!"

Murmurs came from the trainers around me. I had nothing to fear at this point, but this guy had everything to fear. If his cover was blown, he'd never make it out of here. Without even giving me a chance to say anything, he took off past me. Pushing his way past trainers all over the bridge, he vanished without a trace in seconds. A speedy retreat, indeed.

"Are you okay?" The boy I had battled beforehand asked me once things had settled down. His name was Ethan.

"Yeah, great. Guy was trying to get me to join some crazy group or something," I told him.

I began to wonder, though. Just how far did Team Rocket go? Were they really worldwide like that guy had said?

~o~

After a few hours of fighting through all those trainers, I finally got to Bill's house. Or rather, Bill's mansion on the hilltop. The house was much larger than any other house I'd ever seen, and it was all alone on that hilltop. Not to mention it looked a bit haunted, especially with the sun starting to fall. To be safe, I made sure to carry Vulpix in my arms as I knocked on his door.

At first there was no answer, so I knocked again. As if proving that what you see on TV is real, the door opened on its own this time, complete with that creaky noise. I have to say I was sort of expecting that, but it didn't stop the hairs on the back of my neck from standing up. Vulpix started to growl at the darkness inside the house, but I still went inside.

The house on the outside had an old feel to it, like a hundred year-old mansion, but inside it was something completely different. All around the entrance were machines, books scattered on the floor, and half-eaten bowls of food, mostly rice. All of it looked like it was going bad, so it was probably sitting there for a few days. What kind of a nasty slob was this Bill? And why did Professor Oak call him a good friend?

This entire time, Vulpix continued to growl, but I couldn't tell why she was growling. Pokemon could sense things people couldn't, so I put her down, and let her lead me to whatever it was she was angry at. Over by one of the machines on the other side of the room, Vulpix stopped and began to bark at something behind the machine. I leaned in closer to see what it could be, when all of a sudden a Rattata jumped out at me!

It caught me off guard, so I screamed and fell back. When I opened my eyes, the Rattata was sitting right on top of my chest, looking down at me. Something was strange about this particular Rattata, though: it had a patch of brown hair on its head! I went to touch it, when the Rattata opened its mouth. First instinct was to pull my finger away, as you might recall from my first day as a trainer, but it hadn't opened its mouth to bite me.

"Hiya! I'm a Pokemon!" It barked. My heart stopped completely for a couple seconds, and I think I passed out altogether.

~o~

Next thing I could remember, I was still inside that mansion. I looked around, seeing Vulpix sitting my by side, growling at something nearby. Once she noticed I was awake, she rubbed up against me, licking my face. After pushing her away, I looked over in the direction she had been growling. That same Rattata was sitting there, looking in my direction. This time, my first instinct was to close my legs and pull down on my dress, blushing at the thought of the Rattata staring me down like that.

"Don't worry, I didn't look or see anything!"

"What are you? Pervert!" I screamed without remembering what I was talking to. I was certain I was bright red by this point.

"My name is Bill! I'm a Pokemon researcher," he said, standing on his hind legs and patting his chest.

"You're a talking Rattata," I said bluntly.

"Minor mishap, I assure you," he replied, pointing to a pair of machines in the background. "I was field testing this new invention of mine, when an actual Rattata snuck into here and flipped a switch while I was inside."

"And that turned you into one?"

"The machine isn't meant to turn people into Pokemon," he said as he climbed up onto the control panel. "It's something I've been working on to allow Pokemon to remain in storage, but not be forced inside those tight little Pokeballs. I can't imagine how terribly uncomfortable it must be in there."

The Rattata, or rather, Bill, pointed at the panel, as if asking me to press something on it. I got up off the floor and walked over to it, but keeping my distance from the small rat the entire time.

"Just press this here button, and I should be able to transform right back into my old self!"

He jumped off the panel, and ran inside the machine. I pressed the button like he asked, and instantly the machine sprang to life. The doors closed, and it began making this loud whirring noise, bright lights flashing inside. After a few seconds, the whirring stopped, the lights turned off, and a small bell rang out a couple times. The doors swung open, and out came a young man! I knew it was him right away, from the brown hair.

"Oh man! How great does it feel to be a human again!"

"You're welcome," I said, smiling. After Bill stretched a bit, he walked over to the other side of the room.

"Can I offer you something to drink or eat? If you don't mind, I'll be having a bite myself. Scraps were terrible while I was a Rattata."

"No thanks, I'm fine. How long were you a Rattata?"

"Well, miss-uh, I didn't catch your name?"

"It's Star."

"Star. I was running around this place for two days, eating nothing but what was left in those bowls on the table over there. I'm actually happy the door was closed, was afraid actual wild Pokemon would sneak in and eat me, like an Ekans." Bill shuddered at the thought. It certainly wouldn't be a nice way to die.

"So, how can I repay you for helping me, Star?" Bill started munching on some bread rolls from his fridge. They certainly looked delicious, and even Vulpix looked eager to try one.

"Well, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I have one of those rolls?"

"Why, certainly! One for your lovely Vulpix, as well?" I nodded, as did Vulpix. It was a sweet bread, something I hadn't tasted in a while. The cookies had run out just yesterday, but I hadn't eaten any since Route 22.

"I came by because Professor Oak asked me to. He said you'd be able to help me in my Pokemon journey." I dug in my bag and produced the letter Oak had sent.

"Ahh, how is old Oak? I haven't seen him in a few months, not since I started working on this new storage system." Bill quickly glanced over the letter.

"He's fine, I guess. I haven't actually ever spoken with him." Bill looked at me strangely.

"Then, how?"

I took the moment to explain the whole situation to him. How I left Pallet on my own, meeting up with Gary in Cerulean City, and how I got the Pokedex. That seemed to clear the whole matter up with Bill.

"I see now. So, I take it you don't even have an official Trainer Card, right?" I shook my head, not even knowing I needed some form of ID to be a Pokemon trainer.

"Let me explain now!"

Apparently, I had been breaking all sorts of rules right from the moment I chose to leave Pallet on my own. While training Pokemon didn't require any paperwork, to join the Pokemon League challenge, and go around collecting gym badges for the challenge, I needed to be officially registered in the League. For that, I needed a trainer card and ID number. Since I was already all the way out in Cerulean City, Professor Oak sent me to Bill to have all this paperwork filled out and put in order, rather than force me back to Pallet Town.

Bill was an official in the Pokemon League himself, and it was in his power to issue trainer cards. After a quick photo, which ended with Vulpix showing up in the bottom right corner after jumping up into the camera, Bill printed out my card. My ID number was assigned and registered with the League, and I was now officially Pokemon Trainer Star, ID#74656.

"Wow," I said, looking down at my card, "I didn't know there was so much stuff to do."

"It makes it a lot easier for the League to monitor trainers trying to enter Victory Road and Indigo Plateau. Every time a gym leader hands out a badge, they have to report it to the League, and this way they can make sure someone isn't making fake badges to sneak in. The other thing is to sign you up for the Pokemon Storage System!"

The League was full of rules, including rules on how many Pokemon could be at your side at any time. Built into every Pokeball was a special chip that tagged the Pokemon caught with a trainer's ID number, and all of this information was sent to the League every time you took the Pokemon to a center for healing. Since only six Pokemon could be carried at any time, catching any more after that would force the trainer to send one of their critters to the Pokemon Storage System, or PSS, to be safely stored until they were needed again. This very same system was the work of Bill, who finally made it possible to limit all trainers world wide to six Pokemon.

So I had to ask: what if you weren't registered with the League, and didn't sign up for the PSS, what would happen if I caught seven critters? Bill explained that every Pokeball, regardless of being signed up for the system or not, teleported to the storage facility. Pokemon were naturally wild animals by nature, so unless caught in a Pokeball, they would be virtually untamable. So it was all a perfect plan: you can't be a trainer of any kind without Pokeballs, and you couldn't carry more than six critters unless you used Pokeballs. The League was certainly quite smart with that plan.

"You see, Star, before the modern Pokeball, trainers used something very similar, but they lacked the technology to domesticate Pokemon on the spot. A trainer back then could catch a Pokemon, but taming them would take weeks, months to accomplish. Professor Oak is one of the oldest Pokemon trainers today, so he knows all about the hardships of training the old way. Way he sees it, we're all just a bunch of spoiled kids playing a game."

"I see." I looked down at the spare Pokeballs in my bag, finally appreciating all the power those things had inside.

"Well, Star, that about sets you up! You're free to continue your adventure now!" Bill looked outside a window, seeing that it was dark already. I didn't even have to ask.

"You're welcome to stay the night here, though."

"Thanks, Bill."

~o~

That night, I woke up when I heard some kind of sad moaning coming from outside the mansion. My room had a balcony of its own, so I didn't have to go wandering through the dark to satisfy my curiousity. Vulpix was sound asleep, so I chose not to bother her, either.

The night air was warm, which felt great. The scent of the sea was also welcome. Pallet Town was a seaside town, so that scent was a familiar one. I'd often spend nights by my window, which faced the ocean and Route 21, just taking in the air that rolled in from the sea.

But tonight, there was something out there. I could hear something out at sea, like it was crying. It reminded me of the whimper Vulpix would make when she was hungry and I hadn't fed her anything yet. But what kind of Pokemon would make such a sound from out at sea? And just how close... or how large, would it have to be for the sound to echo the way it was?

"You heard it, too?" Came Bill's voice. It caught me off-guard, so I thought he had let himself into my room without me noticing. He was talking to me from his own balcony next door.

"What is it?" I asked after calming down a bit. My arms covered what they could of my torso, a vain attempt to conceal my nightgown from Bill. Though it was a bit too dark for him to see me.

"A Pokemon. An extremely rare Pokemon, I think."

"What kind of Pokemon?" I asked. He didn't exactly sound too sure of himself.

"I don't know, Star. Something tells me it's one-of-a-kind. I've been hearing it for the longest time, but it never seems to get close enough for me to see it. And it only comes by in the dead of night."

When I perked my ears up again, I noticed the sad moaning was getting faint. Whatever it was, it was moving away from the mansion now. I heard Bill sigh from his balcony.

"Guess tonight it won't be coming by here. Do you need anything, Star?"

"No, not really," I answered. I was a bit disappointed, myself.

"Then I'll wish you a good night. Don't be afraid to call on me if you need anything."

With that, Bill went back into his room. I stayed out on the balcony a while longer, taking in the breeze and listening intently as the mysterious Pokemon continued to distance itself from the mansion.

~o~

The next morning, Bill even gave me one more reward for helping him, something that would prove amazingly useful soon.

"These are train tickets," he said, handing me a pair. "I know that Saffron City is closed off, so this should help you get to where you're going."

"How?" I asked.

"In Cerulean, there's a station that leads all the way to Vermillion City. From there, you can take Route 11 to 12, and north to Lavender Town. Then, just take the train in Lavender to Celadon City! There are gyms in each of those cities save Lavender, so you can keep moving. If Saffron opens up before, you can save the ticket, or sell it, whatever you need!"

"Wow, thanks, Bill! You don't know how much this helps me!"

"I'm pretty sure I do. I once had the same adventure you did, before I got into this line of work. Now, you'd best be off! The train from Cerulean leaves at noon, so you wouldn't want to miss it and lose a whole day!"

I said farewell to Bill, and with Vulpix in my arms started back down the hill towards Route 25. Everyone else probably took the long way around, through the Rock Tunnel mountain towards Lavender. Thanks to my early blunder, I had managed to jump ahead of everyone else!