Andy awoke to bright sunlight filtering through a high window. He tried to block the light from his eyes. Pain shot through his arm and shoulder rendering it immovable, or was it the sling holding it against his chest? He cringed and groaned as his head started to ache. "Ow..."

"Oh, you're awake," a pretty female voice spoke cheerily. Andy wanted to see who it was, but he didn't want to risk another painful jolt.

"Ohh... where am I?"

"You're at the Pewter City Hospital," she replied. "You were pretty beat up, young man. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Geodude happened," Andy grumbled. "Is Pichu alright?"

"Pichu!" A little yellow ball of fluff hopped onto the hospital bed and prodded Andy's good arm with its paws. "Pichu piiiichu!"

Andy sighed with relief. "Hey Pichu. Good to see you're okay."

"All your pokemon are fine," the nurse said. Andy saw her walk into view holding a clipboard. She had dark brown hair tied in a bun under a nurse cap, and she wore thin black glasses on a pretty thin face. Why were all nurses so dainty? "Flint is taking care of your Buneary and Onix for now, but Pichu insisted on staying here with you."

"Well thanks, Pichu," Andy smiled and turned carefully to look at the little rodent. "So, how long have I been here? If Pichu's here and Flint has the others..."

"Oh, it's only been a few days," the nurse responded and jotted down some more notes before examining the plastic bag of clear liquid next to his bed. The bag had a tube leading from it to Andy's good arm.

Andy groaned, "I don't really have any money to pay for this."

"Oh, don't worry about that," she giggled. "Pokemon trainers have medical insurance benefits paid by the pokemon league. We couldn't find your pokedex or your ID, however, so we had to contact Professor Oak to verify you were a trainer."

"Oh. That was nice of him."

She smiled and slipped the clipboard into a slot by the door. "He said you should visit him immediately to get a new pokedex to replace your last one."

"I see," Andy relaxed. As far as he knew, Professor Oak didn't even know him. Why would he vouch for some kid? Either the professor was incredibly generous or he expected something out of him.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I must've lost it during my little bout with Geodude."

"That's so odd," the nurse frowned and stuck a finger between her teeth for a moment. "Geodude aren't normally that hostile."

"Just my luck," Andy chuckled and winced. "So uh... how long until I can leave."

"Well," the nurse picked up the clipboard again and gazed at her notes. "I think you should be on your feet in just a couple more days, but you'll still be in a sling for a week or so. Don't strain yourself too much."

"Alright," Andy sighed. "Thanks."

The nurse smiled and turned to leave, dropping the clipboard in the slot again. "Oh by the way, your parents are here to visit. I'll let them know you're awake." She disappeared through the door.

"No wait!" Andy called after her and tried to sit up, but sharp pain in his shoulder and head kept him effectively bound to the bed. "Arceus, I'm so dead."

"Chuu!" Pichu growled and stood up on the mattress glaring at the door. Sparks showered from its cheeks.

"It's okay, Pichu," Andy reassured it. He placed his good hand on Pichu's head and smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Pichu calmed down and turned to poke Andy's face with its nose. "Pii? Chu?"

Andy sighed, "they probably just want to take me home. Obviously, I'm not going to let that happen."

"Andy!" Mom suddenly burst into the room looking frantic. Pichu yelped and ducked under the bed.

"Are you okay? Are they feeding you well? What happened? Who did this to you? Where have you been? You're in big trouble mister!"

"Mom, I'm fine," Andy groaned.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Mom hugged him tight. More pain lanced through his body from his arm and head.

"Ow ow ow..."

"I'm sorry!" Mom let go and stood up, glaring into his eyes. "What happened?"

Dad appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame with his arms crossed. Actually, it looked more like he was just trying to fit through the door.

"I just had a little fight with a Geodude, Mom," Andy exaggerated. "I'm fine. I'll be up and about in a couple days."

"Doc says your shoulder was dislocated and you got a pretty good bump on the head," Dad said.

"Like I said," Andy smiled. "It was nothing."

"That's my boy," Dad chuckled.

"This is nothing to laugh about!" Mom snapped and glared at Dad. "My baby's hurt!" She turned back to Andy. "And you're coming right back home!"

"But Mom!"

"No buts!"

"Zoey," Dad growled and stepped into the room. "We already talked about this."

"I don't care," Mom complained. "He's not ready! I'm not ready! I can't see him like this..."

"Pichu!" Pichu suddenly appeared on the bed again between Andy and Mom. It growled at her, clenching its paws and sticking its lightning bolt tail straight out. Sparks flew from its cheeks.

Mom gasped, "Is that a Pichu?"

"Pichu?" Pichu's expression changed from rage to confusion. Mom picked it up at the waist and held it out at arm length smiling like a child at Christmas. "It's adorable!"

"I saved it from an Ekans." Andy coughed and looked away. He didn't want to tell the rest of the story. Seeing that Pikachu dying and being helpless to save it was too painful to think about, let alone talk about it. As far as he was concerned, it was an unimportant detail that didn't need to be shared.

Mom carried the little rodent away to a corner of the room tickling the giggling pokemon. Dad cleared his throat and took a seat in a cushioned chair next to Andy's bed. "Now that your mother is preoccupied the men can talk, hm?"

Andy smiled and looked up. "I'm sorry for running away, Dad, but I had to."

"I know," Dad smiled. "Honestly, I was expecting you to, which is why I had a little chat with your mother. We were going to let you go in a couple weeks, anyway. Your mother can be pretty stubborn sometimes, though." He looked up at Mom still playing with the happy yellow rodent. "You just have to find her soft spot."

Dad stared off into space with a goofy grin on his face. Andy waited a minute before clearing his throat to make Dad come back to reality. "Ah! Sorry. Um, anyway, Flint told me how he found you. Sounds like you've done a lot of growing up in the last few days. Takes courage to do what you did. Took on a geodude without any usable pokemon? Pretty gutsy."

"I only did what I had to," Andy shrugged. "And geodude found me. I didn't have much choice in the matter."

"Hm, that may be, but you handled it." Dad grunted and shifted in his seat. "And he says you caught an Onix, and not a little one neither."

"How do you know Flint?" Andy asked.

"Ah," Dad smiled and leaned back. The chair creaked, ready to fall apart at any moment. "Flint and I go way back. Actually, your mother knew him before I did, but that's a long story."

Dad cleared his throat and laid an enormous plate-sized hand over Andy's good shoulder and most of his torso. "You trained your Buneary well. It was your effort and compassion toward your pokemon that saved the day. I'm proud of you son."

"Thanks Dad."

"Mmm," Dad grunted and reached down under the chair. "Your mom and I got you a little something for your Adventures."

"What's that?" Andy tried to sit up again, but was once again hindered by searing pain. "Ow. Someday I'll learn..."

"Heh," Dad chuckled and held out a new red backpack with several pockets. "I picked this up at the trainer's market. It's a neat little pack for pokemon trainers. Cost me a small fortune!" He leaned over to whisper. "I think it's magic."

"Magic?" Dad helped him sit up to look at it. He started opening the zippers to look inside.

"It's got pockets for just about everything," Dad said. "This little one on the right holds pokeballs. It's got twenty of em in there right now, and they say it can hold up to a hundred!"

"No!" Andy stared at the little pocket. "Really?" He shoved his hand into the pocket and pulled out three pokeballs before dropping them back in. The pocket was barely inflated. "Creepy. How does it do that?"

"I don't know!" Dad shrugged, nearly knocking the lamp off the little side table. "I put some potions and antidotes in the other side pocket for medicines 'n stuff. Oh, and I put a bunch of berries from home in the berry pocket."

"This is so awesome, Dad," Andy said. His heart raced with excitement. Even with all the extra stuff in it, this bag felt lighter than his old pack.

"But wait, there's more," Dad raised a finger like a salesman before reaching into the main pocket. "They said you can fit a bike in this thing! A bike!"

"You got me a bike?" Andy shouted.

"No." Dad sighed. "They were out, but I did get you this." He retrieved a package with a device inside that looked like a large blue flip phone with white pokeball designs on the edges.

"They call it a pokegear," he said. "It has radio, a map of all of Kanto, something called a dowsing radar, and even a cell phone. They also said you can upgrade it and add more uh... apps?"

"Dad," Andy was speechless as Dad handed him the device. "Wow... thank you."

"Please. Call. Your. Mother," Dad pleaded. "That's the deal. It's the only way I could get her to let you leave. I've already put her number on your phone. And finally..."

"No dad," Andy put the pokegear back in the bag and shook his head. "It's too much."

"Now, hold on," Dad said. He pulled some voucher tickets from his pocket and dropped them into the open pocket of Andy's new pack. "These will get you some new clothes at the Trainer's Market in town. We don't want you wandering through the wilderness in wool and cashmere. Get yourself some nice running shoes, too."

"Dad, you're the greatest," Andy leaned over to give his Dad a one-armed hug.

"Naw," Dad chuckled. "It's the least I can do, son. You go chase your dreams and be the best pokemon trainer the world has ever seen."

Dad stood up and stretched his arms, shoving aside curtains and furniture with his shoulders in the cramped room. "Well, I think it's time your mother and I headed out."

"What?" Mom stopped tickling the fussing Pichu, and it slipped out of her arms to hide behind Andy.

"Pichuuuuu!"

"No," Mom said. "I told you, he's coming home. I forbid..."

"We're going," Dad growled. "Come on, Zoey. Let's go back to the hotel..."

"...but..."

"...And we'll discuss this again, okay? Not here."

"Fine," Mom pouted and crossed her arms. She sighed and kissed Andy's bandaged forehead. "We love you sweetie. We just want what's best for you."

"I know, Mom," Andy hugged her with his one good arm. "I'll be fine."

"My number is on your pokegear phone."

"I know," Andy smiled.

"Don't forget to call me."

"Please, Zoey," Dad begged. "Let the boy rest."

Andy's parents waved and left. Andy waved back and flopped back down on his pillow, grunting as he did so. "Well, that went much better than I expected."

The pretty nurse came back in a moment later holding a syringe needle. She shoved the pointy end into a slot on the clear baggy leading to Andy's arm.

Andy wondered how Onix and Buneary were getting along. For that matter, how was he going to find them later? Flint was taking care of them, but Andy had no idea where he lived. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Yes?" She pulled the syringe out of the bag and smiled at him. "What can I do for you?"

"You said Flint had my pokemon, right? Do you know where I can find him when I'm better?"

"Oh," she smiled. "That's easy. You'll probably find him at the Pewter City Gym."

"That's cool," Andy closed his eyes. He was suddenly feeling incredibly sleepy. "I didn't know he was a trainer. I'll have to battle him before I leave."

"I would hope so," the Nurse giggled. "Flint is the Gym Leader."

Today, we find our hero standing before a sturdy stone building with his head held high. He's ready for adventure despite his injuries. Can he be tough, or will his broken shoulder hold him from progressing toward his goal of becominga pokemon master!

Andy stretched in his new clothes. His new blue jeans fit nice and loose under a blue tee shirt and a black leather sports jacket with sage green sleeves and a logo on the back of Charizard breathing fire. Underneath it read "Indigo League Trainer" in block letters. He also picked up a black golf cap with a pokeball decal on the front. The jacket hung over his left shoulder, hiding the sling tied to his arm.

He stood before a tall building that looked like it was carved from stone. Large wooden beams made up the external frame of the solid building. A sign hung next to the door that said "Pewter City Gym." It was a testament to the stoic nature of the people of Pewter City.

"Hey there! What happened to your arm?" A young boy with dark hair and big bright eyes stared at his sagging jacket. The boy looked to be about eight years old.

"Oh hey," Andy smiled and waved with his good arm. "I had a bit of an accident in the mountains."
"Are you here to challenge my dad in a gym battle?" The boy held his hands behind his back and swayed back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Not quite," Andy admitted. "Actually, I came to get Buneary and Onix. Your dad
took care of them for me…"

"...Oh!" the boy exclaimed. "You're that guy! Your buneary is really healthy, and strong too! It gets along really well with your new onix. Come on in!"

The boy opened the door to the gym and hurried inside. "By the way, I'm Forrest. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Andy. Pleasure's all mine," Andy was distracted by the appearance of the gym. Inside, boulders and rock covered the floor like a miniature mountain zone. White painted lines marked the area as a battle arena. Above and to the right was a spectating box. Almost a dozen kids crowded the handrail watching the playing pokemon below.

Onix and Buneary were chasing each other among the boulders with a geodude and a much larger living boulder with muscular arms, legs, and a large snake's head protruding from the center. Golem. Andy's arm suddenly ached watching all the rock pokemon tumbling around playfully.

"Buneary!" Andy's pokemon rushed toward him as soon as they saw him. Buneary hopped to him in one quick bound and landed in his outstretched arm.

"Hey, Bounce! Did you have fun while I was gone?"

"Buneary!" Buneary smiled and clung to Andy's jacket. He stared up in Andy's face with a look like he had a story to tell. "Buneary! Eary eary buneary!"

"Gooooh!" Onix slithered over as well as rock can. For the first time, Andy realized exactly how big it was as it laid down in front of him. Its eyes were still level with his own.

Buneary hopped onto Onix' head and clung to its horn. Andy placed his palm on Onix' snout. The living stone was surprisingly smooth and warm. "Hey buddy. You look like you're feeling better."

"I took good care of 'em," Forrest smiled with pride.

"Thanks," Andy nodded and patted Onix. "I owe you one."

"Nah, don't mention it," Forrest stared at Andy's Buneary hiding from Geodude behind Onix' horn. Andy leaned back against the wall as Onix and Buneary raced back to the obstacle strewn arena to play. He let out Pichu from its pokeball as well.

"Pichu!" The cute yellow rodent practically sparkled with excitement.

"Go ahead and play," Andy chuckled. Buneary hopped up and grasped Pichu's paw before half dragging it toward the other pokemon.

"Where'd you get your Buneary?" Forrest asked. "I've never seen one in Kanto."

"Oh, it's a long story," Andy sighed. "But, long story short, my mom caught Buneary stealing berries on the orchard. After a lot of begging, she let me keep him."

"Hello Andy," a familiar gritty voice spoke. Flint leaned against the wall next to him with crossed arms. "I have half a mind to give you a gym badge already for what you've accomplished, but that's not quite how it works."

Andy shrugged, "I wouldn't accept it anyway. I haven't proven anything that would help at the indigo league."

"Exactly," Flint agreed. "But, you have compassion, and a strong bond with your pokemon, including the onix you just caught. That kind of commitment will give you strength and take you a long way. It's not a common trait anymore."

"I don't know what to say," Andy smiled weakly.

"By the way," Flint changed the subject. "You said earlier that you wanted a fire type pokemon, right?"

"I do," Andy cocked an eyebrow and stared quizzically at him. "Why?"

"Well, my son Forrest has taken pretty strong to your Onix. I'd be happy to trade you a growlithe for it."

It was a tempting offer. Growlithe, a flaming canine, was typically easy to train. They were quick to become friendly and loyal, and with a fire stone he could evolve it into Arcanine. They were known to be particularly formidable pokemon.

However, Onix was Andy's first, and so far only legitimate catch. Onix may be a bit more difficult to handle, but it's also a powerful and extremely loyal pokemon.

"I don't think I can give up on Onix," Andy decided. "Even though I just got it."

Flint nodded, "I understand. By the way, nice new clothes. Leather suits you."

"Yeah?" Andy shifted his jacket. "It's not too flashy? The only good logo I could find was Charizard."

"Nah... it looks good on you."

"Hey Andy!" Forrest suddenly appeared again clutching a pokeball in both hands and bouncing on his heels. "Do you wanna have a pokemon battle with me?"

Andy shrugged and smiled. "Sure thing. One on one? Onix could use some practice, I guess, and I'd like to see what he can do."

"Great!"

"Heh heh heh," Flint chuckled. His laugh was raspy and unsettling. "Good luck kid. You'll need it."

"Geodude, Golem, return!" Forrest recalled his pokemon to their pokeballs and took his place on the opposite side of the gym. Buneary and Pichu raced back to Andy and hid behind him as he took his place on the arena floor within a white painted square.

"Onyx!" The giant rock snake curled in front of Andy as he called it. "Are you ready to show 'em what you're made of?"

"Gooooh!" Onix roared and turned to face Forrest on the boulder strewn battlefield. Forrest grinned and tossed another pokeball.

"Ryhorn, I choose you!" In that familiar red glow appeared a stout four-legged beast covered in stone plating. A short sharp horn protruded from the tip of a short angular snout leading to deep inset eyes. Its roar sounded like grating slate.

"Ryhorn, huh?" Andy crossed his arms and stopped to consider his options. Both pokemon were rock types, so physical attacks weren't going to do a lot of damage to either side. It was probably best to wear down his opponent's stamina until they were too exhausted to battle.

"This is a one on one battle!" Flint shouted from the sidelines. "No time limit! Begin!"

"Onix, use rock throw!" Andy shouted.

"Ryhorn, charge in and use horn attack, now!" Onix curled its tail around aboulder, but Ryhorn was a lot quicker. It charged in at full speed and used its horn to toss Onix aside. Onix crashed into a heap of boulders throwing up a shower of rock and debris, but the hardy snake was mostly unaffected. Rock types were very sturdy. This could take some time.

"Ryhorn, tackle it!" Ryhorn ran forward and slammed headfirst into Onix, generating another shower of dust and rock. Ryhorn was very fast, but it wasn't very agile. Once it got moving, it's momentum kept it from moving in any direction other than forward.

"Blaaaaar..." Onix groaned and got back up.

"Onix!" Andy didn't want to wait for the dust to clear to make a move. "Move to its side and tackle it!"

Onix groaned again and slithered around Ryhorn before leaping full bodied into the armored beast. Yet more rock and dust flew in every direction, but neither pokemon even looked winded.

"Ryhorn, use your horn attack again!" Ryhorn stumbled away from Onix and turned slowly to ready a charge.

"Onix! Rock throw!" Onix grasped one of the remaining boulders with its tail and swung its full body around to toss it. The boulder shattered against Ryhorn's hide, knocking it back a few meters, but was otherwise not very effective. Ryhorn stamped its feet and charged again.

"Onix, dodge to the side!" Onix groaned and slid out of the way just in time for Ryhorn to charge right
past it and crash through another boulder.

"You're going to run out of rocks soon," Flint chuckled. "I might have to make you pay for those."

Andy ignored him and squatted down to think. At this rate, it was going to be a very drawn out battle before a draw was decided or a very close loss. Even being careful, Onix would get too exhausted to continue if Andy didn't think of something quick. He grumbled and wished he had that pokedex already, so he could remember what Onix's main attack was.

Ryhorn charged again. Once again, Onix dodged to the side and threw another boulder. This continued for a few more rounds as Forrest shouted commands and tried to get Ryhorn to land an attack.

Andy stood up and clenched his fist in front of him. He remembered Onix's main attack. He wasn't just going to win. He was going to destroy Forrest.

Ryhorn charged again and Onix clashed with it head on. Ryhorn was stronger, but though it tried to toss Onix aside, the snake just moved with it and resisted the throw. It glared into Ryhorn's sunken eyes and grumbled.

"Onix! Use your bind attack!" Andy smiled as Onix spun around and wrapped around Ryhorn with its whole body, squeezing around its midsection. Stone ground against stone. Ryhorn roared in pain.

"No!" Forrest shouted. "Ryhorn, get out of there! Don't give up!"

No matter how much Ryhorn wriggled and writhed, it couldn't escape Onix's stone grip. Soon, it's struggling became weak. Andy coughed and shouted, "Onix! Finish it off by tossing it with rock throw!"
Onix roared and complied, whipping its body around and heaving the heavy pokemon into the last remaining pile of boulders. Ryhorn cringed and fell still.

"Ryhorn is unable to battle," Flint said. "Onix is the winner."

"Ryhorn!" Forrest ran over to his unconscious pokemon and knelt next to it. He placed his palm on its side and bowed his head in shame. "Ryhorn, you did good. You earned a long rest. Return." Red light engulfed the fainted pokemon before it vanished into the pokeball in Forrest's hand.

"You earned a rest too, Onyx. Good job." Onix groaned and slid down in front of him. Andy patted its nose before recalling it to its pokeball.

Forrest was still kneeling in the rubble as Andy walked up to him. "Hey. You alright? You did awesome."

"Ryhorn's never lost before." Forrest sobbed.

"Ryhorn is very strong," Andy admitted. He held out a hand to Forrest and helped him to his feet.

"You're really smart," Forrest said.

"And you are a great trainer," Andy ruffled Forrest's hair and smiled. "I hope I get to battle you again soon."

"Next time I'll win!" Forrest exclaimed.

"We'll see." Andy grinned.

"Hey guys, good job." Flint patted Andy's good shoulder. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. Keep training and you'll be a pokemon master in no time."

He placed his other hand on his son's shoulder. "Forrest, you did very well too. Remember, you can't win every match. You learn from your losses and become far stronger than you ever could with consistent victories."

Forrest smiled weakly and nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

"Hey," Flint continued. "Why don't you stay for Dinner, Andy? We'd love to have you over."

"I'd love to," Andy said. "But, I really need to get going. Professor Oak is expecting me. I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Well then, we wish you luck," Flint chuckled. "Come back and meet the whole family soon. Besides, you owe me for all those rocks you broke." Flint held out his hand for Andy to shake.

"What? They're just rocks..."

"I'm kidding," Flint guffawed and waved as Andy rolled his eyes and walked outside. Buneary and Pichu followed behind, running in circles around him.

"Buneary! Eary!"

"Piiiiiichu!"

The two wrestled and chased each other as they traveled down along the river. An old wood watermill lay in scorched ruins as if it had been in an explosion. It was probably a story Andy would never know.

Further down the river, at the very edge of Pewter City was a sign that read "Viridian Forest." Andy checked his pokegear map. South of Viridian forest lay Viridian City. Beyond that was Route 1 which led directly to Pallet Town where Professor Oak was waiting.

Pichu and Buneary suddenly stopped as explosions rippled through the sky to the west. Fireworks were going off over the Indigo Plateau, signaling the end of this year's pokemon league. Andy held his head high and clenched his fist tight.

"Come on, guys," his heart raced as he stepped into the forest. Pichu crawled up to his good shoulder and Buneary hopped down the trail ahead.