Chapter Two – The League of Women Trainers

Viridian City – Route 2

Oh, it was good to be hitting the road again, Ashley thought to herself. After spending their first night in a Pokémon Center, the two young trainers were very eager to be on their way. The lodgings were more comfortable than she might have expected, given how many trainers were passing through the city at any one time—not to mention the fact that they were free. Having a pleasant night's sleep after her first day's ordeal did wonders for her mood, and Red seemed in better spirits as well—though the guy seemed perpetually optimistic. Ashley envied him in that, though she wondered how he could get by without worrying about important, practical things!

She'd gotten to meet some girls her own age at the Pokémon center, which was a new experience. Everyone in Pallet was either younger than her, or a good deal older like Gary's sister. She'd grown up always wanting to be a trainer and she was surprised some of the girls staying at the Pokémon Center weren't as interested in discussing the finer points of Pokémon training. Some of them seemed happy to chatter about how cute their newest outfits were or whose Pokémon had better styling. She'd tried asking them why they were trainers rather than coordinators, but they'd just looked at her with complete scorn. As she left the Pokémon Center with Red, she wondered if all Viridian girls were like this or if she'd just been unlucky.

The two of them were walking through Viridian City, passing through intersection after intersection on their way to the Viridian Forest. Though she was occupying herself by reading a book she had borrowed from the Pokémon Center, Ashley had to admit she was starting to get irritated by the amount of time it was taking to leave the city. Why would anybody ever make a city of this size? It just went on and on for no reason. She understand that they needed to make room for houses for all the city's residents, but why did so many people need to live here? It made no sense.

Completely engrossed in her book, Ashley was scarcely paying attention to the sidewalk in front of her. One moment, she was reading about the history of the Pokémon League and the next, she felt a sudden pain in her stomach. She yelped in pain and snapped shut her book before realizing that Red had a hand on her belly.

"Red, I'm in the middle of reading, here!"

"You nearly got yourself killed by that car!" Red scolded her, pointing at a car that was speeding ever out of eyesight. He was right; the driver would have run her over had she been crossing the street at the time.

"Oh… thank you, Red," Ashley said, a little embarrassed. She hadn't even thought about cars - they didn't need them in Pallet.

Ashley continued to read, but she was paying her surroundings considerably more attention this time around. She noticed that Red kept looking back at her every so often. He was probably worried about her. Ashley shook her head, wishing that he would trust her a little bit. She did not need a babysitter.

She caught his eye the third time he turned back to look at her, after they'd finished crossing the street and entered yet another residential block. It didn't look like there was too much further to go, as the ground was already starting to slope upward towards the hills that bounded Viridian. She wasn't looking forward to yet another hike, and she knew next to nothing about this forest that separated Viridian City from the mountain passes that contained the Pewter Gym. She was certainly traveling a lot further than she'd expected to, but nobody had thought to tell her that the Viridian Gym wasn't operating.

When Red realized Ashley had noticed his attention, he coughed and pretended to look at the scenery. It was clear enough that she wasn't buying it, so he tried talking about something else instead. "So sis… what are you reading there that's so exciting?"

Ashley looked up from her book again, "Oh, I'm reading The Annals of the Pokémon League."

Red made a face. "Why on earth would you want to read THAT? Did mother ground you, or something? You don't have to do it, there's no way she could possibly find out."

As Red was hanging back, Ashley waited until she had caught up with him before speaking. "You know, not everybody thinks reading is a punishment," she murmured, with the bulk of her attention still on the book.

Ashley could see Red shaking his head out of the corner of her eyes. "I know, I know. I mean, I would totally understand if it was a great story or something—"

"It's many great stories," she insisted, "stories of the finest Pokémon masters the world has ever seen. Titans of battle, with skill and wisdom that will remain legendary throughout the ages… there's a lot to learn from them."

"Well, that's nice, I guess," Red said, sounding unconvinced. "But why not learn on your own? Doesn't this take the fun out of it? Who wants to be exactly the same as somebody else? Yeah, yeah, they're good trainers… but I bet they didn't learn it from a book."

"It's not just some book," Ashley replied hotly, "it's specifically for budding young trainers interested in learning from the best the League has to offer! It's written by Lord Lance Blackthorne, the leader of the Élite Four. He's the world's authority on dragon Pokémon."

"Why didn't you get a book on dragons, then?" Red asked. "That seems like it might be interesting, especially since you found that one."

"I don't think he's written any. One of his predecessors on the League—I think one of his ancestors—wrote one, but it's impossibly rare. It's one of those old-fashioned handwritten manuscripts… I thought Professor Oak might have one, but I couldn't possibly ask him for that, nor did I want to travel all the way back to Pallet after we spent a whole day trying to get out of there."

"I would have gone back with you," Red offered, always paternalistic. Just because their father was gone didn't mean she needed a surrogate!

Ashley shook her head. "This book is probably better for me… it has information on every member of the Pokémon League in Kanto and Johto, including the gym leader in Pewter. Besides, I like reading the stories of the old masters… Lance is a wonderful, inspirational writer…"

"Lance?" Red repeated. "Are you on a first name basis with the League boss now? He doesn't happen to have his picture in the back of the book, does he?"

Ashley sharply shut the book and held it in the arm opposite from Red. "Maybe it does, I haven't looked."

"You're blushing! You… you have a crush!" Red accused, seeming quite amused.

Ashley hit him on the shoulder. "Shut up. He's a great man, it only makes sense to admire him…"

He looked like he was about keep teasing her, but he stopped. He was silent for a little while, then said. "I thought you were going to train at a gym, work your way up… isn't it a little ambitious to try the League challenge? Trainers three times our age have struggled with it."

"I'm tired of losing. After I lost to Gary again, I took a long walk… and seeing the magnificence of that abandoned gym, I imagined how spectacular it must have looked in its prime. I think about the League and all that it stands for, and I want to be a part of that.. something greater than myself. I want to make a name in history, I want to represent the League and do good things in the world… I want my life to have more meaning than living day to day, thinking of nothing but food, money, and entertainment."

"You can do all that at a gym," Red pointed out. "Why the change of heart about the challenge?"

"I want to be the very best," she whispered, "like no one ever was." It was just the faintest thing, but somehow saying it out loud made her soul exult. She knew at that moment that she had identified her calling. She knew that it would not be easy, but she refused to let herself envision disappointment before she had even started. As far as she was concerned, she could do it. She could see it in her mind's eye: her first confrontation with Mistress Lorelai Kanna, the vanguard of the Élite Four.

"What about you?" she asked him. "Weren't you the one who planned to be the errant trainer, traveling and battling?"

"No," Red said. "Not any more. I saw your battles with Gary, and I don't think that's for me. I don't think I'll make my Pokémon fight."

Ashley stared at him. "Don't tell me that you're going to become one of those insane activists: as long as battle is regulated by the proper authorities and handled with the proper diligence and discipline, it's perfectly safe for the Pokémon. "

Red laughed. "You are such a League nerd. Don't worry, I haven't gone crazy… it's just. They say that trainers find something stirring in battle, that something awakens in them and they get these instincts. I felt nothing. It just seemed rather sad."

Ashley frowned. "I… I hope I haven't been making you feel miserable," she said in a tinny voice, squeezing his shoulder with affection. "I like having you around while everything else around me changes, but you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to."

"I don't mean it like that at all! I mean, I don't really feel like taking on the gym challenge but depending on how long it takes, I will probably stay with you for a while. I think I want to explore the area around Pewter… catching Pokémon is what appeals to me most. I had a great time trying to snatch that rattata, and felt so proud to have caught one rather than just receive one."

"You should do whatever makes you happy," Ashley said with a smile. "Still, it's weird that you're saying this while wearing that expo cap of yours."

Red turned an incredulous look in her direction. "Says the girl decked head to toe in League regalia. Seriously, you could be a walking advertisement."

"What? You well know that I saved up for these! I only just completed the outfit when I got the socks last month."

"What's wrong with you? Pokémon League socks? Ever wonder why Gary loves giving you a hard time?" Red seemed very amused.

"Clearly you're very different," Ashley replied.

"Between your nerdy League paraphernalia and his quest to win the jerk of the year award, yeah, I feel like I'm the only normal person to live in Pallet Town."

"Hey!"