Author's Note: You did not really think Red's journey was going to end there, did you? There are still many more questions to the pokemon series unanswered, and many more chapters to come. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.


Game Over

Chapter 2 - Challenge

Created By: x-LittleMissAlice-x

xXx

"Every challenge along the way, with courage I will face."

xXx

Where am I?

The first thing he heard sounded like the crashing of roaring waves. When he opened his eyes he could see an ocean, the blue surface sparkling in the sun's rays. The fresh scent of salt water burned his nostrils. It all felt so real.

(Little did he know that for the first time in over a hundred games, he had regained consciousness again.)

His newly awakened senses noticed something else, a new sound...

It was a voice.

Yes, there was a voice shouting not too far away from him.

"Heh, you're totally weak! Your skills are nothing compared to my new rival. NEXT!"

His feet ached. He ordered them to move but they remained still, standing in one place. He willed his eyes to drift to the side, in the direction of the voice to at least see the person who had spoken, but his eyes only continued to stare straight ahead at the beautiful ocean before him.

A familiar looking boy on a bike cycled in front of him, a cocky smirk on his face. As if instinct, his feet immediately moved quickly towards him until they both stood face-to-face, far too close for comfort. The boy looked at him expectantly, frowning a bit after a few minutes when he said nothing.

"What? Not going to say anything?"

Silence.

"You're supposed to say, 'My name is Youngster Ash and I'm going to be the very best, like no one ever was!'"

He did not make a sound, not a word, not a whisper; merely continued to stare at the familiar boy's face.

He knew him.

He knew this boy. He knew he was. It was just on the tip of his tongue, in the back of his hazy mind, nagging at him...

Where did he know this boy from, and why did he suddenly feel uneasy when he tried to remember?

Uncomfortably, the familiar-looking boy darted his gaze away.

"W-whatever... I'm Gary Oak and I challenge you to a pokemon battle. Prepare to get creamed!"

In a flash his fingers clasped the small red and white pokeballs on his belt. It felt like such a natural, fluid motion. He threw one, and a familiar looking yellow creature appeared in a beam of light.

"Pika, pika."

"A Pikachu, huh? Not even a Raichu? This should be easy," the boy smirked. "Go Alakazam!"

Without even an order, electricity radiated around the smaller beast (didn't he say it was a Pikachu?) before it hit the other with a burst of yellow light. The opposing creature with the spoons collapsed to the ground, fainted. Shock flitted across the boy's features.

"I…Lost?" His brows furrowed. "But that's… impossible. I've beaten you over a hundred times before. I have never needed any other pokemon to beat you than just Alakazam, so how could I lose?"

He could not hear the boy. Memories were flooding back to him – all of them. Memories of his journey, the friends he made and the people he met, his rival.

"...Blue?"

His late rival stumbled back in the sand, watching the boy with uncertainty. The familiar looking-boy stared at him with wide blue eyes.

"This… it's impossible. How are you—"

That was all the reason he needed. Red wasn't supposed to know who Blue was. This was a fluke, a mistake, and by his rival's panicked expression, it was one he intended to fix.

So he ran.

With his now mobile body, Red ran as quickly as his legs could carry him. He ran for his life, for his friends, for his pokemon, and for all the times he couldn't.

He continued to move, faltering only slightly when he heard Blue's voice echo in the wind.

"Oh Arceus, this is bad... Program file GRAMPS, memories regained. Delete him immediately!"

His legs were burning as he continued to push himself, screaming for his body to move for longer, to run harder and faster. He would not become a mindless trainer again. No, never again.

Red chanced a quick glance over his shoulder and he could see Blue steadily catching up to him on his bike, feet pedaling full speed. When he turned around again Red had finally reached a dead end.

What could he do? Where could he go?

Was this... the end?

No... This wasn't the end. He had just regained his life back. He couldn't lose his existence, not now. Not ever.

There had to be something. Something like...

Wait, his backpack! There had to be something useful in there.

With fumbling hands, he unzipped his backpack with lightening speed. Hastily, he dug through it.

A few Hyperpotions and Revives he didn't use... various berries and TMs/HMs... and a Master Ball.

Everything was accounted for. This was everything he had carried when he defeated the champion. This was, without a doubt, his backpack.

A dusty Pokedex blinked to life, validating that fact.

"I am Dexter, Pokedex to player character #01431, also known as trainer 'RED'. I have been automatically updated to the National Pokedex for earning eight gym badges and defeating the Pokemon League," said the robotic voice, but he did not have time to listen to it. He needed an escape plan.

I hope this works…

Pulling out a random pokeball from his belt, he threw it, hoping for the best.

"Blastoise!" the water pokemon roared, standing proudly, cocking the large cannons on his back. Red mentally sighed in relief; although probably weaker, he seemed to have the same pokemon when he versed the Elite Four.

"Blastoise, use Surf!"

Following the trainer's command, Blastoise quickly hopped in the water and set off to sea as Red clung onto his shell. Glancing behind him, he could see Blue standing on the edge of the beach, his voice ringing out across not only the water, but the entire Kanto region as he yelled a single command:

"Delete the glitch!"

The sky darkened. A loud blaring siren cut through the air, a single beam of light from the nearby lighthouse turning. The waves began to drastically rise and fall, threatening to suck the desperate trainer under. Red clung onto his pokemon for dear life, eyes directed towards the small rocks ahead.

"Blastoise, we're almost there!"

The pokemon continued to push against the waves until they reached a long line of rugged rocks.

A boundary. An obstacle. The end.

"Come on Blastoise!"

His pokemon refused to move.

"Please, Blastoise. Use Rock Smash if you can, just do something."

"Blasssst!"the pokemon moaned loudly in refusal.

Red didn't have time for this. Red didn't have time for... anything.

Everything was over. What was left of his newly regained life, as short and fleeting it may have been, was over.

Red knew that as a bolt of lightening cackled and tore the clouds in two. Three large birds descended from the sky. One had large wings radiating with electricity. The other had feathers that burned in hot raging flames. The last one had a body made of solid ice.

Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno.

The three legendary birds were sent to take him out. If he didn't do something soon, he wouldn't survive.

"Please, Blastoise. Please," Red begged.

The three legendary birds were gliding across the ocean at full speed. It was only a matter of time now.

"Fine. If you won't move, I will climb over these rocks myself."

Carefully, red slowly stood on his Blastoise's shell, bracing himself against the rough waves. He took a deep breath, mustered as much courage as he could, and took a leap of faith.

His body burned. Searing heat flooded throughout his body as he was blown back by an invisible wall.

Red winced in pain, and almost screamed when he fell back onto Blastoise's hard shell.

He needed to do this. The legendary birds were flying closer, and if he didn't get over this barrier he wouldn't survive.

He would be... deleted. Permanently.

Body aching and heart pounding, Red forced himself to stand again, wobbling on his pokemon's back as the waves tried to consume them both.

This is it. One. Two... Three!

Red jumped again with all his might.

Every pixel that created his being felt like it was exploding all at once.

The shorts he wore changed to long, dark jeans. His dark almond eyes flickered to crimson red. His previous blue Youngster hat turned red and white. His hair grew longer, darker...

His coding, he would later realize, was changing back to his old character design and data.

This time, he pulled through the invisible barrier and plunged into the water on the other side.

Red's body immediately relaxed as he released a mental sigh of relief.

He could barely hear the legendary birds now from under the surface of the water.

He had made it over.

He was safe...

But Blastoise wasn't.

Crap!

Red flailed his arms, struggling to surface (when pokemon constantly used Surf for you, hardly anyone in Kanto knew how to swim well), before he finally emerged, coughing the salt water out of his lungs.

"Blastoise, return!"

He called his pokemon's name just as the legendary birds were about to attack. The birds slammed into the invisible wall and screeched in irritation, trying to lung at him from the other side.

Red swam then, as fast as his aching body could manage.

Finally, it was over.

He was... safe.

For now, at least.


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xLMAx