Chapter Two: Viridian City

At last, we finally arrived. I practically wanted to hug my little buddy, but I realized he was still hurting, so I needed to find a Pokémon Center. From my studies, they were a Pokémon league funded thing. Well that's awesome, but it's time to use their services.

There's some sign telling me I should use it to heal PP, but of course it doesn't say where it is in town. I was about to bow my head and sigh, when just a few meters away stood the Pokémon Center. Oops…

Whatever, healing time! Inside, it seemed like a big building. A few people inside, but nothing too noteworthy. Either way, this wasn't the time to gawk. I gave my hello to the nurse in the back.

"Welcome to our Pokémon Center!" she said in such a cheery voice. "We heal your Pokémon back to perfect health! Shall we heal your Pokémon?" I nodded. "Okay, we'll need your Pokémon."

As I handed Charmander over, she put his Poké Ball into a giant machine next to her. Within a few seconds, and the addition of bright flashing lights, the ball popped right back out, and she gave back my buddy. "Thank you! Your Pokémon are fighting fit!"

Awesome! "We hope to see you again!" Such a nice lady. But let's explore this city; maybe get me some Poké Balls!

However, finding the Pokémon Mart was not as easy. There were lots of people in town. A guy who thought I had more than one Poké Ball for some reason, a grumpy old man and his granddaughter in need of coffee (although something tells me more than coffee is involved), and a guy that liked talking about caterpillar Pokémon. But right there behind him was the store!

I stepped inside, rummaging through my pocket for my Trainer Card, the debit card of Kanto. But then the clerk called out to me. "Hey! You came from Pallet Town?"

"Uh, yeah." How did he know?

"You know Professor Oak, right?" I slowly nodded, unsure of what to say. "His order came in. Can I get you to take it to him?"

I nodded, and the man behind the counter handed me a strange parcel. I took the box and put it in my backpack. "Okay, thanks! Please say hi to Professor Oak for me, too!" Hopefully I won't forget, but I probably will.

My walk back to Pallet Town was mostly uneventful. I was able to stay out of the tall grass mostly, so my battles were hardly existent. It was still an amazing adventure I'd never forget; but first, a special delivery.

I walked inside, and Professor Oak greeted me with a big smile. "Oh, Red! How is my old Pokémon?"

"Oh, he's great, sir!" I cheerfully responded. "We've got into some intense fights, but Charmander is definitely awesome!"

Professor Oak took all my words in and said, "Well, it seems to be growing more attached to you. You must be talented as a Pokémon trainer!" Considering the man, it was one of the greatest compliments of my life.

Unfortunately, business before pleasure…well, except for right now. I reached in my backpack and handed over the parcel.

"What's that? You have something for me?" And with that, I delivered Oak's parcel. I was about to say where I got it from, but Professor Oak interrupted me.

"Ah! It's the custom Poké Ball! I had it on order." Custom Poké Ball? "Thank you!" It seemed like Professor Oak was about to say more, but a familiar shout exuded through the lab.

"Gramps!" Oh great. Blue walked up and asked, "What did you call me for?"

"Oh right!" Professor Oak answered, preoccupied with other thoughts as usual. "I have a request for you two." Blue slouched where he stood, and I didn't blame him. There's always a catch, isn't there?

"On the desk there is my invention, the Pokédex!" The odd machine from earlier? "It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught. It's a high-tech encyclopedia!" My eyes bulged a little at that. A device capable of scanning a Pokémon by sight and organizing data created by…someone. Who cares, it was impressive, to say the least.

"Red and Blue. Take these with you." I guess it's not a catch after all, it's a huge reward! I got the Pokédex from Professor Oak and started messing around with it, but Professor Oak wasn't done talking yet. "You can't get detailed data on Pokémon just by seeing them. You must catch them to obtain complete data."

He then began digging in his pockets. "So, here are some tools for catching wild Pokémon." He handed us each five Poké Balls! "When a wild Pokémon appears, it's fair game. Just throw a Poké Ball at it and try to catch it!" I wasn't very familiar with Poké Ball usage, but I knew enough that the professor was still being redundant. Still, I appreciated his help.

He added, "This won't always work, however. A healthy Pokémon can escape. You have to be lucky!" This made me a bit nervous, since I wasn't sure how lucky I'd need to be…but I still had hope!

"To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world," he said, practically daydreaming. "That was my dream! But, I'm too old. I can't get the job done." Although, this is starting to smell like a catch again… "So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me." Woah, seriously? He wants us to record them all?!

"Get moving, you two!" he said, his voice exploding with pride and joy. "This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!"

Wow…I looked to see what Blue was thinking, and I could see it in his eyes: the thirst for fame and glory. "Alright Gramps! Leave it all to me!" Please don't be a jerk, please don't be a jerk.

"Red, I hate to say it, but you won't be necessary for this." Um…is that a compliment? Impossible. Still, I had to say something before things got out of control.

"Professor, how will we know where to go?" I wasn't sure if Professor Oak could answer me, but apparently Blue could.

"I know! I'll borrow a Town Map from my sis!" A genius idea! Plus, Daisy may have had some leftover maps from her Pokémon Contest days. "I'll tell her not to lend you one, Red! Hahaha!" I was hoping he was joking, but he then took on a serious face and added, "Don't bother coming around to my place after this!"

The slit eyes of irritation return. But he didn't care, and soon strut off. I looked to the professor for advice, but all he had to say was, "Pokémon around the world wait for you, Red!" Yeah, let's just go all over the world. Especially without a map. Smart idea.

Apparently Professor Oak didn't understand my expression, so I just stormed off. Daisy would never listen to her jerk brother's despicable command, so I might as well grab a map now.

As I explained my situation, Daisy merely said, "Grandpa asked you to run an errand? Gee, that's lazy of him" A bit bigger than an errand, Daisy. "Here, this will help you." Either she was a mind reader, or her brother made it too obvious, because now I had a Town Map! "Use the Town Map to find out where you are."

A little crude, but it would definitely help navigate Kanto. But, the good son that I am (I swear I'm being modest), I better ask Mom for permission. One Charmander isn't much protection.

As Mom and I talked, I could her eyes welling up with tears. Now her crazy quote about Stand By Me made total sense. I started to feel bad; Dad passed away years ago, and now I was abandoning Mom…

"No, you go honey," she sniffled, wiping away her tears and wearing a proud smile. "Your father was a great trainer, and I know you'll be too! Just please, be careful. Promise me that, and I promise I'll be okay too," she said with a long-lasting hug.

Yeah, we're a sappy family. But that hug would be one of the last hugs I'd get for a long time, so I was going to enjoy every second of it.

It was a restless night. And no, for once it wasn't because of the common cliché associated with fear or anything, it was absolute joy. Charmander was allowed to stay out of his ball as long as he watched his tail, and he happily obeyed.

Sadly, trainers needed a special license to let Pokémon out freely in public, or so Green told me, and that was far too expensive to buy. Still, my room was fine, so the two of us sat down and memorized the map.

There was no way we'd return home for awhile, so we made sure to grab plenty of supplies. Mom would be annoyed at that, but she was fine as long as we stayed well fed. To be truthful, Pokémon don't need food, they can live without it. But hey, Charmander's my buddy.

We also noticed that the Pokémon League was west of Viridian City. We wouldn't be allowed in, but the sight was considered inspiring, so that was the first stop for tomorrow. It took hours to fall asleep. It wasn't so hard for Charmander; the Poké Ball relaxed my pal enough. But my bed was not so advanced.

Still, I slipped into a dream, surrounded by Charmanders, with a giant beast, a Pokémon, almost like a classic kind of dragon, flying through the sky. The dream felt like it lit a flame in my heart as I watched the dragon soar.

But as good as the dream was, I never felt so happy to wake up early. I grabbed my Poké Ball and let out Charmander, who was a little grumpy, but ready to go. We snuck into Mom's room, hidden below the house, and tried to wake her up. Definitely not a morning person.

But with her coffee, she was Super Mom! We ate up and wanted to rush out the door, but Mom took her sweet time, and we all knew why. With the last of my food, water, and other stuff packed away, we were ready to go!

I returned Charmander, and looked to Mom. The tears were streaming down her face, and it took every meter of my power to hold back mine.

Then she hugged me. So much for that. But we said our good-byes, and I promised to call every night. It was hard on the both of us, but as I opened that door, she said one last thing. "Son?"

"Yes Mom," afraid of another hug that would cause another breakdown.

"Promise me one more thing. Promise me, you'll do whatever it takes to be the very best!"

I turned back to her, and saw her beautiful face staring back at me. Those caring eyes gave me the strength that would propel me for the rest of my days. I gave her a smile and a wink. "Like no one ever was."

You know, for such a boring town, leaving it can be really hard. Bad enough I'm leaving the comfort of home and Mom, but I'm also abandoning my two best friends, Yellow and Green. They both turned 10 recently, but I think they haven't got their trainer cards yet, which they'll need to prove they're legal for Pokémon usage.

Nevertheless, as I walked out of town, there they were, ready to say their farewells. "Red, man," Yellow said, "You have a blast out there. And don't you worry; I'll be seeing you soon." Gave him the cool secret handshake every best bud combo has, and gave him a confident smile to match his smirk.

"Red," said Green, a bit meeker but still a loyal friend. "You be careful out there." She sounded almost as worried as Mom, but changed her attitude right away. "I'll be out there soon too, so you make sure you warm up the routes for me!"

After one more hug, I said, "You guys, I'll be waiting to see you too. So hurry up!" With that, I turned and ran; well, as much as the shoes would let me, it really hurt to run in them. But that would be more dramatic.

Speaking of which, I noticed that the other townspeople, even Daisy, weren't here, which must have meant Blue left already. Shoot, he's ahead of me! Or, is he behind? Wouldn't Daisy say bye too? Either way, I had to hurry!

But thankfully it didn't take too long, and I was back in Viridian! As I entered the city, a thought crossed my mind: what if five Poké Balls? Well, I definitely need as many as I can get, so I might as well buy those first.

Once I entered, I immediately realized I forgot to send across the clerk's greeting to Professor Oak, but apparently I wasn't the only forgetful one. "Hi there!" the clerk said, "May I help you?" If I didn't know better (and maybe I don't), I'd say he didn't recognize me, but oh well.

"Well, I'm looking for new trainer supplies," I answered, a little nervous.

The man had an understanding look about him, and waved his hand to the glass counter. "Take your time." Three medicines and a bunch of Poké Balls. Huh. Well, better to be safe; I bought three Poké Balls and one of each medicine. Now, let's go to the Pokémon League!

Route 22, boy, we're going out of order already. But, right as I step into the grass, a wild NidoranM appears! I'm sure Charmander can handle this little guy!

"Go! Charmander!" Sheesh, that better not be my catch phrase. A barrage of Scratches help me ease NidoranM down, and as any novice trainer knows…hopefully, that means it's time to catch this bad boy!

"Go, Poké Ball!" Shoot, curse the dramatic me. But for the first time, I got to see in person a Poké Ball wiggle. And again. And again!

And it broke free. Shoot! It was so close too! But a good trainer doesn't give up, no matter what.

With one more toss, I just knew this would be it. One. Two. Three! Lock! All right! NidoranM caught!

Then, as if to give me a heart attack as a reward, a computerized male voice came out of nowhere. "New Pokédex data will be added for NidoranM !" I looked everywhere, wondering what in the world that was, before I realized, it came from my backpack.

I tore it open and found the noisemaker: the Pokédex. Right there on the screen was everything you'd need to know about NidoranM . Except stats or attacks or anything. But what trainer would ever want that? But that did leave me with a question, and as I looked through the Pokédex, I realized the unfortunate answer.

Yes, if you catch a Pokémon, you'll get all sorts of data probably recorded by old guys from over the years. But if you only see it, you just get a picture and an area location. Shoot, that won't help me much. Guess I have to do this mission the hard way.

Oh well, back to celebrating. My little buddy was hurt, and my new buddy was too, but I decided to take one more look around before I headed back to heal. I know, what about the League? "But there's Pokémon!" I say out loud to no one in a whiny voice.

After a good deal of battling, I managed to get another pal, Rattata, and give my new friends some experience. But now, finally, we could go to the Pokémon League!

"Hey! Red!" Shoot. There he was, Blue, walking from there. He apparently stole my idea, which was going to sting for a long time. "You're off to the Pokémon League?" I was about to explain myself, but of course, interruptions are more fun. "Forget about it!" Why me? "You probably don't have any badges, do you? The guard won't let you through without them."

So many ways to say duh, but I can handle this jerk. After all, we may never see each other after this. "By the way, did your Pokémon get any stronger?" This wasn't a question, it was a challenge.

Fine, if Blue wants to fight, so be it! "I choose you, Pidgey!"

"Go! NidoranM !" Oops, I'm getting addicted to that phrase. But enough banter, time for action. Unfortunately, starting with NidoranM was a bad idea. He was barely hurting the bird, and that made me fear that even Charmander may have a tough time. So, it was time to try a new strategy.

"Leer!" I shouted. Leer would give that Pidgey a good scare, and that would definitely force it to replace defense with fright. But as if Blue knew what I was up to, he beat down my NidoranM with Gust. This is really bad, NidoranM fainted and now I needed Charmander to save me. I promised myself I would train like crazy from now on if I won this fight.

"One down," Blue said with a sneer. Oh, you're going down, Blue. And no matter how many times you get up, I'll keep taking you down.

Charmander roared onto the scene. And yet he's still so cute! But my cutie will trounce Blue, and sure enough, my assault of Scratches wore the Pidgey down. Unfortunately, it came with a ton of damage. Gust versus Scratch, and while Charmander was fast enough to block a potential critical hit, the Gusts hurt.

And with one last critical hit, Pidgey was done! But with all Charmander's damage, this was going to be a hard fight when Squirtle came out. Rattata would be my best bet to give Charmander some time. At the very least, Charmander knew Ember, so that would be useful later. "End this fight, Squirtle!"

"Charmander enough! Come back!" With a beam of light, he was brought back into the ball, and right after that, I threw Rattata to the field. Since there was no way Rattata could beat his turtle, my best bet was to give Charmander a fighting chance.

"Tail Whip!" Not only was it a bit of vengeance for that Tail Whip barrage at the lab, but it was a nice hit to the turtle's defense too. Unfortunately, Tackle hurt so much that even Tail Whip wouldn't be that helpful.

"Hahaha, Tail Whip? You're so dead, Red!" My patience is so thin right now. "Here, let me humor you! Tail Whip!" He may be a jerk, but he just bought me a turn. Another Tail Whip, and my chances got a little better. Until he showed off his new move.

"Alright, enough humor," he said, wiping away a tear. "Bubble!" What? Squirtle shot some bubbles from his mouth, and they moved faster than any bubble I had ever seen. And unfortunately, that was the same for Rattata. "Never stood a chance," the smirk never leaving his face as he said it.

"This is it," I said quietly. "Win for me, buddy. Go! Charmander!" Now, Ember would be lovely, if he wasn't Water type. So, that leaves only one move. "Scratch!"

Not only did it barely hurt, but it got worse, his Tackle put me near the edge. I reluctantly pulled out my only Potion, saving my little buddy, but a few Bubbles still smacked him right in the face.

It occurs to me that Squirtle is going to be a tank, and with Bubble, I'm doomed. So I instead went with Growl, hoping I could shrink his attack. It worked…sort of. It's taking too long. It looks like I won't win. But if I'm going down, I'm taking that turtle down as much as I can! "Scratch!"

Blue went with Tackle again, and I saw it. There's still a chance! If I'm right, whoever lands the next hit wins! "Charmander! Scratch and win!"

"Squirtle! Tackle it to death!" Squirtle and Charmander charged towards each other, ready to fight for their masters till the end. Squirtle lowered its head and went for the finisher, but Charmander, just mere inches from defeat, jumped over the turtle. Blue and I stood stunned as it flew over and landed right behind the Water Pokémon. And right as Squirtle turned around, so did Charmander, leading with a massive claw to the face! Squirtle gripped its head in pain as it fell over, and with that, we defeated Blue! With just one HP to spare, too!

"Awww! You just lucked out!" Clearly he was annoyed as he transferred the money and returned Squirtle to its ball. "I heard Pokémon League is crawling with tough trainers."

I can't say I'm surprised, trainers from all over gather, especially from Kanto and Johto. "I have to figure out how to get past them." he continued. "You should quit dawdling and get a move on!" Says the guy who's doing the exact same thing as me. I tried to give him my patent-pending annoyed stare, but he waltzed off back to Viridian. Unfortunately, I'll have to follow him before I continue on; my pals are looking pretty beat up.

True to my word, I began the annoying process of training. I also managed to catch a NidoranF as I trekked along. This team is looking good so far! But finally, for real this time, I arrived. The Pokémon League Front Gate.

I stepped inside, and took in the legendary surroundings. The statues looked awesome, and the place had that epic feeling about it. Surprisingly only one guard blocked the exit. I went to talk to them, and they told me an obviously rehearsed line. "Only truly skilled trainers are allowed through. You don't have the Boulder Badge yet!" He gave me a wicked scowl, and I was ready to back off, but he softened a bit before saying, "The rules are rules. I can't let you pass."

I was about to say I understood, until the dude pushed me! Jerk, he must have been taking lessons from Blue.

At that point, I felt I might as well go look for this Boulder Badge. Unfortunately, Professor Oak didn't teach us much about gyms, but I'm pretty sure every major city has one, and Viridian is definitely a major city.

So as I walked through town, I saw a familiar face: the old man who was apparently too grumpy to let us pass. "Ahh," he said, "Well, now, I've had my coffee, and that's what I need to get going!" I really hope he does mean coffee this time.

I asked if I could go through, and he happily responded, "Sure you can go through!" Did he forget that he wouldn't let me yesterday? But before I could turn and forget the old guy, he asked, "Are you in a hurry?" I wanted to say yes, but I can't lie, so I admitted I wasn't. He looked me over and noticed in my hand the Pokédex. "Hm? What is that red box you have?"

I responded by saying it was a Pokédex, made and given to me by Professor Oak. He nodded, as if understanding everything I said was so simple. "Ah, so you're working on your Pokédex. Then let me give you a word of advice." He began pointing and speaking about the Pokédex as if he invented it! "Whenever you catch a Pokémon, the Pokédex is automatically updates its data." I was about to ask him how he knew all this, but clearly he was on a roll. He looked at me for a few seconds, as if waiting for a response. "…You don't know how to catch a Pokémon?"

"Of course I-"

"I suppose I had better show you then." I already know! But before I could counter him, a wild Weedle appeared out of nowhere! But he apparently had a Poké Ball handy, and caught it in one go.

"Not bad," I said. Although I wonder how a Pokémon just crawled into town right as the old man needed a demonstration, but I decided to humor him for now.

"First, you need to weaken the target Pokémon." But you didn't. You're giving contradictory advice, old man! Instead, he threw the ball and immediately caught the Weedle. Congratulations? "There! Now tell me, that was educational, was it not?"

"Uh huh," I said in a skeptical tone. "Well, thank you for the help, sir."

"Oh, no trouble, my boy." I turned to leave, but he still had more to say. "And here, take this, too." He handed me a strange mini TV that was small enough to fit in my pocket. "That's a Teachy TV! It only has one channel, but it features my grandson, Primo! If there's something you don't understand, watch that. It will teach you about the basics of being a Pokémon Trainer!"

Sure, now can I go? Of course, I kept my manners up and instead repeated myself. "Thank you for the help, sir."

He nodded farewell and said one last thing. "You may call me Old Man." No.

Thankfully, just to the east stood a giant building with the word "GYM" on it. It looks like my first gym battle was about to go down!

Until I tried the door. Apparently the gym's doors are locked. Shoot.

"This Pokémon gym is always closed," said a man standing by the side. "I wonder who the leader is?"

"So then you have no idea when he'll be back?"

"Nope, I'm just bored." Why are people so weird? Still, as I hopped over a ledge back into the main part of town, my hopes began to fade. The first gym, and it's already abandoned. I looked around town, asking if anyone had more information, but no luck.

Well, the Pokémon League requires eight badges, so either there's a new gym or the League will have to get involved. But for now I guess I'll just find another gym. No sense waiting for bureaucracy to settle my problems.

So then, enough waiting; it's time to hit Route 2.

Route 2 was purely easy, and I only ran into a Weedle. I tried to copy…Old Man, and just threw a Poké Ball. Of course it didn't work. I knew that guy was a cheat. Still, I was easily able to catch the hairy bug after I hit it a bit.

And afterward, I entered the guard station between Route 2 and Viridian Forest. Now, no one really understood the purpose of lookout stations unless you really knew your history. According to Professor Oak, the lookout stations separated areas apart. Normally they do nothing, but they act as a barrier just in case the Pokémon get too antsy. Or worse: aggressive.

Either way, Pokémon hardly ever attacked humans, so I wasn't worried. At least about that. But getting lost in Viridian Forest; that worried me. People liked to call it a natural maze, and I can already tell that's what it'll be. It's ominous, filled with bugs, and could take awhile to get through. Such is the life of a trainer, right?

As I reached a giant tree, separate from the others, a boy nearby grabbed my attention. "I came here with some friends! They're out for Pokémon fights!"

"So why aren't you with them?" I asked in confusion.

"Uh…mine already fainted." I don't know if I should consider him pitiable or take it as a warning.

Still, he wasn't lying, there were trainers out and about. Apparently all these Viridian kids were Bug Catchers, which is really an odd way to restrict yourself, but if TV has taught me anything, it's that little kids like bugs. Explains my Weedle. Also, apparently I can't jam out if I'm a trainer. Right…

Anyway, despite the formidable appearance and reputation, Viridian Forest was easy enough to get through. And it came with its own reward. Weedle evolved into Kakuna! At first I was worried I'd be stuck in a Harden War, but my Kakuna is so smart, it remembers the old attacks it knew! Six Pokémon so far; Professor Oak, I'm on my way.