Game 3: Evolutions of Monsters
I didn't sleep that night. I stayed up, running on caffeine and adrenaline (and maybe a pinch of fear, too). Since it would no doubt be a long night, I chose to keep playing. Not like there was much else to do so late at night, anyway.
Brock's Geodude had just been killed by Wildfire, just like every other trainers' Pokemon we've come across so far. The only difference was that this was a Gym Leader's Pokemon, not some random trainer's Pokemon. There were sure to be consequences for doing such a thing.
Brock's sprite reappeared, just like the Jr. Trainer's had when Wildfire had killed his Diglett. "I guess I was right. You're strong, even for one who has lost control of his Pokemon. Geodude was simply a warm-up. Here comes my true powerhouse. Behold!"
Brock's sprite disappeared as he sent out his second (not to mention final) Pokemon, Onix. I switched back to Rocket, once again using my usual tactic against Brock. This time, though, there was a twist.
Since Rocket had leveled up after Wildfire defeated (killed, actually) Geodude, the Squirtle had gained Water Gun. I decided to use that instead of Bubble. Onix was knocked down to barely a sliver of health, just like Geodude before it.
"I'm sorry, Brock," I said. "If I want to stay alive, I have to keep going. I hope you don't hold it against me."
I switched Rocket out for Wildfire and proceeded to close my eyes for the next turn. I had seen enough of that horrible red screen. I already knew what was coming…or so I thought. Maybe if I'd have watched, I'd have realized what Wildfire was going to do.
Wildfire used SCRATCH!
Enemy ONIX fainted!
The battle screen faded, returning me to Pewter City Gym. Brock's sprite abruptly backed up. I wasn't surprised. Brock had thought he would win. Wildfire had made sure that didn't happen.
"I-I-Impossible! I've never lost to your kind before! Never! How could you have possibly defeated me? GEODUDE… ONIX… I'm so sorry!"
Brock said nothing else. When I approached him again, a text box popped up.
Take the BOULDER BADGE? Y/N?
I selected Yes.
Take the TM34? Y/N?
I selected Yes again. If I remembered correctly, TM34 was Bide. I was pretty sure that I was never going to use that move, useful as it was sometimes.
I left Pewter Gym immediately afterward to heal my team at the Pokemon Center. When Nurse Joy took the Poke Balls from my character and put them on the machine, she suddenly paused when she only put four Poke Balls on it. I felt dread hit me when she spoke to me again.
"Your CHARMANDER's POKE BALL is empty. Please put your CHARMANDER in its POKE BALL before healing it."
"What?" I cried. "Where is he?"
I was terrified. This had never happened before. How did Wildfire sneak off? And when? Why?
"Oh, there it is. Sorry for the alarm. Your POKEMON will be healed shortly."
"Huh? What?" I stared at the screen in shock. "Wildfire's already back? What did h—"
My words died when I saw Nurse Joy put six Poke Balls on the machine. I didn't have six Pokemon! I had Rocket, Talon, Zapper, Gale, and Wildfire! That was five Pokemon! Not six! Where did the sixth one come from?
"Thank you! Your POKEMON are fighting fit! We hope to see you again!"
Once I was out of the Pokemon Center, I didn't hesitate to pull up the menu and check my team. I choked when I saw what it was.
It was a Level 14 Onix named Crag. There was only one Onix to be found in all of Pewter City. That was Brock's Onix. But didn't Wildfire kill Brock's Onix? I had closed my eyes before that, so maybe he hadn't. Did that mean…?
"What did you do, Wildfire?" I growled, enraged. "Did you kill Brock, too?"
It took a moment for a dark text box to pop up. "I didn't kill him. I simply showed him my power. Now he understands why he lost."
"And what about his Onix? Why did you take it?" I demanded.
"You said you needed strong teammates. I decided that his Onix was strong, so I took it from him. He can always find another one."
How can he sound so casual about this? I thought, glaring coldly at my Gameboy. At least he didn't kill Brock. That's good.
I didn't reply to Wildfire. I clicked on Crag's sprite and transferred him to the PC pocket. I couldn't use a Gym Leader's Pokemon, not after Wildfire had stolen it. It wouldn't be right.
I left Pewter City right after I bought a few more items from the PokeMart. Obviously, whether an area was populated or not didn't matter to Wildfire. He was going to kidnap and kill no matter what. At least I could control where he did those.
I headed for Route 3. Then I saw the trainers. Why were there so many trainers?
To level your team up before any upcoming events, I remembered. Team Rocket is in Mt. Moon. I wonder if they'll be there despite all the glitches so far. I hope they aren't.
Team Rocket may be the main antagonists of Red, Blue, and Yellow, but I didn't want to kill their Pokemon. Nobody deserved that, even power-hungry evil organizations. I prayed desperately for Team Rocket not to be there.
I saw my first Route 3 trainer just a few steps away from my character. It was probably a Lass, if I was correct. Once I entered her line of sight, she approached me.
"You defeated Brock, didn't you?"
She sent out a Pidgey. Wildfire was sent out first, apparently having reclaimed his spot at the head of my team. I swapped him out and sent Zapper into battle. I had yet to use the Pikachu in battle. Now was as good a time as any, especially against a Flying-type.
Two Thundershocks, plus a critical hit, left the Pidgey with only a sliver of health left. Reluctantly, I fell into the rhythm of sending Wildfire or Gale out to finish trainer Pokemon. I hated it, but there was no avoiding it that I could see.
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy PIDGEY died!
Once the experience points were divided between Wildfire and Zapper, I was shocked at the message I received when Zapper leveled up.
Zapper grew to level 6! Zapper learned TAIL WHIP!
That wasn't right. Pikachu only learned Tail Whip at Level 6 in Yellow, not in Red or Blue. Was this another glitch? Learning moves that could only be learned in other versions, this case being Blue and Yellow?
There sure are a ton of different glitches in this game, I decided.
The Lass tossed out her second (and last) Pidgey. This one was a bit smarter than the first one, using Gust rather than Sand-Attack. Regardless, it was taken down by three Thundershocks. I closed my eyes when Wildfire ended its life with Ember.
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy PIDGEY died!
"How could that be? That's not possible…" the Lass said once the battle was over.
I left her behind to face the next few trainers. If I was right, it would be a few Bug Catchers and Youngsters. That meant lots of experience for Talon and Zapper.
I approached the next trainer. He ran up to me, his text change just like the rest. This time, though, his text was slightly similar to his original text.
"I remember you from VIRIDIAN FOREST! You'll pay for what happened back there!"
This kid wanted revenge, huh? I wish I could give it to him. Wildfire likely wouldn't let that happen, though. If I lost, I would die (both in-game and maybe in reality). I couldn't let that happen.
"I'm sorry," I said as Wildfire was sent out. "I can't give you what you want, kid. I want to…but I can't."
I swapped Wildfire for Talon since he would do better against all the Bug-types that this kid had. The Spearow easily defeated both of his Caterpie and his Weedle. I sent Gale in to finish them off, though.
Gale used GUST!
Enemy CATERPIE died!
Enemy WEEDLE died!
Enemy CATERPIE died!
"I lost again! How do you keep doing that?"
I ignored him. The next trainer, a Youngster, was only a few steps away. If I was right, he was the one who always chattered on about comfy shorts.
I approached him, initiating another battle. His text had changed. I think I was starting to get used to it, though. At least it changed things up a bit (not like all the glitches already hadn't).
"You're the one who lost control? You're not wearing shorts! Lame!"
I stared at the screen. Then I laughed. It was the first time I had laughed since this horrible nightmare of a game had started. I found it ironic that it was the I-like-shorts kid that caused me to laugh. He was one of the funniest trainers in the games and he even made a nightmare a bit funny.
I felt bad when the battle actually started. I would have to kill this guy's Pokemon. At least he managed to make me laugh (for perhaps the last time).
He sent out a Rattata first. I swapped Wildfire for Zapper to give him some experience. I had to use a Potion when the Rattata got a critical hit with Quick Attack. Once it was nearly defeated, I used Wildfire to finish it.
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy RATTATA died!
The Youngster sent out an Ekans next. I swapped Wildfire for Zapper briefly before sending in Rocket. Two Water Guns had the purple snake Pokemon down to a sliver of red health.
A dark text box popped up. It was Rocket.
"Dante, are we still…?"
I sighed sadly. "Yes, Rocket. We still have to kill them. I won't make you, though. That's Wildfire's job, since he started it."
"I don't like it, Dante."
"…I don't either. But we don't have a choice. I'm sorry." I replied softly.
I swapped Rocket for Wildfire again. Wildfire was the killer, after all (as was Gale). If he wanted to kill, he could do it all by himself (Gale, too). He wasn't turning my team into murderers.
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy EKANS fainted!
Wait! Come again! It fainted, not died?
The battle screen faded. A noise came from the speakers, similar to when Slash was used. The Youngster's sprite was thrown backward abruptly.
A text box popped up. "W-W-Why?" It was the Youngster!
There was a Poke Ball on the ground in front of my character. I didn't want to pick it up but every time I tried to go past it, a dark text box showed up. Wildfire wasn't letting me leave whatever it was he had stolen from the Youngster.
"Don't go. Pick it up."
"Why are you leaving? Go back. Take it."
"Don't you want it? I got it just for you."
After numerous attempts to avoid picking up the Poke Ball, I finally surrendered. I made my character pick it up. My heart stopped when I read what it was.
Dante found EKANS!
"You stole that kid's Ekans? What is wrong with you, Wildfire?" I shouted.
Wildfire replied via dark text box. "I'm getting you strong teammates. There are no other EKANS around here. If you wanted one, stealing his would be the only way to get one. So that's what I did."
"But that's not right! Stop it!" I ordered.
"No. I can't read your mind, Dante. I don't know what Pokemon you want to train, so I'm getting you every new one I can find. That way, you can do as you please with whatever Pokemon you want. I don't care. Just get me to the top. You'll regret it if you don't."
I'm starting to even wonder if I care about that anymore, I thought angrily. "You'll be the one regretting this, Wildfire."
"We'll see, Dante. We'll see."
I didn't hesitate in dropping the Ekans, nicknamed Scaly by the Youngster, into the PC pocket. I approached the Youngster, just to put my mind to ease. He was okay, right?
He had to be, since he spoke to me. That didn't mean he was nice. I didn't blame him. I was the villain here, basically (or so the kid knew).
"You really have lost control, haven't you? You kill, you steal… What won't you do?"
"I'm not doing this. This is all Wildfire and Gale, kid." I replied despite knowing the kid couldn't hear me.
A few steps away was another trainer. A trainer with more Pokemon for Wildfire and Gale to kill. Lovely…
"I saw what you just did there! You'll pay for that!"
It was a Bug Catcher, as I predicted. He tossed out a Weedle first. I swapped Wildfire out for Zapper, who took out all four of his Bug-types with a few Thundershocks. Zapper leveled up a bit along the way. I used Gale and Wildfire to finish them off.
Gale used GUST!
Enemy WEEDLE died!
Enemy CATERPIE died!
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy KAKUNA died!
Enemy METAPOD died!
I hopped down the ledge just in front of the Bug Catcher in order to face another Youngster. The system I was following was beginning to get boring. Go into battle, swap out Wildfire, knock opponent to red, swap in Wildfire/Gale, kill opponent, and repeat. It was getting tiresome.
"No wonder you lost control! You're not wearing shorts!" the Youngster's text box read.
"Why are shorts so important, anyway?" I wondered.
The Youngster sent out a Spearow. It was Level 14, the highest level trainer Pokemon on Route 3. I swapped Wildfire out for Zapper due to his type advantage over Spearow. Two Thundershocks knocked it just barely into the red before a critical hit Peck nearly knocked the Pikachu out. I swapped him out early for Wildfire.
Wildfire used EMBER!
Enemy SPEAROW died!
Zapper grew to level 9! Zapper learned THUNDER WAVE!
Wildfire grew to level 16! What? Wildfire is evolving!
Wait! What? When did that…?
"Oh, yeah. Charmander evolves at Level 16. Crud…" I muttered. "If Wildfire was bad as a Charmander, he'll probably be worse as a Charmeleon."
The screen turned white, a sprite of a Charmander at the center of it. The sprite darkened before it began to flicker between a Charmander sprite and a Charmeleon sprite. I was tempted to press B to stop the evolution, but thoughts of what Wildfire might do to me put a stop to that. The Charmander sprite was soon replaced with the Charmeleon sprite.
Wildfire evolved into CHARMELEON!
A dark text box popped up as soon as the evolution screen disappeared. It was Wildfire (no surprise, really). And he was clearly happy.
"Finally! I've finally evolved! I'm stronger now! Now it'll be easier to make it to the top! Yes!"
"Good for you," I muttered with mock joy.
"It was all thanks to you, Dante. You allowed me to get this far. That foolish Rook couldn't even get me to Viridian City! Yet you, Dante, you got me all the way here! I expect you to get me all the way to the top. Don't forget it! You'll regret it if you do."
"I doubt I could forget, even if I wanted to." I growled.
The dark text box vanished, allowing me to jump down the next ledge. I headed back to Pewter City to heal my team at the Pokemon Center. Then I returned to Route 3 and confronted the next trainer. It was another Lass, from what I could tell.
"I see that look on your face. I won't lose easily!" her text box read.
The Lass sent out a Rattata first. I had already decided to switch Wildfire out for Rocket. If I was going to have evolutions happening, I was at least getting my starter to evolve too! At least I'd have one evolved Pokemon on my side.
It wasn't Wildfire that was thrown out on my side. It was Gale!
"Gale? What are you doing up front?" I cried, surprised.
A dark text box popped up. I could see tiny whirlwinds in the corners. It was Gale.
"Wildfire has evolved successfully. I plan to evolve next. Simple as that."
I stopped arguing. Gale obviously wasn't about to back down. Too bad I had a plan. Gale, like all Pidgey, would evolve at Level 18. Rocket on the other hand, would evolve at Level 16. Rocket would be next to evolve, not Gale.
I swapped Gale out for Rocket, using Water Gun to defeat the Rattata. It was a one hit knock-out (or OHKO, for all you chat-speakers). Sadly, it took Rocket a bit longer to take out the Lass' Nidoran male. Two Water Guns later, it was down in the red. As usual (ugh, I can't believe I'm saying that), I sent out Gale to finish the job.
Gale used GUST!
Enemy RATTATA died!
Enemy NIDORAN died!
That's when I got a surprise. I should've known. Gale wasn't about to be outdone, not by Wildfire and definitely not by Rocket. Stupid glitches…
What? Gale is evolving!
"What? Pidgey don't evolve until Level 18!" I cried, frustrated. The only under-leveled Pidgeotto are the ones in Viridian Forest in Yellow…right?
Then I remembered Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen versions. During the Cerulean City rival battle, your rival has a Level 17 Pidgeotto despite the fact that it was Level 18 (the proper evolution level) in the original games. Did Gale somehow know that and used it to evolve early?
I was tempted to hit the B button. I nearly did, too. But Wildfire interfered.
"Don't even think about it. Remember what I said about getting me to the top? If you value your friends' lives, you'll let Gale evolve."
Was he threatening Rocket and my team? Or did he mean my friends in reality? That scared me enough to drop the Gameboy, thus allowing Gale to finish his glitched evolution into a Pidgeotto. When I finally got the courage to pick it up again, I was greeted with the sight of Rocket evolving into a Wartortle.
At least I've got one evolved friend, I thought.
That didn't stop my fears. Now that Wildfire and Gale were evolved, they'd be even more dangerous. Good thing I had stopped sleeping. This was just night one with no sleep.
I don't know how long I could last. I'd have to sleep sometime. My body couldn't last without sleep. That made me even more afraid.
Why me? I wondered.
Of course, I received no answer. I probably never would. I wasn't expecting one. It wouldn't change how things ended up for me. If anything it might make it worse…
.o.o.o.o.
PARTY
Rocket, Wartortle, male, Level 16, Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble, Water Gun, received in Pallet Town
Wildfire, Charmeleon, male, Level 16, Growl, Scratch, Ember, Leer, caught on Route 1
Talon, Spearow, male, Level 16, Peck, Growl, Leer, Fury Attack, caught on Route 22
Gale, Pidgeotto, male, Level 17, Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, caught on Route 22
Zapper, Pikachu, male, Level 10, Thundershock, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, caught in Viridian Forest
PC POCKET
Ratso, Rattata, male, Level 3, Tackle, Tail Whip, caught on Route 22
Xena, Mankey, female, Level 5, Scratch, Leer, caught on Route 22
Wiggles, Caterpie, female, Level 6, Tackle, String Shot, caught in Viridian Forest
Sting, Weedle, male, Level 6, Poison Sting, String Shot, caught in Viridian Forest
Emperor, Nidoran male, Level 12, Leer, Tackle, Horn Attack, caught on Route 22
Empress, Nidoran female, Level 12, Growl, Tackle, Scratch, caught on Route 22
Crag, Onix, male, Level 14, Tackle, Screech, Bide, Bind, caught in Pewter City
Scaly, Ekans, male, Level 11, Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, caught on Route 3
