Dream 3: Nugget Bridge Massacre

"Well, look what we have here!"

I felt myself freeze at the voice. A dozen explanations ran through my head, but only one really stuck. There was one big difference between Red, Blue, and Yellow versions. Yellow was created to mimic the Pokemon cartoon. And a main part of the cartoon was…

"It's a trainer twerp! I wonder what Pokemon he has for us to steal!"

I slowly turned around to find myself facing two Team Rocket grunts…only they weren't grunts. In the cartoon, they were Jessie and James. In the games, they had no names but their sprites differentiated them from the common grunts.

"Who are they?" Dune whimpered, hiding behind Zapper.

"More Team Rocket guys!" the Pikachu growled, cheeks sparking.

"Hey! I'm a girl, thank you very much!" Jessie barked angrily.

In the Gen 1 games, Jessie was the only official girl in Team Rocket. The rest were guys, or so everyone guessed since the sprites were all male.

"Whatever!" Zapper snapped, eyes narrowed at the pair.

"I guess we're fighting again," Rocket muttered.

"Then let's cut to the chase already! Sunlight's just a few yards away!" Talon cried, flapping his wings from my shoulder. "I'd like to fly in open sky right about now, if you don't mind!"

"Then who are we to stop you?" James asked. Then he smirked. "Oh, wait. We're Team Rocket! It's our job!"

"Hand over your Pokemon quietly and we may just let you go unharmed, twerp." Jessie ordered.

I shook my head. I wasn't about to hand over Rocket, Talon, Zapper, and Dune. If they wanted Wildfire and Gale, they could have them! I sure as heck didn't want them!

"Fine! Be that way!" Jessie yelled. "If words won't work, then we'll use force! Ekans, go!"

"Teach them a lesson, Koffing!" James cried.

The purple snake and the gas ball Pokemon emerged from their Poke Balls, ready to fight. I backed up, letting my team decide among themselves who would fight who. In the end, Zapper and Talon stepped up to the plate.

Talon shot forward with Peck, nailing Ekans in the stomach. The serpent hissed, firing glowing violet needles (Poison Sting needles) from its mouth. Despite (what I guessed was) a critical hit, the Spearow continued attacking with Peck. A critical hit Peck won Talon the match.

Meanwhile, Zapper was electrocuting the crud out of Koffing. It missed both of its Tackles, giving the Pikachu the time he needed to take it out with Thundershock. The Koffing stood no chance at all against my team.

That left Meowth, who emerged from its Poke Ball (unlike its cartoon counterpart, who had no Poke Ball) immediately after both Poison-types went down. The cat unsheathed its claws and hissed, fur rising as an added threat. It wasn't intimidating in the least.

If anything, it looked kind of cute.

Looks weren't all that it had on its side, apparently. That was proven when Dune went in to fight it, only to be out-sped by the feline. It landed a nasty Scratch on the Sandshrew, drawing a bit of blood along his arm. Dune yelped, quickly retreating in terror.

"Dune!" Zapper cried. "Oh, that's it! You're one dead kitty!"

Two Thundershocks were enough to cut the Meowth down to size. Weak, and paralyzed to boot, it could do nothing when Zapper advanced on it. The Pikachu smirked.

"Sayonara…sucker!" he laughed.

A final jolt of electricity knocked it out, ending the match. Jessie and James were quick to return it, backing up. Weirdly enough, they didn't try to revive any of their Pokemon like the other grunts did.

Wildfire stepped forward. "Get out of here," he growled. "You're not worth the time it takes to kill you."

"Kill…? You mean you're—" James started to say, only to be cut off by the Charmeleon.

"Leave. Now!" Wildfire snarled.

What's going on? I wondered curiously. Why is Wildfire letting them go? First the Super Nerd and now these two. Is there a reason?

If there was, Jessie and James obviously chose not to question it. They turned tail and ran back down the tunnel, heading deeper into Mt. Moon. That's when I realized something else.

Meowth was a new Pokemon. Wildfire didn't steal it.

Weird, I thought.

Wildfire ended my trail of thought. "Now that those bozos are out of the way, let's keep moving. The next city's up ahead and so is the next gym. We'll be one step closer to getting to the top once we defeat it."

Heading down a short set of stone steps, we climbed up two ladders before arriving in a small room. Sunlight streamed in from a large hole in the mountain wall. It was the exit. We were out of Mt. Moon at long last.

I happily ran out the exit, glad to feel sunlight and a fresh breeze on my skin. No more Team Rocket grunts to fight (and watch die). No more Zubat and Geodude, either.

Until Rock Tunnel, part of me thought.

Route 4 was a straight shot to Cerulean City. There were no trainers aside from a Lass that couldn't be reached until later in the game. I was relieved to simply walk around with no worries.

"Hey! Are we going to Cerulean or what, Dante? Don't forget about what happens to you if I don't make it to the top."

Except Wildfire. He was one worry that was probably never going away.

It didn't take long to reach Cerulean City (like I said, it was a straight shot). All it took was a bit of walking, some ledge jumping, and a quick dash through a patch of tall grass before we hit the city entrance. We didn't even run into any Pokemon along the way. Lucky me.

The first thing I did was run to the Pokemon Center to heal my team. There was supposed to be a rival battle before Nugget Bridge, but with Rook dead…

I wonder what'll happen if I go there, I thought as I exited the Pokemon Center.

"We'll need to be stronger for the next Gym, especially since it's full of Water-types." Wildfire commented.

"Agreed, unless you don't mind fainting during battle," Gale said.

"I'd rather not. I can't make it to the top if that happens," the Charmeleon growled.

"Zapper's our best bet at winning," Rocket pointed out nervously.

"Sweet! I get to fry some fish!" the Pikachu cried excitedly.

"Nugget Bridge should be our next destination," Gale suggested. "The trainers there will give us some experience, as will the trainers beyond it."

"Yeah," Wildfire nodded. "You heard him, Dante. Let's get going."

As much as I didn't want to, I reluctantly nodded in agreement (since I couldn't speak due to in-game character muteness). In the Red and Blue version Cerulean rival battle, the rival had their starter, a Pidgeotto, a Rattata, and an Abra. Since I already had the starter and the Pidgeotto (Wildfire and Gale), that left the Rattata and the Abra. I had a Rattata of my own already, so there was the possibility of not encountering it. That left the Abra, which I had yet to see in this game.

If I see it, will it force itself on my team like Gale and Wildfire did? I wondered fearfully. Would that mean I'd have to put someone in the PC pocket? Would I even have a choice?

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I never noticed that we had reached Nugget Bridge. We were close to the first trainer. That's when I noticed it.

We had passed by where you fight your rival. No Rattata or Abra had appeared.

That's weird. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Wildfire and Gale are the only glitch Pokemon that would've belonged to Rook, I decided. Yeah, that has to be it.

"Hey, you! Do you know where you are?" the trainer, a Bug Catcher, demanded. "This is Nugget Bridge! If you can beat all five of us, you'll get a super-cool prize! Think you're up to it?"

Do I have a choice? I thought, frowning.

The Bug Catcher tossed out a Caterpie first. I sent in Talon, who was only one level away from evolving. Then at least I'd have two of my friends evolved. Zapper couldn't evolve without a Thunder Stone and Dune evolved at Level 22, which was six levels away.

Talon easily weakened the Caterpie with Peck. The Weedle that came after it was dealt with similarly. That's when I remembered what came next.

"I guess you win, ki—"

The Bug Catcher's words became a choked cry when Gale shot forward, claws tearing the Caterpie apart in seconds. Before the trainer could even pull out a Poke Ball to recall his Bug-types, the Pidgeotto twisted around and pecked viciously at the Weedle. The massacre barely lasted a minute, leaving the bridge stained red with blood.

"What…? What did…?" the Bug Catcher struggled to find the words. "What did you do?"

I lost control.

There. I finally admitted it, at least in my thoughts, in the dreams. I had lost control. Wildfire and Gale would never listen to me. They would continue to kill no matter what I did or said. I had no control over them…and likely never would.

I could only move onward, walking past the boy who had fallen to his knees beside the bloodied corpses of his two Pokemon. I could feel the eyes of the other Nugget Bridge trainers on me. They knew what I was. Knew that I had lost control. That my Pokemon (Wildfire and Gale, actually) would kill their Pokemon if they lost.

A Lass was next. She was nervous, scared even. "You've done it, haven't you?" she said, voice trembling with fear. "You've lost control, haven't you?"

All I could do was nod.

She didn't hesitate to send out her Pokemon, both of them at once. It was a Pidgey and a Nidoran female. She gave a command that I had seen coming.

"Stop him," she ordered. "No matter what you have to do, don't let this guy win."

I don't have a choice but to win, kid. I'll die if I don't. I'm sorry, I mentally apologized.

"Sorry, girlie, but that isn't an option for us!" Zapper declared, unknowingly giving voice to my thoughts.

The Pikachu shot forward like a bullet, ramming into the Pidgey with Quick Attack. A powerful Thundershock quickly followed, frying the bird straight away. Despite its desperate attempts to knock him out with Quick Attack, Zapper showed no mercy when it came to defeating it with a final blast of lightning.

I was shocked to see Dune jump into the fray, claws swiping madly at the Nidoran female. It squeaked and cried out in pain, but Dune never stopped. His eyes were squeezed shut, whether in fear of his opponent or of the damage he was causing to it, I wouldn't know. I could see tears escaping him.

"Please, just faint! I don't want anything bad to happen to Dante!" he wailed.

Wait! Does that mean…?

I realized what he meant immediately. Dune knew about my predicament. He knew that if I lost, I would die. That Wildfire would kill me. That I wasn't in control of this journey. Zapper, his (from what I could tell) closest friend, had likely told him everything. Even if Dune wasn't all that close to me, it was evident that he didn't want me to die…or anyone at all, I guess.

Not that he had a choice. Wildfire and Gale would keep killing. I couldn't stop them. I doubt anyone could.

Wildfire unleashed a powerful blast of flame, burning everything in his path. Zapper snatched up Dune and dove out of the way, just barely dodging the blaze that was spreading between us and the Lass. I could hear her Pokemon screaming in agony as they were burned alive. The Lass was crying, tears pouring down her cheeks.

Rocket eventually put out the flames with Water Gun, reducing it to nothing but blackened ash and burned wood. As I walked by her, ash and smoke covering my clothes in a thin layer of black soot, she fell to her knees by the charred bodies of her Pokemon. She was still crying. I felt the tears running down my cheeks, too.

"What's the matter with you, man?" the next trainer, a Youngster, demanded. "How can you do that?"

Everything's wrong with me, I thought. I just can't do anything to stop it.

"Rattata! Ekans! Zubat!" the Youngster called, sending out his Pokemon. "Teach this guy a lesson!"

Oh, how I wish you would, I thought, smiling through my tears.

The Youngster paused briefly, apparently noticing my tears. His frown deepened and he glared at my Pokemon, searching. His gaze landed on Wildfire, who glared back. He looked back at me and his frown deepened.

There was regret in his voice when he spoke next. "Wreck him."

I knew it right then and there. He knew. Somehow, this Youngster knew who was in control of this. At least, he knew Wildfire was in control. I couldn't help but smile. Nothing he planned would work. Wildfire would make sure of that, unfortunately.

I found myself surprised when all three of the Pokemon launched themselves, not at my team, but at Wildfire! The Charmeleon didn't seem fazed in the slightest. One powerful Ember was enough to knock all three of them back. A handful of Scratches knocked them into the red. Then he stepped back, allowing Gale to massacre them himself.

I couldn't bear to look at the Youngster. He must be shocked, horrified even. His plan had, as I'd already known, not worked. Now his Pokemon were suffering for it.

I flinched when I felt something warm splatter across my clothing. I knew what it was immediately, especially when I felt a bit of it drip onto my cheek from where some had landed in my hair. I lifted a hand to my right cheek and pulled it away. I was still a bit frightened when I saw red liquid coating my fingers.

Blood…

"Yuck! That's disgusting!" Talon squawked, having vacated my shoulder when the stray spray of blood had hit me. It dripped from his wings and beak, which he desperately tried to shake off. "I know you like killing but don't try to drag us into it, feather-butt!"

"My apologies," Gale replied sarcastically, lifting his head from the torn body of the Rattata. Blood dripped from his beak. "Red doesn't suit you much, anyway."

"Yuck!" the Spearow gagged.

"Dante! You're bloody, too!" Rocket cried in horror.

"Huh? Ew! What's the matter with you, birdbrain?" Talon shrieked upon seeing the blood on me. "Haven't you done enough to Dante?"

"Oh, heavens no. I believe we're just getting started," the Pidgeotto corrected. He looked at Wildfire. "Right?"

"He'll go through whatever we need him to as long as we get to the top. He better learn to deal with it." Wildfire said, barely hiding a sharp-toothed grin of amusement at the sight of me. "It probably won't be the first time, anyway."

I avoided looking at the bloodied corpses of the Youngster's Pokemon as we walked by him. He simply stood there, head hung with his cap hiding his eyes. I didn't need to look to tell that he was crying. I could hear him loud and clear.

The next trainer, a Lass, had practically curled in on herself in terror. When we approached, she screamed. Her Pidgey and her Nidoran female stood before her, trying to stop us from getting close to her. We didn't need to get close to fight her, however. They were her only line of defense, after all.

"Get away! Get away! GET AWAY!" she wailed. "Get away from me, you murderer!"

Murderer? It fits me perfectly, I thought.

My face was streaked with tears and blood. Rocket had tried using Water Gun to get rid of the blood on my face and hair, to minimal success. At least it wasn't dripping on me anymore. It was still on my clothing, having clung stubbornly against the onslaught of water. The Wartortle had eventually given up, forced to be satisfied with getting it mostly off of my face and hair.

It was basically a mimicry of the second battle we had on Nugget Bridge since she had the same Pokemon. Zapper used Thundershock to take down the Pidgey. Dune dove in with frenzied Scratch attacks against the Nidoran female. Wildfire finished it up with Ember, burning them alive and leaving the bridge burnt black where the flames had spread.

The next trainer was a Jr. Trainer. "Your reign of terror ends here, dude!" he declared. "Mankey, destroy his team! We can't let him get through!"

You couldn't stop me if you tried, kid, I thought sadly.

Dune was sent in first, just long enough to hit the Mankey with one Scratch before quickly being replaced by Talon. One Peck was enough to knock it into the red. Then the Jr. Trainer did something unexpected.

"I'm not about to lose so easily, dude!" he cried.

He used a Potion. He was the first trainer I had encountered that had used a Potion in battle. They didn't do this in the game. Why was he doing it in the dream?

"I heard that there was a guy coming to Cerulean who had lost control," the Jr. Trainer said.

You mean…they know I'm coming? People know about me here? I thought, shocked.

"One of my friends works in the Pewter City Gym," the Jr. Trainer continued. "He told me all about this guy who came in and killed every Pokemon he battled, all except for Brock's Onix, which he stole."

Wildfire stole it, not me! I mentally shouted.

"He said this guy had a Charmander on his team, but that his real starter was a Squirtle," the Jr. Trainer explained. "You've got a Charmeleon and a Wartortle on your team. Plus, you've killed every single Pokemon you've fought on this bridge. Unless I'm mistaken, which I seriously doubt, you must be him!"

I could do nothing but nod. I guess I'm more famous than I thought.

"If I defeat you, I might get to work at Cerulean City Gym!" the Jr. Trainer cried. "I'll be famous for taking down a guy who lost control of his Pokemon! I can't afford to lose to you, no matter what! So why don't you make things easy and give up? I'm sure they'll find you a comfy cell somewhere far away from Pokemon."

I shook my head. I'm not crazy, kid. I'm just not in control. That's Wildfire's fault, not mine.

"Fine! Be that way!" the Jr. Trainer growled. "I'll win, one way or another! Just watch! Mankey, take him down!"

It was a seemingly endless cycle, this battle. The Mankey would use either Karate Chop or Scratch. Talon would use Peck. The Jr. Trainer would use a Potion to heal his Mankey. The Mankey would attack. Talon would attack. The Jr. Trainer would heal his Mankey. It never ended…

…Until Talon landed a critical hit with Peck.

A Potion barely healed it all the way, allowing Talon's next Peck to knock it to the red. The Spearow promptly abandoned the battle, letting Wildfire step in. The Mankey's fur was caked in blood from constant Peck attacks. When it looked up, it glared at Wildfire.

"You put up a good fight," the Charmeleon commented. "Too bad it wasn't enough. See you around…or not, 'cause you'll be dead in a minute."

"Mankey, hurry! Use Karate Chop!" the Jr. Trainer shouted.

"You're too late, kid. Bye!" Wildfire laughed cruelly.

I looked away, unable to watch as Wildfire unleashed a blast of flames upon the Mankey. I ended up looking, however, for one reason. I didn't hear the Fighting-type screaming in pain.

Wildfire seemed just as surprised as I was. He dared to step closer to the raging flames, peering through them to find the Mankey. He couldn't find it.

But I did, barely a second before it attacked.

Wildfire yelped as he was bowled over, pinned on his back by the Mankey. Its cream fur was on fire, making it look like he was being attacked by a living fireball. Pulling back its fist, the Mankey succeeded in punching the Charmeleon right in the jaw before he recovered from the sneak attack. The next punch resulted in Wildfire snapping his jaws shut directly on its fisted paw, trapping it.

"Hit him with your other fist! Hurry, Mankey!" the Jr. Trainer ordered.

I didn't know whether to be happy or scared. It was the first time I had ever seen Wildfire get injured aside from my first battle against Rook…before he…disappeared…

The Mankey succeeded in punching Wildfire a second time with its other fist before somebody stepped in. To my surprise, it was Rocket.

"Stop it!" he cried.

When the Mankey proceeded to ignore him, punching and shrieking at Wildfire, the Wartortle unleashed a powerful jet of water. Mixing with the blood gushing from its bitten paw, the force was enough to set it free and send it flying off of Wildfire. The Fighting-type was given no time to recover before Wildfire was upon it.

"You little cheat! You're supposed to be dead!" he roared, flames gushing from his open jaws. "Try to get up this time, pig-monkey! Try it! I dare you! TRY IT!"

I knew for sure that the Mankey wasn't getting up this time. Its screams were its final death throes as it succumbed to its burns. It was dead within minutes of the continuous burning flames that Wildfire dished out. Gale had to literally drag him away to end the onslaught.

"Mankey… No, you can't… You can't be dead, Mankey. You can't! Mankey, get up! Mankey!" the Jr. Trainer screamed, dropping to his knees and shaking the blackened corpse of his Pokemon. "Mankey, get up! Hurry! We can still win, Mankey! Mankey!"

Just stop. Please, stop, I found myself mentally pleading. He's dead. Just give up. You lost. Accept it. Nothing you do can bring him back. Just stop, please. Please, stop…

"He was tough," Talon noted. "Stronger than most that we've fought."

"I just wish Wildfire didn't have to kill him," Rocket added sadly.

"I wish he didn't have to kill at all. What's the point?" Dune whimpered.

"His whole 'get me to the top' crusade," Zapper replied, teeth bared angrily. "It's stupid, if you ask me. All of it is."

Agreed, I thought, nodding. I felt tears fall down my cheeks again. I'm so sorry.

After a moment of calming down, Wildfire finally returned with Gale in tow. "All right, let's get moving. We might as well see what this prize thing is for defeating these losers."

"Whatever," Zapper grumbled.

As we walked past the Jr. Trainer, I felt a shiver of dread race up my spine. I didn't know what it was. Only that I felt something bad was about to happen.

I knew the trainer up ahead was actually a Team Rocket grunt. The weird feeling wasn't coming from him, though.

Could the Rattata and Abra be appearing soon? Maybe, but the feeling seemed a bit closer.

It was coming from somewhere behind me. Almost as if I…had just…passed it…

"You… How could you?"

The dread hit me twice as hard. I forced myself to stop. Then I began to turn, afraid of what I'd find waiting for me. I should've known straight away.

It was the Jr. Trainer. He had stood up, his Pokemon's burnt corpse forgotten behind him. Blood, ash, and burnt fur stuck to the front of his clothes. I could see blood, tears, and ash smeared on his face. It was identical to my own.

"Why? Why did you have to kill him?" he asked. "We only wanted to win. You're not supposed to win, we were. You're supposed to lose!"

I found myself backing up. My team, noticing the Jr. Trainer had gotten back up, all turned to face him with me. None of them could have known what was coming, though. Not even I saw it coming.

"You can't win! I won't let you!" he shouted.

I never had the chance to move. One second he was by his Pokemon and the next, he was in my face. His hands closed around my throat, shoving me backward. My back hit the bridge railing, bending backwards over it painfully. I was certain that my spine was going to break.

His grip on my throat tightened. He was choking me. Was he trying to kill me?

"I won't let you win! I won't! I won't!" he screamed, eyes wide in crazed vengeance.

I heard something snap beneath me. Was it my spine? Had it broken? Was I going to die now, at the hands of a boy gone mad by the death of his Mankey? How ironic…

"DANTE!"

I felt myself falling backward. My spine hadn't broken. The bridge railing had. The weight of the Jr. Trainer forced me further backward. I was falling off of the bridge…

…and toward the river below.

.o.o.o.o.

PARTY

Rocket, Wartortle, male, Level 20, Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble, Water Gun, received in Pallet Town

Wildfire, Charmeleon, male, Level 21, Growl, Scratch, Ember, Leer, caught on Route 1 **GLITCH**

Talon, Spearow, male, Level 19, Peck, Growl, Leer, Fury Attack, caught on Route 22

Gale, Pidgeotto, male, Level 21, Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, caught on Route 22 **GLITCH**

Zapper, Pikachu, male, Level 20, Thundershock, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, Slam, caught in Viridian Forest

Dune, Sandshrew, male, Level 17, Scratch, Sand-Attack, Slash, caught on Route 3 **GLITCH**

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 **GLITCH**

Wiggles, Caterpie, female, Level 6, Tackle, String Shot, caught in Viridian Forest **STOLEN**

Sting, Weedle, male, Level 6, Poison Sting, String Shot, caught in Viridian Forest **STOLEN**

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 **STOLEN**

Scaly, Ekans, male, Level 11, Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, caught on Route 3 **STOLEN**

Candy, Jigglypuff, female, Level 14, Sing, Pound, Disable, caught on Route 3 **STOLEN**

Whiskers, Magikarp, female, Level 5, Splash, received on Route 4

Pixie, Clefairy, female, Level 14, Pound, Growl, Sing, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Rocky, Geodude, male, Level 7, Tackle, caught in Mt. Moon

Batty, Zubat, female, Level 12, Leech Life, Supersonic, caught in Mt. Moon

Fern, Oddish, female, Level 11, Absorb, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Trapper, Bellsprout, male, Level 11, Vine Whip, Growth, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Magnet, Magnemite, no gender, Level 11, Tackle, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Grenade, Voltorb, no gender, Level 11, Tackle, Screech, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Shroom, Paras, female, Level 10, Scratch, caught in Mt. Moon

Slimy, Grimer, Pound, Disable, male, Level 12, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Smoky, Koffing, male, Tackle, Smog, Level 12, caught in Mt. Moon **STOLEN**

Kabuto **STILL IN FOSSIL**

Omanyte **STILL IN FOSSIL**