Chapter Four: Cerulean City
It was obvious this city was much bigger, and dare I say, better than Pewter. Of course, the first stop was the Pokémon Center. As my Pokémon got all their injuries healed, a man beside me asked me, "Have you heard about Bill?"
"No, who's he?"
"Everyone calls him a Poké Maniac!" Now, the class system of Kanto had an odd way to function. Most people grabbed onto a title that described themselves, almost like being a part of a club. Being a Poké Maniac, well, usually only the crazies entered that group. "I think people are just jealous of Bill, though. Who wouldn't want to boast about their Pokémon?"
True, I thought to myself as I left the center, but really, there was more to being a Poké Maniac than egos and lots of Pokémon. Hopefully this mysterious Bill wasn't another stereotype.
Either way, Cerulean had a lot of nice people: someone who was amused by my Pokédex journey (although he may just be a jerk), a Police Officer protecting a robbed house (apparently this is what Team Rocket was up to), a girl who wanted to get a red bike just so she could keep it at home (so it doesn't get dirty, of course), and the bike shop, owned by Miracle Cycle.
"Hi! Welcome to our Bike Shop," the man with sunglasses said the man behind the counter. "Have we got just the bike for you!" I always wanted a bike, but Mom always said it was too expensive. Well, now that I have some money to burn, a bike could be really helpful.
"Sure, whatcha got?"
"Well, my boy," the man said complacently. "What we've got here is the collapsible bicycle! It can fold up in a snap, and it lets you carry it anywhere, being lightweight and all!" He could tell I was hooked, so he pulled one out from right out of the counter. "It's a cool bike! Do you want it?"
"Yeah! How much?"
"1,000,000 Pokédollars!" You know, even the average salesman would be a little uncomfortable to say a price like that. But not this guy; he was practically proud of the price tag.
"Um…I've got 4,671 Pokédollars, isn't that good enough?" And that was a huge rip-off, by the way.
"Sorry! You can't afford it! Come back again some time!" Seriously? How in the world was he going to sell that thing at that price? My bad mood made me sleepy. Unfortunately, the Pokémon Center was packed again, so I had to sleep on the floor once more.
The next day, I traveled to the local gym. It was more like a giant swimming pool, but it still carried the signs of an official Pokémon Gym. Upon the pedestals up front, I saw a dejecting sight written on them. Winning Trainers: Blue. Shoot, I was right, Blue got ahead. Knowing him, he was probably on Route 5 or something by that point. Thankfully, Jim Gai was here at the next gym too. I had hopes Jim could cheer me up, regardless of however Jim beat me here.
"Yo! Champ in making!" I waved to him, and he nodded back at me. "Here's my advice!" Apparently he wanted to cut right to the chase. Good, so do I. "The leader, Misty, is a pro who uses Water Pokémon! You can drain all their water with plant Pokémon! Or, zap them with electricity!"
Shoot! Once again I'm at a disadvantage. And even worse, Charmeleon's going to have no chance of victory. Still, I'll just play smart, like I did with Brock. I went to the first Gym Trainer, knowing he'd be an indication of what I'd be up against.
"Splash!' Did he seriously say 'Splash?' "I'm first up! Let's do it!" Unfortunately, smart was not going to help me as much as I thought. Fighting that first Gym Trainer showed me that I'm vastly under-leveled, and if I want to beat Misty, I'd need more training. I managed to win the fight, but just barely.
I left the gym, afraid to look in Jim in the face, but I think he understood, and the look he gave me was almost encouraging. For now, I have to focus on the task at hand: training. Along the way, I ran into an Ekans. I decided to name it Snake. No pun can escape my wrath!
Still, I needed a break from Spearows and Ekanses, so I decided to head north and see what was up there. Bad idea.
"Yo! Red!" Should have known I'd see Blue again sooner or later. "You're still struggling along back here?" As insulting as it was, he was sadly right. I couldn't look him in the eyes. "I'm doing great! I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon!" Show-off, I have strong and smart ones too! I was about to say so, but Blue wasn't one to let someone speak up. "Here let me see what you caught, Red!"
Yet another challenge? Fine, I've won so far, after all, and my buddies need the experience! "I choose you, Pidgeotto!"
"Go! Beedrill!" He started laughing, and if I didn't know better (and maybe I don't), so did Pidgeotto. "Grr, Beedrill, Fury Attack!"
"Quick Attack!" Wait, oh no! Beedrill landed the Fury Attack, but Pidgeotto was really fast, and that was going to be a problem. Beedrill was amazingly faster, but Pidgeotto was a threat regardless. I could have switched out, but I wanted to prove that my bug was a match for his bird.
"Fury Attack!" I shouted again. There was one chance of victory, and it all counted on those big spikes. He sent a Sand Attack in response, blinding his eyes, but Beedrill was persistent. "You can win, Beedrill!"
"Don't lose to that bug!" With one last stab, Beedrill sent Pidgeotto flying into the ground, and there was no getting up from that. "Dang! Don't celebrate yet, Red! I've got more up my sleeve! Deal with my almighty Abra!"
Abra? What in the world is that? Whatever it is, I should let my others have fun anyway. "Beedrill enough! Come back!" Beedrill zoomed back inside his Poké Ball. "Go! Rattata!"
Blue took a look at my mouse and looked to his Pokégear. I figured he was thinking up a strategy, but his face fell, as though he wasn't prepared or something. Sorry Blue, but I won't give you the chance! "Hyper Fang!"
"Teleport," he said in disappointment. Abra vanished for a moment, only to return a few meters away. Sure, I may have had a look of confusion, but so did Abra. He looked to Blue, as if expecting him to do something. Rattata however didn't care and ran in for the bite.
"He didn't last long," I said with a smirk. For once, I was being the assertive one.
"Unfortunately," he began to answer, "As powerful as Abra is, all he can do is Teleport right now. And since I have to be holding him to go to a Pokémon Center, he can't go anywhere far." Blue could tell I was very satisfied. "Don't get cocky! I still have Rattata!"
He reached for his ball, so I decided to let our rats fight it out. Mine was stronger, but would that be enough? "Hyper Fang!" we both shouted. Both took a ton of damage, but mine was still standing strong, while Blue's was ready to collapse. I figured a Tackle would be enough to win, but his Pokémon dodged and used a Tail Whip. Blue didn't look too hopeful, so I decided to just end it with another Tackle.
"That's it! You want my best? Well so be it! I choose you, Squirtle!" Maybe it was the level-grinding getting to me, or the sun, or just our life-long rivalry, but I decided to give Charmeleon a shot. Blue was stunned at my choice, but didn't mock me for it. He was getting serious now.
It was my Scratch versus his Water Gun. Even though I landed a critical hit, Charmeleon wouldn't last against Squirtle's Water-type attacks. But then Blue tried something different. He wanted a one-hit (or two-hit in this case) knock out, so he began using Tail Whip.
Huge mistake. "Charmeleon, Scratch as much as you can!" Squirtle didn't stand a chance. Blue realized his mistake and order a Water Gun, but Charmeleon secured victory first! Once again, I defeated Blue!
"Hey! Take it easy! You won already!" He returned his Squirtle, ashamed that he was being outclassed in battle.
In desperation, he changed the subject. "Hey, guess what? I went to Bill's and got him to show me his rare Pokémon! That added a lot of pages to my Pokédex!" Bill has rare Pokémon? Maybe I could use those to expand my Pokédex too! "After all, Bill's world famous as a Pokémaniac!" Well, if Blue could stand him, maybe he wouldn't fit the stereotype.
Blue was being very chatty, which made it harder for all my thoughts on the matter sink in. "He invented the Pokémon Storage System on PC! Since you're using his system, go thank him!" So he's the one who has been getting my extra Pokémon. I may not always like Blue, but if he was nice enough to thank Bill, then I definitely had to too. "Well, I better get rolling! Smell ya later!" Okay, not that nice.
"Oh, yeah, right," he added as we parted ways. "I feel sorry for you." Oh, please, just go away. "No, really. You're always plodding behind me." Interesting word choice, but I figured that out already. "So here, I'll give you a little present as a favor."
I obtained the Fame Checker? "Um, thank you? What is it?"
He shrugged; undoubtedly, he was just throwing his trash away onto me. "A chatty gossip like you…That thing's perfect. I don't need it because I don't give a hoot about others." Well, that's definitely true. "All right, this time I really am gone. Smell ya!"
Whatever, let's just get back to training. Route 24 was yet another path off the beaten trail, but I figured it would be a good place to train. Standing before me was the Nugget Bridge. It really wasn't much of a bridge, only if the land under it got flooded, but still, at least it looked shiny.
I saw some trainers up ahead, so I decided to take them on. "This is Nugget Bridge! Beat us five trainers and win a fabulous prize! Think you got what it takes?"
"You bet, let's do this." And…it wasn't much of a fight. The Bug Catcher sent his Pokémon, and my Beedrill took care of them all easily.
"Whoo! Good stuff! I did my best, I have no regrets!" Well that's good I guess, but hopefully the next girl is more challenging.
"I'm second! Now it's serious!" Awesome, that's what I want to hear! This time, NidoranM will take her on. And, well, she lost too, but not so quickly.
"How could I lose?" I was about to answer her, console her, but she just said, "I did my best, I have no regrets!" Um…okay, I'm just gonna move on now.
"Here's number three! I won't be easy!" He was easy. He also had no regrets, since he did his best.
"I'm number four!" the next girl shouted. "Getting tired?" More like bored. Besides, you're supposed ask my Pokémon that, not me. But after another quick battle, she merely said, "I did my best, so I've no regrets!" Can't even get the line right? This isn't a very official contest, is it?
"Okay! I'm number five! I'll stomp you!" Not with Charmeleon taking his turn for experience, a smirk lighting up my face. I'll admit, when his Mankey gave me a critical hit, I worried. But Charmeleon pulled it off like the true blue…red, Pokémon he is. "Whoa! Too much!" Obviously he was amazed. "I did my best, I have no regrets!" Right…let's just claim our prize.
I walked up to the man ahead of us, and he seemed overly happy to see me as the victor. "Congratulations! You beat our five contest trainers! You just earned a fabulous prize!" I received a nugget! Talk about valuable, a rock of pure gold that fit right in my hand.
"Thanks, sir!" Definitely worth the effort. I prepared to turn away, but then he said one of the worst things he could have said to me.
"By the way," he said, causing me to turn to face him again. "Would you like to join Team Rocket?"
I was so speechless, so all I could respond with was "What?" He mistook my remark as curiosity rather than absolute shock.
"We're a group dedicated to evil using Pokémon! Want to join?"
"Are you serious? Not a chance!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"Come on, join us!"
"No!"
The evil in eyes burned with anger. "I'm telling you to join!"
But my passion and rage against Team Rocket still was strong. "Never!"
And then, as fast as his anger appeared, it disappeared. He got happy all of a sudden and said, "Okay, you need convincing! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!"
All of a sudden, he tore away his shirt and pants to reveal a Rocket uniform underneath it all. He grabbed his hat from in a bush and put it on, completing the picture. "You're ours, kid. Whether you want to be or not." Before I could say a word, he threw down his Poké Ball, revealing an Ekans.
I smiled, because I knew that the snake wouldn't stand a chance. "Go! Charmeleon!" The reptiles stared each other down before we finally ordered our moves. "Ember!"
"Poison Sting!" Numerous purple needles fired from Ekans' mouth and slammed into a charging Charmeleon. As painful as it was, Chamerleon opened its mouth directly in front of Ekans! Ember was superior to the weak Poison Sting, and I could tell Charmeleon could beat this grunt all by himself.
"Ember again!" Ekans attempted to dodge, but fainted before he could receive another order. The grunt growled in anger as he unsnapped his second Poké Ball from his waist belt.
"Zubat, finish him!" He almost looked confident, and once he sent off a Supersonic, I was afraid he had good reason to be.
"Come on buddy, one more hit! You can do it!" Despite the confusion, my plea was enough to break through and convince Charmeleon to attack Zubat.
If the bat had eyes, they'd be wide in fear. After all, the grunt's eyes were. Zubat fell to the ground, defeated. "Arrgh! You are good! With your ability, you could become a top leader in Team Rocket! Come on, think of the opportunity! Don't let this chance go to waste."
"No thank you," I responded. "I'm done with you, and I am done with your gang. I stressed out over you all long enough. I'm done." I couldn't tell if the Rocket responded with a clever comeback or a worthless threat; none of his words reached my ears. I walked on, looking to finish my training.
The sun was beginning to set, and the way the light landed on the mountainside in front of me was quite nice to see. The calm and serenity was very nice, but as the saying goes, a bad day always goes worse.
Okay, maybe it's not a saying, but hearing what sounded almost like a gunshot rang out. At first I thought it was the Rocket coming for revenge, but I soon saw the cause. Near the corner of the mountainside stood three sights: a Charmander, its trainer, and a whip. Of course, the foolish hero that I am, I ran in trying to save the day, shouting to grab the trainer's attention, saving the poor Pokémon from another pelting in the process.
I finally came up panting. "Dude, what are you doing?!" He looked at me with surprise. He had to be about 13, and it looked like he only had one Pokémon.
"Training my Pokémon. Duh. Who are you, kid?"
Normally I wasn't one to flash my name around, but I figured I'd sound more impressive, and since I needed to show this jerk up, I might as well fight fire with fire. "I'm Red from Pallet Town. Who are you?"
The kid had a cocky smirk and answered, "I'm Damian, and I'm training to become Champion of the Pokémon League!"
"By torturing your Pokémon?! What on Earth made you think that was a good idea?!"
"Pfft, you kids and your level-grinding. If you had any brains, you'd look at the real pros: Team Rocket!" Oh gosh no… "Think about it, kid. They keep the police on the ropes, they commit tons of crimes, and they treat their Pokémon like crap! I'm just playing smart."
"No, you're playing like a jerk!" I probably looked like a little idiot to this punk, but I would stand up for this poor Charmander, just like any Pokémon being abused.
At first he wore a doleful look, as if he was repentant, but he covered it up for bravado."Look brat, what makes you think you're so great? The power of friendship? Forget it. Pokémon and people are separate things. We're not meant to be friends."
"You're wrong, and if you paid attention to the real trainers, like the Gym Leaders, you'd know."
He seemed to sit there for a moment, taking all I said in. "Hmm…kid, you ever face a Gym Leader?"
"Um, yeah. I beat Brock a few days back." I was unsure where he was going with this, but he smiled when he heard of my success story.
"Tell you what. Let's battle. One on one fight. You beat my Charmander, I'll listen to your crappy advice," I wasn't sure what else I could do, but maybe a battle would convince him torture was wrong. "But, if I win, you give your badge."
"What? But," I tried to say in reaction, but I realized, why am I worried? All I need to worry about is if I hurt that poor Pokémon too much. "Fine, let's do this." I saw the Charmander cower a little, and sadly, Damian saw too.
"No fear!" he shouted, and before I could stop him, he whipped Charmander again, causing it to cry out in pain. I wanted to close my eyes. I'm only 10; I'm too young to be seeing this. But I had to be respectful to Charmander, and I had to protect it from further harm. "And don't you hold back either!" he pointed to me. "My Charmander won't stop fighting you until it wins...if it knows what's good for it."
"Enough! Let's just fight already," I said to the monster. Charmander came over, and after taking a deep breath, the Pokémon tried to intimidate me, just like his master. "Don't you worry, Charmander, this will be over soon." I swear I was sure I saw Charmander flashed a hopeful smile for a second before returning to its menacing stare.
"Go! Charmeleon!"
"What?! You have a Charmeleon?!"
"It pays to treat your Pokémon with respect and kindness," I retaliated. He was incredibly angry, and looked like he wanted to hit his Pokémon for its weakness, but I think he was smart enough to know that was a bad idea when you need every HP you can get.
"Alright, you dumb lizard, attack with Ember!" Worried about the Pokémon, I decided to play it safer.
"Dodge and Growl!" Again and again this went on, weakening his attack more and more. Not every Growl worked, but every single Ember missed, something I didn't think possible.
Unfortunately, Damian soon realized I was only protecting the Charmander from harm, so he decided he'd cause it for me. "Don't you dare hold back from me!" he yelled as the whip sliced the back of Charmander.
It was so painful to watch; I could tell how badly Charmeleon felt for one of his brethren. "Fine! I'm sorry, but we need to end this, before he can cause anymore harm." And what better way to show that my Charmeleon was superior, that friendship was better than pain, and that even the weak could be strong, than to use my newest attack, something I had been waiting the right moment for.
"Charmeleon! Metal Claw!" Damian's eyes nearly popped out as he saw my Pokémon's hand glow with a silver light. "Damian, do you see this? This is what happens when you treat your Pokémon with love and respect. They trust in you, and you trust in them. They fight with you, they win with you. We're not two separate beings, but one united force! Now go, show him how powerful we truly are!"
Charmeleon nodded, inspired by my improvised speech, and charged, claws flowing behind him, and slid toward Charmander, swinging with his left claw. "YOU IDIOT! DODGE!" Charmander was terrified, but managed to duck under the first claw, but Charmeleon still had one left. With his ducked head, he saw as Charmeleon's right claw connected and sent Charmander soaring several meters into the air.
As soon as gravity took hold of the little salamander, Charmeleon went and caught the little guy, saving him from further harm. Damian sunk to his knees in defeat. "Do you see, Damian? Your methods failed, and now you become a shame to all trainers everywhere." He wouldn't say a word. For some reason, his silence only enraged me. I walked up to him and forced him to look me in the eyes. "You failed. You don't deserve this Pokémon."
He stood up, his face sullen and lifeless. "You're right." He's actually agreeing with me? "My friends always wondered why my Charmander hated me. I told them it was just a mean-spirited Pokémon. I've failed, and now, when I head home empty-handed, they'll all know I failed."
"Empty-handed?" It took me a moment to process what he meant, but as soon as I did, I had to set things straight. "No, I won't take Charmander as my own."
"But why? Look at what I've done! I don't deserve to own Charmander. For crying out loud, I've had him for months now, and getting him to level 10 was a lengthy development. I don't deserve him, and I can't take on a Pokémon if it takes all this work to make it a success."
Part of me wanted to be nice, to be sincere and ease the truth onto him. But that wouldn't be fitting, that wouldn't teach him a lesson. "You're right, you don't deserve Charmander. But someone else does. I don't know who, but he needs a home with someone who can love him. Maybe someday you can redeem yourself as a good person. But for now, if you want to prove you really are as great as you hope to be, you'll do the right thing."
Minutes seemed to pass as he thought it over. Charmeleon did what he could to make Charmander feel comfortable. "Call the Cerulean Police. Tell them to confiscate my Pokémon then." My message seemed to fall flat, but I understood: he had no one else to give his Pokémon away to. Sadly, Charmander really didn't have a home.
I watched Damian trudge away with the Cerulean Police as night fell. The Rocket Grunt, the doofus that he was, stuck around and, what's worse, tried to scam the police. Damian wouldn't be arrested, but Charmander would be taken away if he couldn't find a new home for it within a few days.
I decided to stay on Route 24 and make camp for once. I was too tired from all the stress to walk back and I needed to practice spending time in the wild. I let all six of my Pokémon out, and we all relaxed by an Ember-made fire. Charmeleon and Beedrill, being my top Pokémon, really got along well, and the Nidorans acted like little kids in love. It really was cute to see. Rattata, my little girl, laid by my feet, and Pidgey just watched the fire burn.
It truly was a calm night, and despite being outdoors, I felt so comfortable and free. Back during my lessons with Professor Oak, the textbooks he gave Blue, Yellow, Green, and I always said to let Pokémon rest in their balls for best results. But I decided I wanted them by my side. And as each one of them got close to me for the night, I could tell they all agreed.
But you know that feeling you get when the blinds open and light smacks your closed eyes? Strangely, I didn't feel it when the sun rose that morning. It was a beautiful morning, and I got up to enjoy the sight of it. Little did I know Rattata was sleeping on my chest, so she was flung off when I leaned up. She wasn't happy about that.
Still, the others all gave me a pleasant look of approval. Except Pidgey. "Where's Pidgey?" I asked, a bit of worry in my voice. The other five looked around, worried as I was, but Beedrill, who took to the sky, found him immediately and pointed him out to me. The dumb bird was eating berries off a tree. "Pidgey!" I yelled in an annoyed tone. He heard me and flew back.
"Look, I understand, you're hungry, but don't do that, you crazy bird." He nodded, so I breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay everyone, enough fretting for the day, okay? Let's go train; I want to beat Misty today!" They all nodded in approval. Did they know who Misty was or what?
Either way, I returned them all, began to check out Route 24, and really start to explore Route 25. Route 24 was a lot shorter than I hoped. I saw water, but sadly I never learned how to swim. Mom didn't know either, so I never really had anyone teach me. I managed to catch an Oddish, but that was about it.
But Route 25, boy oh boy, did I see some great results there. Aside from lots of experience gaining, Pidgey and NidoranM evolved at the same time! Not only do I have two great fighters, but I got them at once! I've decided that I want to go for three evolutions at once someday, a nice bragging point. And aside from my winning streak, I don't have much.
The trainers of Route 25 provided a good challenge, especially the Hikers. It seems that as long as I lack Water or Grass types, I'm going to be stuck at a disadvantage. I did catch an Oddish along the way, but she won't be much help. However, I'll put my faith in the little dudette for now.
Nevertheless, after a lot of level-grinding, I made it to a house just off the shore of Cerulean Cape. This must be Bill's place. Hopefully he won't mind if I barge in (most people don't, but still, common courtesy and all that).
As I entered, I realized that whoever Bill is, he sure has a strange home: two giant machines connected by a pipe, a computer with a strange program on it, and a Clefairy, but no one else. I was about to leave, when the most unexpected thing happened.
"Hiya!" said the Clefairy. I turned around, trying to see if someone was there, and as if sensing my confusion, the Clefairy responded "I'm a Pokémon" in a depressed tone, only to add "No I'm not!"
I'm willing to believe a lot. This is Kanto, after all. But I'd sooner believe in invisible people over talking Pokémon. "Call me Bill!" No way. "I'm a true blue Pokémaniac!" No kidding…
So, my mind is now blown. I mean, wow! I'm talking to a Pokémon! Maybe this is just a huge joke by Blue. "Hey! What's with that skeptical look?"
"Um," I began to say. "Look, maybe on Mt. Moon talking Pokémon are normal, but I find it hard to believe you're able to actually speak a human language."
He saw my disbelief, and reacted accordingly. "I'm not joshing you, I screwed up an experiment and got combined with a Pokémon!"
"That's, um, that's even less believable."
He then proceeded to tell me a long list of details about Pokémon teleportation and storage systems and the effects on people. It was incredibly confusing and hard to remember, and I thought Professor Oak's lessons were difficult. At last, once his speech was over, he asked, "So, how about it? Help me out here!" I almost considered saying no; after all, this was nuts, I just got lectured by a Clefairy.
But I said I'd help, and he looked so happy, at least as much as a Clefairy could be. "When I'm in the Teleporter, go to my PC and run the Cell Separation System!" Bill the Clefairy walked into the right machine and closed the door.
Well, I guess I have nothing to lose, let's try this thing out. The program was pretty simple to run, thankfully, so it only took a few clicks. Once I initiated the Teleporter's Cell Separator, the machines started to make strange noises, and suddenly a light shined through the pipe. A noise that sounded, well, victorious, played, and out stepped a human from the left machine!
"Yeehah! Thanks, bud! I owe you one!" Well, I'm not one to take in a favor so soon, but Bill clearly saw what I was thinking and brought my question up right away. "So, did you come to see my Pokémon collection?"
"Oh, most definitely, I need to increase my Pokédex, after all."
"Ah, so you're one of the receivers, eh?" he asked with an inquisitive look.
Of course, I responded with my own question. "One of? I thought only Blue and I got a Pokédex?"
He smiled, probably because he thought I was silly to think I was so special, and yet the smile didn't seem standoffish. "Well, the Pokédex is fairly new and difficult to make. Only about eight are currently made, and only the top Pokémon Professors in Japan got to own them."
That would explain how some people knew what the device was. It would be a big deal if Pokémon Professors were getting stuff like this. "So, can you show me now?" I said, trying to hide my zeal.
Bill's smile told me I failed. "Hehe, sure. Unfortunately, I leave all of them at home, save for my old Abra I recently traded and my new Clefairy."
Fearing another lecture into teleportation and Pokémon/data transfers, I walked over to his computer. "So, what do I do?"
"What? You should see them on there. You didn't?" He came in front and I let him sit down and work. "Uh oh." My sarcastic senses were telling me it must be working great. "That's a bummer. Apparently when we did the Cell Separation System, we crashed the computer. My connection to my PC Storage System will take awhile to repair. I'm sorry."
"Well," I sighed with some dejection. "That's fine, I guess." But Bill saw my glumness and did a bit more digging. His face suddenly lit up. "Look, bud, just check out some of my rare Pokémon on my PC!" Within a few moments, Bill pulled his favorite Pokémon list, and I had the Pokédex record the four Pokémon: Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon! I do like that Eevee, maybe if I ever find one, I'll use it for my team!
"Luckily, I managed to save a list of my top four favorites. It's just pictures, but hey, better than nothing right?" I nodded in jubilation. Blue may be ahead, but at least I've got some rare ones now!
"Still," he said with his finger tapping in thought, "I've got to thank you." Frankly, getting those four was payment enough, but he had more to give. "Oh here, maybe this'll do." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange ticket. Judging by the text, I received an S.S. Ticket.
"That cruise ship, S.S. Anne, is in Vermilion City. Its passengers are all trainers! They invited me to their party, but I can't stand fancy do's. Why don't you go instead of me?"
I wasn't a fan of them either, but then again, I've never been to one either, so it'll be a good experience. And I can earn a lot of experience too! "Thank you Bill, you've been too kind."
"You kidding? If it wasn't for you, I'd be trapped in my Pokémon for who knows how long! I owe you so much. I promise, if you ever hit up Goldenrod City, I'll show you all sorts of Pokémon firsthand."
"I'd like that," I said with a smile. "Thanks again!" With a wave, we parted ways: him to his computer; me to my gym battle.
The Pokémon League employs the best trainers around to represent them and their gyms. These trainers are so great; they'll practically be the mayor of the city, or at least an influential advisor. So seeing Cerulean City with the youngest Gym Leader in the history of Kanto, you wonder two things: either the League was dumb enough to hire a child to fight for them, or this child is exceptionally strong.
I can't be sure of the former, but the latter seems most likely.
"Hi, you're a new face!" said the girl wearing her bathing suit and tennis shoes for some reason. "Trainers who want to turn pro have to have a policy about Pokémon!" What's a policy? She saw my confusion, and with slight irritation, dumbed her sentence down. "What is your approach when you catch Pokémon?"
"Oh, well, um," I said. Do I even have a policy? She gave me a sort of look that just said, 'You're stupid.' Getting insulted by a Gym Leader without even using words; I should be mad, and yet I feel honored?
"My policy is an all-out offensive with Water type Pokémon!" She pulled out her Poké Ball from…somewhere I'd rather not say, and the challenge was on!
Now, if Misty leads out with an offensive front, then I'll need to match that with my own. And thanks to the Gym Trainer Diana who I fought with earlier, I knew just who to start with. "Go! Nidorina!"
With her Staryu already on the field, I knew it would be a tough fight. But I was ready. I sent my newly evolved Pokémon on a rampage of Poison Stings, each jab landing successfully, but only because Misty ordered a Tackle to get Staryu in close. At first I didn't understand the point, until Staryu managed a critical hit.
"Haha, you realize you won't win at this rate, right?" Don't count me out, little girl, we're just getting started!
"Nidorina, keep trying for Poison!" I shouted with confidence, knowing she would be happy to hear me so certain.
"Not so fast!" Misty yelled back. "Staryu, come here!" Staryu floated over, and Misty took some strange device out of…we'll just say thin air. "Do you know what this is, trainer?" I shook my head, so she answered for me. "This is an X Defend! And when I use it on Staryu, its defense rises!" Oh shoot! Not what I needed today. Since when can Gym Leaders use items?
Misty injected the device into Staryu and the Pokémon seemed to shine. Nidorina didn't care however and ran up to the starfish, tackling it with its small horn. While Staryu barely took damage, we got exactly what we wanted. "Ha! Your Staryu was poisoned!"
Misty was mad, but she shook it off and regained her cool. "Maybe so, but your Nidorina will never win!" There was only one way to find out, and leading off with Scratches, I was sure I would soon enough.
Staryu's critical hits kept coming, but with one last Scratch, Staryu fainted to the floor. "One down, Misty!" I was feeling far too confident, but this was too good to ignore.
"Bad mistake, little boy," she responded, her face contorting into a scowl. "Now, deal with Starmie!"
With five more Pokémon in the ranks, I was sure to win. I returned Nidorina and let Nidorino finish the fight. The fight was going well, Horn Attack versus Tackle, and I knew I'd take the lead soon. But Misty got livid. "BubbleBeam!" Bubblewhat?! Before I knew it, tons of Bubbles, more than Squirtle had ever spit out, flew at Nidorino. The speed was so intense; neither I nor Nidorino could react in time.
"One down!" Misty mocked. I had no words left, for my boasting led to a big hurt. Instead, I'd let Beedrill do the talking for me.
"Beedrill! Attack with Fury Attack!" But Starmie was faster, and laid a powerful Water Gun on my bug, weakening it considerably. Strangely, Misty seemed distracted, wincing whenever Beedrill flew close to her. It should have made the fight easier, but with Fury Attack doing barely any damage, I knew to not get confident yet.
Misty turned her eyes back on the battle, perhaps reluctantly, and pulled out another X Defend. "You won't win!" was all she managed to say as she poked Starmie with it and turned back around.
With such high defense, this was going to be a painful challenge. But I know I can still win! "Beedrill, keep at it! More Fury Attacks!" It nearly worked, until Misty ordered another BubbleBeam.
"Nice try, Beedrill," I said to the fainted Pokémon. I knew I couldn't prolong the misery, so I regained my composure. "Do it! Rattata!"
Even Rattata, one of my fastest, and with a Hyper Fang, could barely do enough damage, whereas Water Gun proved nearly fatal. But my little girl stood strong. "Quick Attack!" The attack hit, but Rattata was wide open for another Water Gun.
"Well, well, well," Misty said. "It's almost over. Three Pokémon left, one ready to faint, and yet my Starmie continues to clean house. Just give up if you can't handle the big leagues!"
That was it. My arrogance and aggression got the best of me, and I made a poor choice. "I can and I will! I still have one more strategy left, just you wait! Go! Charmeleon!"
I never saw someone laugh so hard. I was worried she was about to slip and fall in the pool water. "Are you serious?!" she finally managed to say.
"Oh, I am, your health is low enough for a devastating loss!" Charmeleon only needed to land one hit to win, so he just needed to hit her first.
She knew that too. "But, are you faster?" Uh oh. "BubbleBeam!"
"Metal Claw!" Charmeleon dashed through every single bubble, determined to drill through and pierce Starmie's jewel! But each bubble did a bit of damage, and the damage piled up fast. Charmeleon fainted, just decimeters away from landing his claw.
"Look, kid," Misty said as I returned my fire lizard in ignominy. "I admire your guts, but come on; you can't expect to win just because you've trained well. Yes, stats and strategy are important, but you need to think about types too. That's a big part of strategy too."
I couldn't help it; the smirk I gave seemed wicked, but was worth it to see her face. "Oh, I know. I may not be the best yet, but I didn't come here unprepared." Her expression was something between stunned and skeptical. "Don't believe me? Let me show you."
I grabbed my last Pokémon, and sent the ball flying at the planks below us. "Get'm! Oddish!" It was the ultimate standoff, and yet Oddish looked so out of place for something this grand. But the little girl wanted recognition, praise, and glory. And I'd give it to her. "Oddish! Absorb!"
"Tackle!" was all Misty shouted, determined that she'd succeed in beating my little weed.
But she was wrong. Despite a critical hit and a low level, Oddish lived! "Do it, buddy." I said with appreciation, and she nodded in delight. Strange balls of light left the starfish, and although it didn't give a lot of health, it did more than enough damage to finish off Starmie!
"Wow! You're too much!" She wasn't mad, or sad, or anything bad; just shocked, and happy? "All right! You can have the Cascade Badge to show you beat me!" Awesome! I happily took the badge, not caring where she pulled it from, as she said, "The Cascade Badge makes all Pokémon up to Level 30 obey! That includes even outsiders you got in trades." Cool, I'll be happy to have obedient Pokémon, although they always are.
"There's more, you can now use Cut any time, even outside of battle." Cut? "You can cut down small trees to open new paths!" I'll make sure to keep that in mind. "You can also have my favorite TM!" She handed me a TM11, making sure to add "TM11 teaches BubbleBeam! Use it on an aquatic Pokémon!"
I said my thanks and left, stronger, more experienced, and ready to continue my journey. But first, I had a new Technical Machine to try!
So, in an attempt to use my new TM, I went straight to Magikarp; surely he needs more than just Splash. I headed back to the Pokémon Center to experiment, with unfortunate results. The TM would not be accepted by the Pokémon; blasted fish is just useless. The words of that salesman keep ringing in my ears: "Well, I don't give refunds!"
At least they weren't the only words dancing in my head. After all, Jim's encouragement still rang in my head too. "You beat Misty! What'd I tell ya? You and me kid, we make a pretty darn good team!"
I had to agree there; Jim's advice to drain Water Pokémon really did work, even if it was a close call. Still, it was time to stop reminiscing and start to leave town, so I went around looking for a way out. Unfortunately, the way I found was behind some tree, but it looked poisonous to touch, so I was stuck. My last option was to ask the cop standing outside the robbed house. Surely they'd know a solution.
I grabbed the officer's attention, so he turned toward me. "The people here were robbed. It's obvious that Team Rocket is behind this most heinous crime! Even our Police force has trouble with the Rockets!"
"Yeah, they're vile gangsters," I answered back. "Still, I don't mean to seem heartless, but do you know of a way out of here? I need to get to the next gym."
He thought himself for a moment before answering. "Well, you could use Cut, but I'm guessing that's out of your price range. And I'm guessing you can't climb fences or trees, right?" I had to cast a discomfited look away. That's what I get for not being outdoorsy.
"Well, I'd take you out of town myself, but I'm busy keeping watch until the chief arrives, so, the only way out, well, is in this house." He seemed so reluctant to say it. "Sorry kid, I mean, go ahead and try if you want, but if they say no, you're stuck for now. I don't know why he had such trouble saying it, but I couldn't fall any farther behind Blue.
"Thank you sir, I'll talk with the people inside." He nodded in approval and motioned that I could pass.
Stepping inside, I immediately saw why he was so hesitant to let me through. The room was totally trashed. Things were a mess, paw prints everywhere, and worst of all: there stood a giant hole in the back wall. Judging by how the cop acted, this was the only way out of Cerulean City.
It really is a strange thing to see a crime scene with your own eyes. I've seen so many shows, played so many games, and yet when you see the scene first-hand, you almost get a chill. And at the same time, you're just glad it's not your home.
The husband and wife obviously noticed me entered, but seemed to settle down once they saw I was a kid. I spoke to the wife first, trying to clean up the prints on the floor. She sighed dejectedly to herself as she said, "Team Rocket must be trying to Dig their way into no good!" Her depressed tone rose to anger, and it was actually scary to see someone so mad; reminded me of Mom.
Hopefully the husband guarding the hole would be more conversational. "Those miserable Rockets!" Maybe not… "Look what they did here!"
"I see," I answered carefully. "But why, sir?"
"They stole a TM for teaching Pokémon how to dig holes!" All this damage for a TM? "That cost me a bundle, it did!"
"Sir," I began to say, "I know how the Rockets are. Believe it or not, I fought them all in Mt. Moon. At least you can be thankful you and your wife are safe."
He nodded in agreement, only to ask, "So kid, why are you here? You hoping to silence some grunts or what?"
I felt really bad asking what I was about to say, but I had to say it. "Well, you see, I'm trying to leave Cerulean, and, well," I had to take a breathe before I said, "You have the only way out."
The man gazed at me with just neutral eyes. No anger, sadness, joy, nothing even close to an emotion. Instead, it was the wife who called back, "Go ahead, kid." I turned back to her and she was smiling a little. "You look like a trainer, so we know you have no ill will; you just have a job to do. So go on." That smile was contagious, because both the husband and I smiled back.
"Thank you, both of you," I said as I walked for the hole. Stepping outside, I didn't expect to see much except Cerulean Bay and Nugget Bridge. Unfortunately, I saw one other thing: a Rocket Grunt heading my way.
Team Rocket is supposed to be menacing and cunning. They've left city police forces reduced to debris. They're always on the news from what I hear, and some members are truly proud of their evil actions. But today, this grunt showed that not all Rockets should be allowed to create plans.
"Hey! Stay out! It's not your yard!" said the grunt. He was acting so serious.
"It's not your yard either," I said plainly. He seemed irritated, so I decided to push the guy into a corner. "I'd rather know who you are, sir."
He was taken aback. It seems that he wasn't ready for an actual confrontation; especially from a kid. "Huh? Me? I'm an innocent bystander! Don't you believe me?"
"No." You think he'd try to cover his tracks, or run, or something. Instead he just reached to his belt and grabbed a ball, but only for a second. He threw the ball to the ground as hard as possible, releasing a Machop.
"Fine, we'll play hardball," I replied, sending out Nidorina. "Scratch!" I had the speed, but he had the power, his Karate Chop landing successfully again and again. With no other choice, I switched lovers, and had Nidorino led off with Horn Attack.
"Karate Chop again!" the grunt shouted, and the Machop managed to land several critical hits.
"You may have luck," I yelled, "But my Pokémon are far better than that!" And with that, Nidorino slammed its forehead into the Machop, sending it flying into a tree.
"Grah! Dumb Pokémon, return!" I smirked; knowing his loss of cool was a sign of victory. But apparently he had other plans. "Oh, don't you worry; I got one more bad boy for you! Go! Drowzee!"
Drowzee was a weird looking thing, like some sort of tapir, but I wasn't going to be intimidated so easily. "Yeah, well I've got more Pokémon for you too!" I sent out Rattata, knowing she'd be enough for this guy. "Hyper Fang!" I yelled confidently.
Drowzee was caught unaware, and the pain he felt forced him to flinch, giving me one more chance to attack. "Quick Attack!" The claws of my mouse weren't enough to win, unfortunately, as Drowzee pulled itself up. Still, what can this thing actually do? I have yet to see it attack.
"Drowzee, Confusion!" What the? Rattata began to float in the air for a few moments before being forced back into the ground!
"What did you just do?!" I yelled, worried as I saw half my Pokémon's health drop.
The guy shut his eyes and boasted, "That's the power of a Psychic type, kid. Too bad you'll never truly understand."
As a trainer, you want to say something witty before you deal the final blow. I'd like to think I did. "Oh yeah? Well I don't think I need to! Quick Attack!" The man's eyes bugged open, only to see my girl smack the Drowzee back to the ground, this time with no chance of getting up.
"Stop! I give up! I'll leave quietly!" he was about to turn his back, but I wasn't done with him yet.
"What about that TM you stole?" Granted, I was guessing, but you know the saying about criminals returning to crime scenes.
"Okay! I'll return the TM I stole!" He practically threw the disc at me, something called TM28. "I better get moving! Bye!" I made a motion to stop him, but he threw down another ball, but it wasn't a Poké Ball; it was a smoke bomb! Blinded by smoke, I had no choice but to let the grunt get away.
I crept back through the hole, and immediately met eyes with the man. "I heard the fight, we saw the action. You actually beat that jerk!"
"Well," I blushed, "I was only defending myself."
"Still, that was impressive. You'd make a good Police Officer if you weren't so young." He was practically jovial as he stared at me. I wonder if this is how fathers look at their sons.
"Here," I said, reaching into my bag. "I managed to get your TM back." But he wouldn't grab the CD and instead gave me a look of pride.
"No, you earned that TM, far more than anyone. You keep it!" I was speechless, but he wasn't. "I figure what's lost is lost! I decided to teach Diglett how to Dig without a TM!"
I managed to give him my thanks, truly happy I was now the owner of another TM. But the grunt's escape still left a sour taste as I climbed through the hole. At least I finally got out of Cerulean City.
I decided to let the sun hit my back and head east, but my path got cut short yet again; another untouchable tree. "What kind of person lets these things grow everywhere?"
My question left unanswered, I decided to go south and grab the map out of my backpack to see where I was. The biggest city of them all, Saffron City, stood before me, which was obvious when I could see a huge building standing tall above the trees.
Past that is Vermilion City. From what I hear, it's the port of Kanto. I would guess it must be the second most important town of the region; after all, Saffron supposed is dedicated to science, and Kanto isn't the best place for agricultural needs. Not to mention Mt. Silver and the Gold Peaks prevent easy travel outside of the area.
But enough about Vermilion, it's time for Saffron!
My journey down Route 5 gave me three paths to take. Since hopping ledges is fun, I took the middle path. And I was right to take it; this huge house sat before me. I figured I'd walk in, just to see if it was abandoned, and I found a man inside. "Hello," I said to the man sitting at his table.
He looked towards me and gave the patented nod before speaking. "I run a Daycare. Would you like me to raise one of your Pokémon?"
Daycares are not common in Kanto; they offer to train and provide for your Pokémon while the trainer goes exploring. I figure I can't lose anything by handing over a Pokémon who could use the training; it may even help me beat Blue! "Sure! As long as you treat them well!"
He nodded once again. "Which Pokémon should I raise?" Immediately a pang of guilt came over me as I realized I'd have to choose between my team. I couldn't give up Charmeleon of course. And I can't separate the Nido lovers. And I just got Oddish, it would feel so weird to give her away now.
Glumly, I handed over Rattata, knowing how much I'd miss my little girl. "Fine, I'll look after Rattata for a while," the man said so plainly. "Come see me in a while." I felt a pang of guilt, but I know Rattata will be much better off, and I'll be sure to get her back when it's time for a rematch with Blue's!
Until then, it's time to continue the expedition! With one last ledge hop, I saw the guard station separating me from Saffron City. And yet, despite the massive city in front of me, I had a strange vibe overcome me.
"I'm on guard duty," said the lady inside the building. "Gee, I'm thirsty, though!" Guess they never heard of vending machines. "Oh wait there, the road's closed."
"What?!" I shouted in surprise. Realizing I was too loud, I toned myself down. "I mean, why? I need to get to Saffron!"
"Sorry kid," the lady answered. "Saffron City is under heavy lockdown by order of the International Police." Otherwise known as the Global Police, they were the ultimate fighting squad of the planet. They were like real spies, and were beyond the levels of the Pokémon League. Or so they say.
"Well okay, then what do I do?" I asked, trying to find a solution to this maze of a region.
She put her finger to her lips, dropping into deep thought for a moment. "I'd suggest taking the Underground Path to Vermilion. A lot of people hate on it for being all dark and spooky, but, well, you're not afraid of the dark, right?" She smirked at me, teasing me.
"Of course not, ma'am," I answered as politely as possible. I'm mature for my age, lady. "Thank you for your help."
"No problemo, dearie." With that annoying experience down, it was time for the next town. This was not looking good. I've been lucky to get this far, but I've already missed Viridian and now Saffron. I can only wonder if Blue is as far behind because of the lockdown.
Just outside of the lookout station was a small building. The sign said it connected Cerulean and Vermilion. I suppose it's close enough to true.
But just like the lady said, the tunnel inside was drowned in darkness. You always hear parents warn about going into dark and scary places because of horrible and menacing people taking advantage of you. However, my trek was almost uneventful, just lit with the dimmest of lights and the loudest of echoes.
Almost being the key word.
A loud blast brought light into the passageway several meters ahead, and a tall blue-haired woman tumbled down a set of stairs in front of me! "Ma'am!" I yelled. "Are you okay?!" I got to her side, and she was fine, just winded. But the Bulbasaur beside her had fainted.
"Wahahaha!" The booming laughter came from above. "Child, forget her, she's hardly worth worrying about." I looked up with a scowling rage, but the purple-haired man had no care for my expression as he walked down the stairs. "You see, I am here only for that rare beauty next to her. And frankly, I'll let her even keep that one, so long as she tells me where she found it."
"Never!" she shouted, the echo thundering in the chamber. She slowly got up, clutching the beaten reptile in her arms. "Just get lost, Rocket scum!"
The man raised his hands in disappointment. "Heh, let me tell you a secret, kids. Team Rocket is right above us, working on the biggest plan ever imagined! Your Bulbasaur may be rare, but it is so small time. So I'll tell you what; I am a nice guy, so I'll let you battle for it. Win, I'll go, and you'll never have to worry about the little dinosaur thing again." But the catch must be high. This is Team Rocket, after all. "Lose, and all those balls? Yeah, they're mine."
I jumped in front of the girl and threw down my Pokéball! As my Nidorina hit the field, the Rocket let out a comment. "Ooh, you seem strong! You know, you're lucky. That Bulbasaur nearly died taking down my Koffing. You actually have a chance now!" He bellowed a laughter, which sounded disgusting in a way. "So then, let's see."
He purposely delayed his choice. He was trying to grate my nerves, and he was succeeding. "Ah, there we go, have fun Zubat!"
All that for a Zubat? Unbelievable. "Nidorina, attack with Scratch!" Nidorina desperately tried to slice the bat, but he constantly dodged, avoid every claw thrown at it.
"Alright Zubat, enough playing with your food! Astonish!" That seemed like a weak move. Why would he go with that?
I soon saw why, as the smash into Nidorina caused her to flinch! "No! Nidorina!"
"Too late!" the grunt yelled joyfully. "Bite that rodent!" Zubat bit her, causing her massive devastation with a critical hit. I couldn't blame her for flinching again. "One more time now!" he sang. Nidorina opened her eyes to see the gaping maw of Zubat clutch her head. I felt so sorry for her as she fainted, her last sight so fearsome.
"You beat one, Rocket. And that's all you'll beat." His smirk was driving me nuts. But I could guarantee it would make Nidorino crazy too. Nidorino hit the field and heard me declare, "Buddy, let's give some payback for Nidorina and attack with Horn Attack!"
With rage burning in his eyes, Nidorino charged toward the bat. Naturally, it tried to fly to the roof, but Nidorino jumped higher than I thought possible and stabbed Zubat. Caught unaware, Zubat was shot into the roof, receiving major damage in the process!
The Rocket was mad for but a moment; he issued a new order, and smiled as he said it. "Zubat, Confuse Ray!"
"What's Confuse-" was all I could say as a ball of bright light came out and shot itself at Nidorino. Once it got inside, Nidorino's eyes glazed over; he was confused! "Snap out of it, Nidorino!" I desperately shouted.
"Save your breath! Wing Attack!" Nidorino was too dazed to dodge the oncoming attack, and despite an order to Leer, Nidorino could only think of smacking itself repeatedly.
"Alright, my flying friend, finish another meal!" Nidorino fell to the floor as Zubat used Bite. My lovely couple was now out of the picture, and at this rate, the remaining three looked doomed too.
With a deep breath, I looked at my options. Oddish was a big no, and Charmeleon was the obvious choice. But then I came up with an idea. "Go! Beedrill!"
"Ah," the grunt said. "Not bad, kid, I see what you did there." I tried to feign ignorance, but he was clearly too smart for that. "Fight Flying with Flying, get more accurate hits, smart move. Except my bat WILL beat your bug! Wing Attack!"
"Beedrill, dodge!" Beedrill's great speed saved it from an immediate death, but just barely. However, that was a part of my plan. "Fury Attack!" With no way to defend itself, Beedrill had free reign to unleash critical hits to the back of the bloodsucker!
"No! Not my precious Pokémon! Get out of the combo and Astonish it!" Zubat barely got free and followed orders, but the Astonish came too late, as Beedrill just had to finish up with Poison Sting.
Defeat glowing in his eyes, he blinked the emotion away and changed tone. "Muhaha, wow, you're good! It only took three Pokémon to beat Zubat!" So much for a nice guy. "Now what should I choose?"
I wasn't going to let his aggravation tactic get going again. "You only have one left! Just choose it!"
"Hehe, very well, your loss will only come sooner!" He grabbed his next ball, and summoned a Raticate.
"Rattata…" I whispered. My recent loss of a team member returned to the forefront of my mind, but I attempted to realign my attention.
Regrettably, he heard me anyway. "Child, you aren't that dumb, are you? This is a Raticate. Ra. Ti. Cate."
"I know what a Raticate is!" I shouted, choking on rage and tears. "Beedrill! Fury Attack!" Beedrill went straight at Raticate, almost as if he was fueled by my emotions.
It was exactly what the grunt needed. "Sucker Punch." Despite the tiny hands and arms, Raticate managed to slip under and punch Beedrill directly in the abdomen. The force of the punch sent Beedrill spinning into the air, unable to land the hit!
"Grr, do it again!" I said with desperation. Beedrill led the charge, one spike thrust forward, but the Rocket Grunt had one more plan.
"Hyper Fang!" And just like Rattata, the move was devastating. "And look, yet another Pokémon too weak to take a hit! Guess we should end its misery, don't you think, Raticate?" The way he said it, I knew he was doing all he could to crack me open.
"Beedrill, that's enough, come back!" There was no sense fighting on, and now this was personal. If this grunt wants to play hard, so be it.
"Go! Charmeleon!" There would be no holding back, just a barrage of attacks.
"Kid," the lady finally whispered to me. I had totally forgotten she was even here. "Look, you're in rage mode, cool off or he's going to land a huge blow. Your Pokémon are responding to your anger."
She was sadly right; I looked to my buddy, and he was burning with rage too. He knew what was going on; he could see from inside his ball. "Just take a deep breath and beat this punk!" Whoever she was, she was right.
"Charmeleon," I said, "I need you to calm down first. Let's be at our best when we take him to his worst!" Charmeleon looked like he was trying to take my advice to heart, but things weren't going well.
"Ha! Therapy won't be helpful today! Crunch!" I wasn't familiar with the move, but I wasn't about to find out how it worked.
"Metal Claw!" Charmeleon's hands glowed with the silvery light I was starting to love, and he charged headfirst at the rat. Raticate landed a bite on Charmeleon's arm, but his attack was only enough to stop one arm.
Raticate took the attack and rolled across in pain. "Charmeleon, go for one more!"
"Scary Face!" the Rocket shouted. Charmeleon was forced to stare at a terrifying face, and it was enough to slow him down. Raticate jumped high and landed behind my Flame Pokémon. "Now Hyper Fang the thing!"
Raticate succeeded in forcing its teeth around Charmeleon's tail, but that only made it an easy target. "Ember!" The fire emanating from his mouth sent Raticate into a frenzy; it was burned!
"Curse you! I want his Pokémon Crunched, harder than anything you've ever bit before!" The Rocket had a murderous look in his eyes, yet his Raticate followed orders without question.
Thankfully, my Charmeleon was obedient too. "Metal Claw, buddy!" Charmeleon shoved his right paw into Raticate's face, allowing for Raticate to follow through on its order. Nevertheless, the Pokémon stood; fatigue evident in them both.
"Raticate, we're gonna win! Just hit him with Sucker-" That was all he could say. Raticate clutched itself, right where the scorch marks were, and fell to the ground. As if to follow his example, the grunt dropped to his knees right beside him.
We all stood there for nearly a minute. Silence lived strong in the tunnel, until finally the girl broke the hush. "I'm Melanie, by the way." I looked back to her, but she just kept staring at the grunt. "I'd have said something sooner, but Bulbasaur was priority one, and your battle was priority two." She finally looked to me and smiled wide. "So now we can introduce ourselves!"
I was a bit out of my league, talking with the teenager, but I shyly said, "Red's my name."
"Hehe, cute. It suits you in more ways than one." Yeah, and usually led to insults from Blue. "So, I want to thank you somehow, but I'm not sure how."
"Let's just take this Rocket to jail first, then we'll deal with that," I answered as serenely as possible. All she saw was a shy boy trying to look tough.
"Sorry, that's against the rules, child," the Rocket said, Raticate returned to its ball and him on his feet again. "Don't you remember? The deal says I run away now."
"Forget it!" Melanie shouted, interrupting and stealing my line. "You deserve jail, and that's that!"
"Oh, maybe so, my dear, but you see, I have better things to do. My loyalty for Boss Rocket would never allow jail." I reached for my Poké Balls; I wouldn't attack a human with them, but threatening a Rocket seemed legal enough. The purple-haired Rocket saw my movement. "Oh, I've got a better ball for you. Here, enjoy this Smoke Ball!" And with that, an obscuring cloud enveloped us, giving the Rocket his freedom.
Later, once we cleared our throats of the smoke, we struck up a conversation. Melanie told me about how Bulbasaur wasn't doing well in the wild, and now thanks to that jerk, she'd have to nurse him back to health. "Why can't you just use a Pokémon Center?" I asked.
"Well, they can, but for injuries of this extent, it can actually cost money, and it may require a trip to someplace like Saffron. And as you probably know, Saffron's closed off." Now this side tour led to double trouble, and chances are much more, if that grunt was to be believed. "So treating Bulbasaur will be good training for when I get to be a nurse."
"I wish you luck then," I said with a smile. "Do you think you can make it back on your own?"
"Yes, I should be fine," she responded. "But look, I feel bad for not having anything you really want, so I'll do the next best thing!" Curious, I put full attention on her next words. "You're a Pokémon Trainer, right? Going and beating gyms, getting all that glory and fights and what have you?"
"For the most part," I answered modestly.
"Good! Then your next challenge will be Lt. Surge." I gave a puzzled face, and she decided to give further assistance. "He trains Electric type Pokémon. Normally you won't have too much trouble, but if I were you, I'd go to the cave east of town." She smiled at me and winked, confident she gave great advice. "I won't spoil the surprise, but you'll definitely win if you go there."
Unsure of how to thank her for a surprise, I said, "Well, your advice is cryptic, but I'm sure it will be useful. Thank you so much, Melanie."
"No problem! Come by and visit next time you're in Cerulean!" Today almost totally sucked, except for one thing: I made a good friend.
Leaving the Underground Path led me to a woman standing near the stairs. I tried to talk with her, but she was very shaken up; she must have seen all the events transpire, and the escaping Rocket too. "People often lose things in that Underground Path."
I wanted to quiz her further, but it looked like saying that was already too much of a challenge. I stepped outside instead and took in the night. I could see Vermilion in the distance, but I so wanted to stay out here and camp. My Pokémon were still injured from the previous battle, but on the other hand, I didn't want to fight a trainer in the middle of the night.
So Charmeleon, Beedrill, and Oddish stayed the night with me. I healed up my buddies with my last two Potions and told the three to try to sleep as best they could. I could see the fret in their eyes; it was because of the Nidos, they were worried about their family. I did my best to reassure them, and I think they finally took my words to heart before finally laying down.
I guess I should have been happy to wake up to an Oddish on my chest. Then again, when I say it like that, it sounds so weird. Still, as I noticed Oddish on my chest, my thoughts went back to Rattata. I picked up the Oddish and set it down, waking it in the process. Charmeleon and Beedrill soon woke up as well, and so it was time for a group meeting.
"Alright guys," I said to my now almost all-male team. "It's just the three of us. Vermilion's real close, but I know you guys need to get proper healing, so no side-quests. So Oddish, take the lead, and win us some battles; these trainers are ready for some action." They all nodded in agreement, although I could see Oddish slightly crouching in fear. She was the youngest and the weakest, but I had hope for the little Weed Pokémon.
But as one could predict, she didn't hold up well. She tried really hard to fight past her weaknesses, but eventually she fainted, and followed afterwards by Beedrill. The last fight against some Camper nearly pulled us into defeat, but Charmeleon burned his Pokémon and lived on.
I should have been worried. One Pokémon left, in critical condition, and yet, the sight of Vermilion only feet away filled me with elation.