Chapter 3

Without even putting his shoes on, Felix ran out the door. He could hear voices, the sound of criminals laughing amongst themselves, in the distance toward the north. He followed the voices sprinting as fast as he could. He followed them all of the way to the outskirts of town, at the entrance of Route 1. Although he didn't have a Pokemon to defend him from the dangers of what lurked in the tall grass, he had to save Magnemite. He took his first steps outside of Pallet Town.

"Hey! Wait! Don't go out!" a voice called out behind him. Felix froze where he stood. He looked over his shoulder to see none other than Professor Oak, the most renowned Pokemon researcher in the world, chasing behind him.

"But they took my Pokemon!" cried Felix as Professor Oak caught up to him.

"I know. But what are you going to do once you've caught up to them? Fight the whole gang by yourself without a Pokemon?" said Professor Oak catching his breath.

"I don't know… I guess so…" said Felix, hanging his head.

"It's too dangerous to go out there without a Pokemon anyway, even without gangsters about," said Professor Oak.

Just then a rustle came from the tall grass. They both turned to look toward the noise when a Pikachu emerged from the grass, in a hostile posture. Almost as if by reflex, Professor Oak reached for his belt and grabbed a Pokeball and hurled it at Pikachu. Before the Pikachu could run away, the Pokeball opened and the Pokemon began to be dragged inside of it. Without so much as a wiggle, the light in the center of the Pokeball flashed, and an audible electric tone rang through their ears.

"How did you do that?" Felix asked in bewilderment.

"It's all in the technique," chuckled Professor Oak. "Here, follow me!"

"But my Magnemite–"

"Is half way to Viridian City by now. By the time you got there, they could be anywhere. You'd be without food, a Pokemon, and by the looks of it, shoes," said Professor Oak. "But if you come with me to my lab, I'll make it up to you."

Felix doubted anything Professor Oak gave him would make it up to him, not even another Pokemon. Nothing could replace the bond he had with Magnemite. But he agreed to follow him back to his lab.

"You have heart, just like your father," said Oak.

"I wish I'd known him," said Felix. "He died in the war. At least, I think so. One day he stopped writing and calling. I can only assume…"

"Oh no, your father didn't die in the war," said Oak. "He was murdered."

"What?"

"He was called back from his deployment. He was assigned to a special, classified, research project. He wasn't allowed contact with anyone. However, the entire laboratory was killed by Team Rocket."

Anger within Felix started to burn. "How do you know?"

"I am Kanto's top scientist. I am familiar with nearly all of the region's best researchers and latest projects. This project, however, was too classified, even for me. I don't know what they were working on, just that Team Rocket wanted it to end."

Felix's hatred for Team Rocket burned within his chest. He wanted to wipe them from the face of the Earth, but his wrath was contained within a feeling of helplessness. He felt powerless without a Pokemon or even a pair of shoes.

"..."

"I'm sorry," said Professor Oak softly.

Oak's lab was the biggest building in Pallet Town, which wasn't saying much. It was a large brick building with many windows. A sign out front read "Oak Pokemon Research Lab." Inside contained a large library at the entrance, with many of Oak's aides and fellow researchers studying and conducting experiments. On the back wall, there were all sorts of gadgets and machinery that Felix was unsure how they worked. On the right, a table held a single Pokeball. Waiting by the table was Zane.

"Gramps! I'm fed up with waiting!" Zane said impatiently.

"Hmm? Zane? Why are you here already? I said for you to come by later," said Professor Oak calmly.

"But you promised me one six months ago!" whined Zane.

"Ah, whatever. Just wait there. Look, Felix! Do you see that ball on the table? It's called a Pokeball and contains a Pokemon inside. Go on, take it!" said Professor Oak, motioning toward the table.

"Hey! Gramps! What about me?"

"Be patient, Zane. I'll give you one later," said Professor Oak, still calm.

Felix shuffled over to the table, slightly embarrassed. He didn't want Zane to bully him even more because his grandfather gave him a Pokemon before he did. He reluctantly reached for the Pokeball when suddenly he felt a shove hit him on the side, nearly knocking him over.

"No way, Felix, I want this Pokemon!" cried Zane, snatching the Pokeball off of the table. "My grandpa promised it to me!"

"No, Zane! What are you doing?" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"Gramps! I want this one!"

"But I… oh alright then. That Pokemon is yours. I was going to give you one anyway. Felix, come over here," said Professor Oak. He reached to his belt and pulled out a Pokeball. Felix shuffled back over to Professor Oak and Oak handed the Pokeball to him. "It's the Pikachu I caught earlier."

Felix received a Pikachu! He suspected Professor Oak would give him a Pokemon. He gave Pokemon as gifts to children regularly who wanted to enter the Pokemon League. Although he still missed Magnemite, having another electric Pokemon would help him and his mother immensely.

"Would you like to give a nickname to your Pikachu?" asked Professor Oak.

"No," replied Felix, politely.

Felix and Zane said their goodbyes to Professor Oak and turned to leave.

"Wait! Felix! Let's check out our Pokemon!" suggested Zane.

"I don't know…"

"Come on! I'll take you on! $175, plus bragging rights!"

Felix couldn't turn down the opportunity for money, and especially bragging rights. This was his last chance to defeat Zane. "You're on!"

"Yes! Ok then! Eevee, I choose you!" declared Zane with a flare of excitement.

Wow, an Eevee! I could have had one of those! Felix thought to himself. Oh well.

"Pikachu! I choose you!" cried Felix.

Eevee and Pikachu faced each other, both ready for battle. There was an aggressive gleam in Pikachu's eye.

"Pikachu! Thundershock!" shouted Felix and two large streams of electricity rocketed out of Pikachu's cheeks. Eevee wailed in pain. Pikachu's demeanor was the complete opposite of Magnemite's. Eevee looked a little phased.

"Eevee, weaken him with your Growl!" yelled Zane. Eevee began to growl, but it only irritated Pikachu. Pikachu's attack power fell, but it didn't lessen the blow after Felix called for another Thundershock.

"Tail Whip, Eevee!" cried Zane. Eevee tails whipped across Pikachu's face. Pikachu let his guard down, but hurled another Thundershock Eevee's way. Eevee looked more fatigued than ever. Felix couldn't believe it. Not only was he winning, but the match wasn't close. He was wiping the floor with Zane.

"Tackle!" wailed Zane, frustration flooding from his voice. Eevee mustered up the energy, damaging Pikachu more than expected. It didn't matter though. Eevee didn't look like he could take another blow.

"Finish him, Pikachu! Thundershock!" cried Felix with a look of determination. Pikachu let out another huge Thundershock that completely lit up the lab. Eevee fell over unconscious.

Felix couldn't believe it. He won! He won his first Pokemon battle. Against Zane no less. Words could not describe the level of satisfaction he was feeling. Did he have a chance to take on the Pokemon League? At the very least, he could beat all the kids in town and win some money to take care of his mother. There was something special about this Pikachu…

Zane called his unconscious Eevee back to his Pokeball and muttered "What? Unbelievable… I picked the wrong Pokemon…" He lifted his nose in the air and declared, "Okay! I'll make my Pokemon fight to toughen them up! Felix! Gramps! Smell ya later!" and stormed off.

Felix called Pikachu back into his Pokeball, but the electric mouse busted out of his Pokeball immediately.

"What? Would you look at that? It's odd, but it appears your Pikachu dislikes Pokeballs," said Professor Oak. Pikachu gave out a small cry of contempt and turned his back on Felix. "It also appears to not like you much. You should just keep it with you. That should make it happy. You can talk to it to see how it feels about you."

Felix waved goodbye to Professor Oak, and he and Pikachu walked out into the chilly evening. He wasn't sure how long he'd been at Professor Oak's lab, but it was already fairly late when his house got raided. His excitement for having defeated Zane faded as he remembered Team Rocket ransacking his house and running off with his Magnemite. He felt empowered by his match that he could take on Team Rocket with his new powerful Pikachu, but Professor Oak was right. Did he really expect that he could take on all of Team Rocket by himself? Even if he could find where they took his Magnemite, which could be anywhere, he didn't stand much of a chance. But maybe… What if he trained to become a Gym challenger? What if he became strong enough to become the champion? He could not only liberate Magnemite, but all of the other Pokemon Team Rocket had stolen. He figured his mother was probably worried sick so he headed for home, his mind filled with delusions of grandeur.

"Mom! I'm home! I have something to show you!" Felix called out as he came through the front door, which had been shut since he left. His mother was still sitting at the table, sipping tea. She looked anxious and tired.

"I'm so glad you're home! I've missed you," she said, rising from the table and pulling him into a warm embrace. "I see you have a new friend."

"This is Pikachu. Professor Oak gave him to me," said Felix.

"Well that was very nice of Professor Oak," said his mom. "He will be a great help around the house."

"Actually, mom, I was thinking…" said Felix, nervous to even bring up what he was about to say next. "...I was thinking that I might try and take on the Pokemon Gym challenge."

His mom paused for a moment. "You what?"

"I- I want to take on the gym challenge," Felix repeated, a little more confident once the words came out.

"Felix, you can't. I need you here." his mom said shortly.

"But mom! If I become good enough, I can take care of you! I can make more money than I ever could here."

"You couldn't even beat Zane with a type advantage! I was so relieved when you gave up on battling. That wasn't a life I wanted for you. I don't even like you betting on the battles of others!"

"But mom! I beat Zane just tonight with my new Pikachu!"

"You beat his Spearow with a Pikachu? It's not hard to beat a Flying type with an Electric type Pokémon, especially one that knows Thundershock."

"No mom! He got an Eevee today from Professor Oak! I beat an Eevee!"

"Son, I love you, but you aren't good enough. No mom should have to say this to her ten year old, but I'm sorry, you don't have the talent. You don't even have the personality for it."

"Mom, I can do it! I just need to-"

"You can't!" his mom interrupted. "I've seen these Pokemon trainers on TV. They are brutal to their Pokemon and to each other. They walk around with such arrogance. Competition and wealth is what drives them. They'll crush you and take every last thing that you have without remorse. I don't want that life for you!"

Felix stood silent. He didn't know his mother felt so strongly about Pokemon training. He knew she didn't like it when he brought his winnings from local bets, but not to this extent. His mom lowered her voice.

"Felix, I hate it that mothers let their children fight Pokemon for profit. The responsibility of providing for families should not be on the shoulders of children. I work so hard everyday waiting tables to keep the house and to keep you." Felix's mom began to cry. Felix put his arm around his mom's shoulders, who was now sitting back down in her chair.

"Ok, mom. I won't go."