Pokémon Red

by Lan Prower Kopaka

A fan-written novelization of the first Pokemon game, Pokémon Red! Red begins to take the brave steps into a journey to become a Pokémon Master! Enjoy the new take on an old and familiar world as Red grows beyond the role of simply silent protagonist and into the hero we know and love! If you want something true to the source material, with a couple twists and turns, check it out!

5. Chapter Five: Vermilion City

Chapter Five: Vermilion City

Vermilion wasn't the biggest city, nor did it have the best features. It lacked the size and sustenance, but made up for its losses with smell. Walking past the first houses, the aroma of the sea swarmed into my nose. The smell was invigorating in a way, and I could tell I'd have a lot of fun in this town.

The Pokémon Center was as safe as ever. Those nurses sure are happy to see you give them your Pokémon. Vermilion had a lot to offer, I soon learned. There was the massive S.S. Anne moored in the bay, an old man ("Old Man"…shuddering at the thought) and his Machop working at a construction site, a Police Officer patrolling the area (it's about time they did something), and the home of the Fishing Guru.

"I'm the Fishing Guru!" he boasted. He was probably older than my mom, but I couldn't be sure by how much. "I simply looove fishing!" Creepy. "Do you like to fish?" I had never fished in my life, but I wasn't about to say no. I guess I had a feeling he'd have been so disappointed if I said otherwise. With my nod, he brightened up even more and said, "Grand! I like your style! Take this and fish, young one!" He reached into his pocket and whipped out a tiny stick. With a flick of his wrist, the stick extended out to a full-length fishing rod. I didn't want to admit it, but I was impressed.

"Fishing is a way of life!" he said as I took the rod from him. "From the seas to rivers, go out and land the big one, young one!" I may not be a fan of fishing, but it might help in my Pokémon journey, and it was a gift anyway. I nodded to show my appreciation, and he offered a handshake instead.

I decided I'd check out more of the town before I tried fishing. I soon found the gym, but there was a problem: the only way over was to cut down one of those poisonous trees. "Shoot; and I can't swim either," I said aloud, hoping someone would hear me and stop my plight. Nope.

So instead I went around town again asking for help. I really didn't want to skip another gym; my efforts had slim rewards, but rewards nonetheless. Apparently I needed the HM called Cut, and that the best hope for getting one would be at the Poké Mart.

"Please tell me you have Cut," I asked the shopkeeper, tired from my trek around town.

"Well," the man said slowly, "we did, but the Cut Master, captain of the S.S. Anne, just bought the last few." I wanted to faceslam the counter so badly. "He wants to take them to his protégés in Unova, or something like that, I don't know for sure."

I made a turn to leave; yet another gym was going to be skipped. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'd say go buy it from him, but you need a ticket to get on the S.S. Anne."

You just have to love how the world works. A seemingly pointless ticket has just led me to continuing my mission across Kanto. I thanked the man as quickly as possible and ran across the road to the port in front of me. I had no idea how much time I had, but I knew I had to hurry.

I hurried across the port and met up with a man guarding the entrance. "Welcome to S.S. Anne! Excuse me, do you have a ticket?" I nodded and reached into my backpack. It took a few seconds to find the piece of paper, but I finally flashed the S.S. Ticket. "Great! Welcome to S.S. Anne!"

"Excuse me," I said. "But when does the ship set sail?" There was no way I was getting stuck on-board.

The man smiled merrily and said, "We set out at sunset! I guess you could say the beauty of Vermilion will be our signal to cast off!" Good, that gives me plenty of time. I thanked the man and headed inside.

The ship certainly looked massive, and yet once I entered, it looked even larger. As I walked through the hallways of the interior, a sailor grabbed my attention. "Hey kid, you be a trainer?" I nodded and he continued. "The passengers are restless! You might be challenged by the more bored ones!" Just like Bill had said before, the ship was filled with trainers. And since I had time to spare, I decided there was no harm in training my team.

But all the battling that took place left me to discover a maddening mistake rushing to the S.S. Anne: I forgot to buy breakfast. Thankfully it took only a minute to find a waiter to serve me. "Bonjour! I am le waiter on this ship!" said the apparently French caretaker of orders. "I will be happy to serve you anything you please!" That was a good question; what did I want?

There's always a simple salad, or candy, or a burger, or chili dogs, or prime ribs, or steak, or omelets, or- "Ah! Le strong silent type!" And before I could say a word, the waiter scurried off. My stomach roared at me in anger.

So I went back to battling my hunger by battling other trainers. I managed to finish off several trainers on the first floor. There were two things worth noting: a Wigglytuff doesn't seem as bad as a Jigglypuff (it wasn't singing at least), and that I meant a member of the Global Police.

"Ssh! I'm a Global Police agent! I'm on the trail of Team Rocket! They're up to nothing good!" he told me. But I figured something was up, so I asked why he was here. "I've managed to gather a lot of information, but before the International Police can make an organized strike, I need to deliver this information. S.S. Anne will make several stops along its journey, and that's when I'll alert my superiors."

I decided to give him what I had known, and although he knew about the attacks, he did appreciate the finer details. "Well kid, no need to risk yourself anymore. Just be careful, and soon we'll take them out." I hope so, sir.

I visited the kitchen next, and while there were no trainers, there was plenty of food! I found the main chef and struck up a conversation. "Er-hem! Indeed I am le Chef! Le main course is Eels au Barbecue! Les guests will mutiny, I fear."

I could see why. "Well um, why not make something else the main course?"

"Great idea! Le main course shall be…Salmon du Salad!"

"Uh," I tried to say, nightmarish images of the dish swimming in my mind. "Well, is it any good?"

"Oui! Les guests may gripe it's fish again, however!"

"Um, you may want something else then." I was hoping for any meal, but I'd like it to not gross me out while I eat it.

"Oui. Hmm, le main course shall be…Prime Beef Steak!" Great idea! "But, have I enough fillets du beef?" Shoot! Must not lose splendid dish!

"I'm sure they'll be enough. You can always hit up Vermilion really quick if you need supplies!" I was afraid he wouldn't buy it, but he did.

"Great idea!" Spooky. "I shall begin at once! How may I thank you?" I had an idea, and the chef was happy to oblige for me and my Pokémon! With a meal to last us until bed, we were ready to face off against the rest of the travelers!

After viewing the bow of the ship, lower and the second level of the cruise ship, my victories were making me feel good and ready to fight Vermilion's Gym Leader, Lt. Surge. After I got this nice lady to heal up my Pokémon, I began to make my way to the next floor, but a familiar voice echoed through the hall.

"Bonjour! Red!" Oh gosh, why are you everywhere? Blue had appeared, and with the most fake French accent imaginable too? "Imagine seeing you here!" Reading my mind, eh? "Red, were you really invited?"

"Sort of," I responded. "Bill gave me a ticket to get aboard."

"Ahh," Blue said, stretching out the sound and creating a belligerent smirk in the process. "So you did go see Bill. Guess he pitied you!" he laughed callously.

"Hey!" I yelled back. "It was a reward for helping him!" I took a deep breathe and calmed down. Mom wouldn't want me overreacting. "Besides, this was a big step to completing my journey," I added.

Blue raised an eyebrow to this and took in my sentence. Once he realized what I meant, his moment of silence was over. "So how's your Pokédex coming?"

"Well, I've got about 21 Pokémon now, and-"

He shot out an assailing laugh. "I already caught forty kinds, pal. Different kinds are everywhere." I know. "Crawl around in grassy areas, and look hard for them." I know!

"Wait…you actually crawled in the grass?" I looked at his pants, and sure enough, there were far more grass stains than I ever imagined on someone, much less Blue.

"Shut up! My strategy works!" I wanted to retort, but as he reached for his Poké Ball, I realized he had a different, more threatening method in mind. "Let me show you!"

"I choose you! Pidgeotto!" He sure does like to start with that bird. I'm going to need a good starter too then. Perhaps Nidorina will be a good choice.

"Go! Nidorina!" With our catch phrases thrown out, it was time for battle. Blue started out with Gust and blew Nidorina off her feet and toward the wall, but she bounced off and followed through with a critical Scratch! "That's my girl! Hit him again!"

"No chance Red! Blow that thing away!" Blue shouted with hostility. The attack blew her back, but not as far. Sadly, Scratch didn't hit Pidgeotto critically again, but Blue wasn't going to take anymore chances. "Sand Attack!" As hard as Nidorina tried, she was unable to land another Scratch, the sand debilitating her.

"Good!" Blue yelled hawkish. "Do Quick Attack!" Before Nidorina could do anything, Pidgeotto quickly slammed into her and backed off. Unable to see well, Nidorina missed yet another Scratch.

Fearing loss, I tried to hit Pidgeotto's stats. "Growl!" But Pidgeotto was so fast; it managed another Quick Attack and covered its ears using its wings. Nidorina was failing badly, so I had to take one last chance before hitting the red zone. "Poison Sting!"

Nidorina jumped in the general direction of Pidgeotto, and stunned by the new attack, couldn't dodge fast enough. Poison didn't set in, but a critical hit made victory look possible. "Nidorina good! Come back!" I grabbed the obvious follow-up and said, "Get'm! Nidorino!" He got hit by Pidgeotto's Quick Attack, but he was still fresh for the fight.

"Horn Attack!" Pidgeotto tried to fly away, but the space inside the hallway was too small to make a good escape, and thus Pidgeotto was stabbed and beaten!

"Dang it!" Blue swore (at least for a ten year old it kind of is). "Fine, you're getting hit hard now!" He grabbed his next Poké Ball and sent out Raticate. Lacking my own mouse, I instead switched for Beedrill. "Where's your mouse? Too weak to fight back?" he laughed despicably.

I could tell he saw my sullen expression, but I tried to hide it anyway and said, "No, I just decided not to use it. Beedrill is enough for this fight!" Blue gave me a strange look that I couldn't understand: almost inquisitive, but not quite enough to match that.

Whatever the expression was soon faded as I ordered, "Twineedle!" Both trainer and Pokémon were totally off guard at my command, and Beedrill managed to land incredibly powerful blows, leaving Raticate in the red zone already. Blue became more aggressive.

Blue screamed with rage, scaring all three of us. "Raticate, Hyper Fang!" Raticate did so, but it took great pain in the charge to bite my bug. It only took a few moments to find out why: Beedrill poisoned Raticate! I managed to defeat his Pokémon in one turn!

"YOU! Curse you…Red!" he shrieked at the top of his lungs. I couldn't help the smug smile on my face.

Despite being a ship made for battling, the noises caused by our Pokémon, and Blue, were attracting the attention of the passengers. Some peaked outside their doors, worried or just curious. Others actually stepped out and came to watch the action. I had never had so many spectators before, and it was a little distracting and intimidating.

"Oh, that is it! No more games!" he said more quietly, also aware of the gathering attention. "Show him why we're the best, Kadabra!"

"Sorry Blue, but I have other plans!" I stuck with Beedrill in the hopes Twineedle would do some decent damage. After all, I just decimated Raticate. "Twineedle!"

But when Blue ordered Confusion, he hit my bee with more damage than I expected! Beedrill was still in the game, but he was panting. And even worse, he was now confused. But when Kadabra went down after another attack, it was all too satisfying.

"GRR! You just won because of type advantage!" he retorted.

But I was too cocky for my own good. "Then explain Raticate, Blue." Blue went pale from the remark. With no words to back him up, he just reached for his last Pokémon.

I exchanged Beedrill for Oddish, hoping she'd be able to do some respectable damage to Blue's new Wartortle. Blue played the stat killer with Tail Whip, but I ran on through with Absorb. Blue stayed quiet for the remainder of the fight as Oddish tore his starter apart. With one last critical hit, Oddish fully healed herself, and sucked Wartortle dry.

Blue, disgusted by the loss, only managed to say "Humph!" I could tell he was at a loss for words. For a moment I felt sorry for him. "At least you're raising your Pokémon!" And with that weird comment, my compassion was replaced with anger and confusion.

"Whatever Blue," was all I could say.

We watched the people walking away, too far away for their comments to be heard. So instead Blue said one. "I heard there was a Cut master on board."

"Yeah, he's the reason I'm here, I need Cut," I said, hoping the moment of peace stuck around.

"Ahh, the gym? I forgot you can't swim." There wasn't sympathy in his voice, but there wasn't aggression either. A nice change of pace for Blue; perhaps he can keep it up. "Well, you can see him if you want. But he was just a seasick old man!" That's not a good sign. "Cut itself is really useful. Yup, it'll be really handy. You should go see him, too."

"Yeah, I might as well." I was about to thank him since I had a habit of being polite, and for once he was deserving of niceties.

Unfortunately, Blue didn't have that habit. "Smell ya!" Annoying until the end.

The stairs ahead led to a big office room. The place was kind of neat with displays of foreign countries and pictures of fellow sailors. But kneeling in the corner was a man over a trash can. I guess I found my seasick old man. "Um, excuse me sir?" I said slowly, trying to keep my distance from the guy.

"Ooargh," he…said. "I feel hideous..." You sound it too. I worried if another round came up. My curiosity betrayed me and I looked toward the trash can. Yuck! Shouldn't have looked!

"Urrp! Seasick…" Please don't throw up again, please don't throw up again. In a desperate attempt to save the guy, and myself, I rubbed the Captain's back. After about four rubs, the captain was looking a lot better already. His paleness faded and he stood up and faced me. "Whew! Thank you! I'm feeling much better now. As thanks, hmm...let me think." I was about to provide a suggestion, but he beat me to it.

"You want to see my hidden Cut technique?" I nodded furiously, but he added, "I could show you my prized Cut technique if I weren't so ill..." he said apologetically. "I know! You can have this! This Hidden Machine!" His mood immediately turned around as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an HM! "Teach Cut to your Pokémon, and you can see it Cut anytime!" He handed over the HM, and so finally I got HM01! I put my first HM away in my backpack.

I expressed my thanks to the man, and added "This is really going to help me beat the gym leaders."

"Ahhh," he said. "Yeah, I've done that little trek before. Using Cut, you can chop down small trees. Why not try it with the trees around Vermilion City?" he added with a wink. "Good luck to ya!" I wanted to ask him more about Surge in case he had some good information, but he had one more thing to say. "...Whew! Now that I'm not sick any more, I guess it's time."

"Time, sir?"

"Why yes, the sun has set. The S.S. Anne will set sail soon!" What?! "Yup, I suggest getting on the bow for a good look as we leave. Should be any minute now."

Oh no! "But sir! I need to get off! I just came on to learn Cut!" The Cut Master was shocked and worried for me, which wasn't good for his stomach.

"I'm sorry son; I can't stop the ship, just hurry off!" I didn't even wait to say my thanks, just a simple bye and I dashed down the stairs. All I heard was a farewell echo down the stairwell.

I hurried as fast as I could down the hallways, down the stairs, and made the turns leading me back to the main floor. As I ran, the horns signaling the last call went off. A couple of stragglers were getting in up ahead, but otherwise the hallways were almost clear. Almost.

"Bonjour! I am le waiter on this ship!" You again?! I don't have time for this! "Ah! Le strong silent type! You are back for food?"

"Can't stay bye!" was all I could say. I so wished I could see the waiter's face, but I had to hurry. I rounded the last turn, nearly crashing into the sailor guarding the exit, and made it through the exit just in time. I turned as the bridge went up, mere seconds away from taking me with it, and at last the ship went off, the worldwide journey beginning without me.

With Cut, I had a few plans left before taking on Surge. First, I decided to check out this cave east of town. The man inside told me that the cave was dug by Digletts, and the tunnel goes to Viridian City. "A good idea if I want to head back, but for now I'll see what the cave has to offer," I told the old man.

And true to Melanie's word, the cave gave me a shot at victory. Almost immediately I ran into a Diglett! With Ground destroying Electric types, Surge would be toast! "Go! Oddish!" Even one Absorb hurt the Pokémon enough, and with the added precaution of Sleep Powder, Diglett was mine!

With my new teammate in hand, I did a bit of training with Oddish and Diggy; the last two in need the experience for Surge.

With the last bit of experience earned, I decided to try out that Old Rod. I wanted to see what I could get; unfortunately the results were not favorable. I returned to the Fishing Guru after several fishing attempts.

"Hello there, Red! How are the fish biting?" said the Fishing Guru as I walked through his door.

"Biting fine," I answered in an annoyed tone. "Except that they're ALL Magikarp. Am I just that bad or what?"

"Wait, you wanted to catch Pokémon with that? I thought you just wanted to fish!"

"Um, no, I'm trying to finish my Pokédex." The man looked at me, looking me up and down.

"Okay, I understand," he responded. "You're a kid, you're young, and you wanna get out there and catch and collect and train. Well, that's fine, and you're right, the Old Rod ain't good for that. No appeal to fish other than Magikarp. So," he said, digging around in his pocket.

I was hoping for another rod, but I couldn't really explain why. Instead, he pulled out a little book and started looking through it. "Okay, I've got a brother in Fuchsia City. He's pretty far away, but he'll give you a rod I think. My youngest brother lives off the coast too, but he's a bit of a hot shot, so I don't expect him to part with his rod."

"Well um, thank you," I meekly said.

"You're welcome kid, and good luck!" That was enough fun for one day, I need some rest.

I decided to rest outside of town again. The outdoors was really something to admire, and camping out by the lake was really appealing. As I set up the spot for camping, I let out my team.

Once again Charmeleon and Beedrill were good to each other. If I didn't know better, I'd have guessed they were brothers. The Nidos were cuddling up close. They reminded me of those teenagers on movies who were always close and embracing. Diggy and Oddish were shy toward each other, but they were slowly getting along.

After a healthy meal between the six of us that I bought from the Poké Mart, I decided to give a speech to help everyone get inspired. "Alright guys, listen up. We're fighting Lt. Surge tomorrow, and he'll be tough, but I know we can beat him. Diggy's our new guy, and now that you've all got acquainted, I hope our bonds will lead to a powerful victory!" They all cheered at that, so I guess my speech didn't suck. "So let's get a lot of rest and, in the morning, get a shiny new badge!"

Satisfied, everyone started snuggling somewhere for the night. Oddish, the nocturnal Pokémon, just sat down at my feet and watched the stars, but she did bury herself a bit to get comfy. Diggy actually helped her get settled, which was really cute to see. Afterwards, Diggy himself went into a tiny hole and I'm assuming slept away.

Nidorino and Nidorina cuddled up again behind my pillow, satisfied at my head. Charmeleon laid at my right and Beedrill at my left. Satisfied that everyone was comfortable for the night, I too went to sleep, the last sight being the stars above.

The next day was soon upon us, and I walked to my destination. There, before me, stood the gym of Vermilion City. I was a little nervous, but I was ready to face off against the gym and the trainers inside. Using the technique Cut, Oddish was able to slice down the tree and let me inside.

Stepping inside led me to meet Jim yet again. "Yo! Champ in making! Lt. Surge has a nickname. People refer to him as the Lightning American!" Interesting, a foreigner running the gym, hopefully he'll bring some interesting skills to the battle. "He's an expert on Electric Pokémon! Birds and water Pokémon are at risk!" Luckily I won't have that problem, especially with Diggy in the lead. "Beware of paralysis too! Lt. Surge is very cautious! You'll have to break a code to get to him!"

"A code?" I asked. Jim seemed unwilling to answer; nevertheless, he did.

"The trash cans behind me have buttons inside. Press them and the door opens. But," he said warily, "the buttons are at random." I looked ahead and saw over a dozen trash cans.

"Oh my gosh," was all I could say. I think Jim wished me luck, but the words passed by my ears; I marched to the daunting task ahead of me.

At first I made progress. The Gym Trainers weren't too tough, and at least one of them knew the lieutenant from the army, but at last I found a glowing switch under some trash. "Hey! There's a switch under the trash!" I turned it on, but when I pressed a switch in the next trash can, a warning beep expelled and the lights deactivated.

"Hey! The electric locks were reset!" I yelled in frustration.

"Sorry Red," Jim said to me. "But that's how the switches work. If you press the wrong button, they reset."

Shoot shoot shoot! This went from an annoying task to a daunting one. But eventually I found the switch again and used it. "The first electric lock opened!" I said joyfully. I looked to the next can, and there was another glowing switch. I pressed it and an approving beep played out! The second electric lock opened! The motorized door opened and access to the gym leader was granted at last.

I walked up the leader, towering over me with his arms crossed. "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing here?"

I was intimidated, but I stood my ground and responded, "I'm here to challenge you!"

He could sense my fear. "You won't live long in combat! That's for sure!" Ouch.

"Hey, you may be a Gym Leader, but I've already proved my Pokémon are capable of taking you on!" My show of courage only made him smirk at me.

He pointed toward his belt where his Poké Balls sat. "I tell you kid, Electric Pokémon saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! The same as I'll do to you!"

With our Poké Balls in hand, the battle was ready to begin! I sent out Diggy, and he sent out the mysterious Voltorb. "Hehehe, I see. A Ground type, eh?" I was feeling proud, and so was Diggy, until he said, "You're so dead, kid."

My anger didn't hold back my command; "Diggy! Dig!" Diggy began to dig a hole, but Voltorb made a sharp piercing noise and created a giant boom! And yet, Surge didn't order it to. "Hey, is it allowed to attack without a command?!"

"Oh, it got a command, alright. That was SonicBoom." What? Whatever, Diggy was hurt by the blast, but he made his way underground. When Diggy surfaced, Voltorb was hit hard by my mole's tackle and rolled away into the wall. Surge's first Pokémon was down in one move!

I had to show pride to my newest team member; he did something incredibly amazing, after all. "I'd be impressed kid, but really, type advantage is nothing to be proud about. This game has just begun." Surge was trying to anger me, but I was too happy with Diggy's success to worry. I was going to win without a single loss at this rate!

"Pikachu, let's finish this kid!" The ball that slammed on the floor released his electric mouse, and without a word, it attacked with a Quick Attack! Diggy tried to dodge, but he was stomped on the head critically, leaving my new Pokémon to faint.

"Shoot! You just got lucky; I've got a powerful team ready to take you down!" I knew there was no way I could scare someone as massive and experienced as him, but I had to prove I was ready for whatever he threw at me.

He wagged his finger and said, "Wrong as always, kid. Your power means nothing here. I have powerhouses too, and unlike you, I don't shout every attack and give away my strategy."

Stunned, I set aside the battle and interrogated him. I'm not sure why he was okay with it, but I'm glad he was. "What? Just because I said my strategy doesn't mean I gave anything away! You don't know what I've got planned!"

"True," he replied. "Now that Diglett is gone, it's a new round. But, shouting out Dig like that, I knew that you were just going to spam that. And I knew Voltorb would bite the big one. So I had my two Pokémon combine forces and take you out!"

It made sense; use Voltorb to go halfway, and Pikachu to go the rest. "Still, five to two, Surge! I don't know how you're using your team, but I can still beat you!"

"Perhaps you can," he answered. "But perhaps you'll just unveil your next strategy to me," he said with a sneer. There was no question now; I had to beat Surge, to show him up, and to confirm I wasn't just a kid with luck.

"Go! Nidorino!" I didn't have type advantage, but at this point I didn't need it. "Nidorino! Horn Attack!" Nidorino charged headlong, only slowing when the Pikachu cried out a Growl. It would take some time for Nidorino to end the fight, but not too long. I ordered another Horn Attack, but Pikachu must have done Quick Attack, slamming its body into my Pokémon.

"See, you're showing me your strategy again!" Surge criticized. "You're going to try and push forward again and again and hope you do more damage than I do. Think smarter!" Now he's starting to bug me.

"It doesn't matter! Finish Pikachu with a Poison Sting!" Pikachu did another Quick Attack to injure Nidorino, but it was too close to escape a Poison Sting. With that, Pikachu fell in defeat. "Look, I get it, you want to help me. But so far it looks like I'm doing better than you are!" I reached for Nidorino's Poké Ball and returned him. "And besides, I'm willing to change up Pokémon at least."

"Oh, kid," he sighed. "I tried to warn you. Now you get to lose." What? "Go, Raichu!" A giant mouse burst out of his last Poké Ball, and bore similarities to Pikachu.

I sent out Nidorina, letting my girl get the last bit of action. She wasn't as strong as Nidorino, but I really wasn't worried at all. "Attack with Scratch!"

He calmly made a strange signal with his hands. At that moment, Raichu squeezed itself and shot massive bolts of electricity from its cheeks! The lightning bolts traveled faster than sight could witness and hit Nidorina. She thrashed about in pain as the voltage coursed through her, and after a few seconds, she fainted. "That, boy, was the full power of Raichu."

I stared at Nidorina for several moments, stunned at how easily she fainted, and how I had no way to prevent it in time. "This is why you shouldn't announce things so easily. It's like playing Poker and showing your hand." I returned Nidorina to her ball and looked at Surge, fuming at his repetitive advice. "If I had said Thunderbolt, you'd have just enough time to order a dodge or block or something, and she'd still be a threat."

I really wasn't sure what to say. I was mad at the guy, but he was right. He made me mad at myself; that didn't help the situation at all. "Fine, you're right. Maybe I should be doing these hand signals you're boasting with your team." I reached for my next Pokémon. "But for now, I'll show you the power we truly have, and I won't stop until I've won!"

I threw my Poké Ball to the floor and sent out Nidorino. He knew Nidorina had just fainted, and he wasn't happy either. "Hehe, good, I want a fun fight," Surge said.

With no other way to command my Pokémon, I stuck to the vocal commands; Surge would take advantage of this, but there was still hope yet. "Horn Attack!" The Raichu growled in response, and each time Nidorino tried to get close, Raichu would growl at it.

The fourth time around, I almost expected another growl; instead, Raichu sent out sparks of lightning from its cheeks again! They were as devastating, but when Nidorino got hit, he was paralyzed! "Shoot!" I howled, my plans falling apart again. "Go ahead and Poison Sting!" Raichu still had plenty of health left, but Poison would buy me all the time I needed.

"Oh no, none of that!" was all Surge said as Raichu continued shooting sparks. Nidorino tried to sting the mouse, but the paralysis held him in place, making him a giant target. Fearing the worst, I ordered another Poison Sting, but Raichu fired off the same attack that ended Nidorina; Thunderbolt took down Nidorino as well.

"You're trying kid, but I'm gonna beat the rest of your team now!" No, not a chance! I sent out Oddish to fight now. "Type advantage again?" he asked. "Fine, but this won't end well, kid."

Raichu fired off huge bolts of electricity: Thunderbolt; while Oddish charged with Cut. She left a little mark on the Pokémon's belly, but Raichu wasn't in the red zone yet. Oddish's Grass type prevented death, but I was still worried she'd die to another Thunderbolt.

I immediately ordered an Absorb, but Raichu looked to his master for a split second, lowered its head, and Growled right in Oddish's face.

Anyone facing someone double their height would have reason to be scared. And to be a little weed facing off against a monstrous mouse that just shrieked in your face would be downright terrifying.

But Oddish was different. She fought her fear and sucked all the critical nutrients out of Raichu as much as she could. Surge watched in shock as Raichu's remaining health dwindled down to zero. Oddish jumped back as Raichu fell over and began to dance for joy. And as soon as my brain caught up to the victory, so did I.

After we finished our embarrassing display, the gym leader returned his Raichu and said, "Whoa! You're the real deal, kid! Fine then, take the Thunder Badge!" After checking out my winnings, the lieutenant added, "The Thunder Badge cranks up your Pokémon's speed! It also lets your Pokémon Fly any time, kid!" Wait, they weren't allowed to before? Oops.

"Well, thank you sir, it was an interesting experience challenging you," I responded. I hope I was able to change your mind about me.

He looked at me with the approving eyes Oak would always flash. "You're special, kid!" With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a TM. I'm sensing a trend. "Take this!" And so once again I received a TM! "TM24 contains Thunderbolt! Teach it to an Electric Pokémon!" I nodded in approval; I just got a seriously powerful attack thanks to him!

Once the TM was safe, I turned toward him and he said, "A little word of advice, kid! Electricity is sure powerful! But, it's useless against Ground type Pokémon!"

"True," I said, "but you really got around it using that crazy strategy of yours!" He nodded and crossed his arms again.

"Yup, you learn a lot of that when you do as much as me. Believe me, it's a big advantage; surprises every trainers that walks through that door." I took this to heart; this was my next mini-mission. If I could train my Pokémon like he trained his, I'd be so much better as a trainer.

"Thank you so much, Lt. Surge, I won't forget your advice." He nodded one last time, and I turned and left. As I passed by Jim, he was all big smiles as always.

"Whew! That match was electric!" You're telling me. "Anyway, kid, I'll see you at Celadon! That's the next gym you should Tackle!"

Ignoring his pun, I asked, "Alright, what's the best way there? Saffron's closed, after all."

He gazed at the wall, deep in thought, before saying, "Well, you'll need to head west from Lavender Town. The long way is through Rock Tunnel, and the short way is to just go east from here and take the Silence Bridge.

"Alright, thanks!" With a new method to teach, a new badge earned, and a new direction to go, life was looking good!

With the morning hours still reigning supreme, I went to the Pokémon Center to heal up my team. As I was getting them healed, this Cool Trainer looked at me. "The urge to battle with someone you've tangled with before," she said slowly, ominously. "Have you ever had that urge? I'm sure you have."

"True," I said, "but I never really stuck around to face off against them." It never really crossed my mind, but there are some trainers I'd like to fight again, especially for more experience.

"I wanted to battle certain people again over and over, too. So, I've been giving these away. Please, take one!" She gave me this weird machine. On it, it said VS SEEKER. I guess I just obtained the VS Seeker. "Use that device and you'll find trainers looking for a rematch. You have to charge its battery to use it, though."

Oh cool! Not sure why I can't just ask them, but okay. Still, I took it to be polite. "Well, what do I do with it?"

"How do you use the VS Seeker? There's nothing to it." She pulled out her own and showed me the button I need to press. "Use it like beep-beep-beep, and trainers around you will notice. If any trainer wants a rematch, it will let you know immediately." If I understood her right, it would make a noise to attract trainers' attention? Strange… "Charge its battery and use it while you're on the road."

"Well, thanks! Maybe I can find a use for it." She said no problem. "Would you mind saying beep-beep-beep again?" I snickered. She gave me an irritated face, and that was enough to make me back off.

Before leaving Vermilion City, there was one last thing I wanted to do. I remember from my magazines that Vermilion City was the home of the Pokémon Fan Club. It was a little embarrassing to admit being a part of it, but I couldn't pass up the chance to see inside.

However, the building was small and only a few members were inside. Thankfully, one of them was the leader himself! "I chair the Pokémon Fan Club! I have collected over 100 Pokémon!"

"Wow!" I said. "That's amazing; I'm not even close to that yet!"

"Hehe, well, I'd be much higher," he admitted. "However, I'm very fussy when it comes to Pokémon! So," he paused, as if things were about to become even more epic. "Did you come visit to hear about my Pokémon?"

"Yes! I'm trying to complete a Pokédex, after all! Anything you say will be helpful!" I whipped out my Pokédex as proof and waited patiently.

"Good! Then listen up! My favorite Rapidash…" What proceeded was a long, long, long drawn out speech about his horse. "It…cute…lovely…smart…plus…amazing…you think so?" I nodded, but my eyes wished I'd just keep my head down. "...oh yes…it…stunning…kindly…love it! Hug it…when…sleeping…" No kidding… "warm and cuddly…spectacular…ravishing…" It took every inch of my power to keep my head up and my eyes opened. Normally talking about Pokémon would be fine, but he just would not stop talking about that horse.

"…Oops! Look at the time! I kept you too long!" I looked out the window and saw that the sun had set yet again. Another day wasted… "Thanks for hearing me out! I want you to have this!" He gave me a ticket, and I nearly just shoved it in my pocket due to being drowsy. But as I took a quick look, I saw exactly what he gave me. I received a Bike Voucher! "Exchange that for a Bicycle! Don't worry, my Fearow will Fly me anywhere! So, I don't need a bicycle! I hope you like cycling!"

I left the building as hurried as I could. I decided not to get a bike yet, but I definitely wanted to get one as soon as possible. But for now, I decided to do some training to the North and then get as far as I could east before nightfall. I managed to catch a Mankey along the way, but as the sun's light began to fade, I tried to hurry through Vermilion and toward Route 11.

I reached Diglett's Cave, but it was too dark to go further; I set up things for the night. The team noticed a lack of snuggling noises, and it was difficult to see their looks; during my return to Vermilion, I put away my two Poison types. Yes, they were great fighters, but if I wanted to get more Pokémon and raise them like the chairman, I needed to deposit team members. And the Nidos could never be separated, so now I gave them a place to love each other without worry.

The four Pokémon still got along together well. Oddish and Diglett were growing to be fast friends. Maybe it was because they canceled each other out, or maybe it was because their elements needed each other to survive, or maybe it was just friendship; the answer didn't really matter to me. It was my other two that worried me for a minute.

Charmeleon and Beedrill began showing off moves, and I was afraid someone would land a blow, or it would go too far, but they were far too experienced to make a rookie mistake. I smiled at my buddies; they really showed why they're my second and third in commands.

After my daily call to Mom, I told the team to prepare for a good night's rest; there were no cities until Lavender Town. And even if Lavender has a Pokémon Center, it would take awhile to get there.

Diglett had fun digging a bunch of holes for Oddish to try for a bed. Charmeleon and Beedrill slept in their usual positions, and I missed hearing the lovers behind my head. Still, I had to move forward, and so I rested my eyes, waiting for the moment when the sun would peel them open.

Or at least that's what I wanted. It's not what I got, of course; instead, I got tripped over by an engineer. The worker, as tired as I was, apologized and went on his way, working on something I didn't care about. I nursed my wound, and gathered my team up. Today was a big day, and we had a lot of ground to cover.

With several trainer battles won, and several Pokémon caught, including my new team member, Daydreamer the Drowzee, we at least made it to the lookout station of Route 11.

I ran into the worker, but rather than apologize, he acted like we never met. Maybe he was too tired to recognize me, but after Oddish took down his Magneton, Oddish stood still for a second. I was confused, but only for a second, as a bright light enveloped Oddish! I immediately recognized this from Charmeleon; Oddish was evolving! Her head leaves formed a giant flower and she grew arms! I was surprised she evolved so soon, but I was glad to have my new Gloom!

A man stood inside the station. He looked bored, but he talked about a guy in Lavender Town who rated nicknames. That seems kind of mean to rate someone's name, but whatever. This guard station was bigger than the others, having a second floor with people inside.

There was a kid wanting a trade, and another one of Professor Oak's aides! "Hi! Remember me? I'm Professor Oak's aide!" They all must have egos then. "If you caught 30 kinds of Pokémon, I'm supposed to give you an Itemfinder!" Itemfinders were expensive variations of metal detectors, but they were definitely more effective. Mom rented one once, and it worked well.

"So, Red! Have you caught at least 30 kinds of Pokémon?" As nice as the device would be, I couldn't lie, so I shook my head. "Oh. I see." Sheesh, when you say it like that, you make it seem like I committed a crime… "When you get 30 kinds, come back for Itemfinder."

Before I left, I looked through each set of binoculars. The first set showed me a giant Pokémon, and the second showed me a cave spanning between Cerulean and Lavender. To my knowledge, it was the Rock Tunnel. I'd rather not crawl around in another cave.

I stepped back downstairs and went through the other day. I waited so long already, and I was ready to hit Lavender Town.

The wait would be longer. Sitting in front of me was the giant Pokémon I saw from the binoculars. Strangely, it wasn't threatened by my presence, so I wasn't sure how to go about fighting it; it just kept sleeping on the path to the next route.

I didn't want to cast the first stone, but I needed to get past the wannabe wall, so I sent out Gloom to attack with Absorb. But as soon as I did, the Snorlax just kept sleeping. I figured after several Absorbs, it should have fainted, but when it finally woke up, it just went right back to sleep and healed completely! Frustrated, I figured this must be a move that induces sleep, but heals too.

"Fine! Sleep for now, but you'll run out of PP eventually!" After a barrage of Cuts and Absorbs, Snorlax finally ran out of PP and stared at me angrily. I was afraid, but ready for battle. He lifted his paw and I was ready to send out Charmeleon, when instead it reached down and picked up a berry. It tossed the berry in its mouth and went right back to sleep.

I wanted to fall over to celebrate my failure, but I saw an even worse sign: there was a huge pile of berries next to him on the other side. Yeah, I'm not going this way.

I stepped out to the west of the guard station; I saw the colors of the land shifting with the setting sun. If I couldn't get to Lavender using Route 11, I'd have to use Rock Tunnel.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Caves were all over Kanto; it was only a matter of time before I'd go through another one. But as I passed by Diglett's Cave, I wondered if I should go through it. After all, the Gym Leader of Viridian might be back, and I could even go visit Mom! I made up my mind and journeyed inside.

Diglett enjoyed being home, but I assured him he'd have a new home when we got back to Pallet Town, so he wasted no time beating down his old neighbors. Thankfully the cave wasn't too long, which gave me some hope that Rock Tunnel would be the same way. But as we stepped outside, night had already fallen. I returned Diglett and ran as fast as I could.

Along the way I met with yet another aide of Oak's! No idea how he knew I'd come this way, but he held just as big an ego as the other two. "If you caught 10 kinds of Pokémon, I'm supposed to give you an HM05!" Another Hidden Machine? Wow, very nice! I showed him my Pokédex, so he said, "Great! You have caught 25 kinds of Pokémon! Congratulations! Here you go!" With a new HM in hand, this day was looking better and better!

"The HM Flash lights even the darkest dungeons." I thanked the man and went on my way. I guess he was happy to stick around, even if I wasn't.

Within no time, I arrived in Pallet. Already I could smell Mom's cooking, and the moment I walked in, she was stunned speechless. But words weren't necessary, and she just wrapped her arms around me instead.

We talked about how my day went and my journey so far. She was impressed to see my Pokémon, especially at how much Charmeleon grew. She had less kindness to Diglett though, as he slammed himself through the floorboards to hide his feet. "Being embarrassed is one thing; ruining my floor is another!"

Nevertheless, she made extras for all of us and we all got to eat well. Diglett was a little stunned to see Gloom; he was expecting a midget like him. Nevertheless, they were friends, and they were having fun like friends should. Charmeleon introduced Beedrill to Mom; she normally hated bugs, but Beedrill acted like a true gentleman, so she was in a strange sort of awe. Daydreamer, my new Drowzee, examined all the decorations. Clearly he was in his own awe.

Mom finally made me go to bed, and the rest of us readied for bed as well. Since Gloom didn't need a hole anymore (to Diglett's disappoint), she slept next to Diglett, and Diglett just stayed in his hole the entire night. Charmeleon had to keep his tail safe from lighting anything on fire; it was quite a hassle, but we somehow did it by suspending his tail with ropes. Daydreamer took forever to get to lie down though; he kept sniffing the computer and the TV and anything else in his path, but Mom and I finally got him to sniff the bed and examine it. That was enough for him to get the message, and Mom tucked me in for the night.

As we ate breakfast, Mom was a little frazzled. Feeding seven mouths was hard enough, but having a tapir watch you cook must be stressful. As I sat eating with everyone around the table (Diglett was under the house digging), I asked Mom about Yellow and Green. Sure enough, they finally got their Trainer Cards and left together. It would be cool if I could catch up with them, and Mom confirmed they only left two days ago.

After a delicious load of omelets, we all said our goodbyes. Mom hated seeing us go, but I promised I'd be back soon. With that, I took off again and decided to see Oak for a quick visit. "Good to see you! How is your Pokédex coming? Here, let me take a look!"

I handed him my Pokédex with pride. "Pokédex completion is: 60 Pokémon seen, 25 Pokémon owned. My rating? You still need more Pokémon!" Gosh, you don't need to put such attitude into it, I'm trying. "Try to catch other species!"

"Yes sir," I said bleakly. He didn't notice how I felt, so I just decided to leave. I did see one thing however: the last Poké Ball was gone.

At last I was back in Viridian City, and I immediately went to the gym. But to my dismay, the doors were still locked. "Shoot!" I looked to the guy still sitting by the door. "Still bored?"

"Yup. Still training?"

"Yup." Still weird.

Thanks to Gloom, we hacked away with Cut and took Route 2 to Pewter City; there was no longer a need to travel through Viridian Forest. As I entered Pewter, an idea came to me. I withdrew Handlebar from the Pokémon Storage System and made her a part of my team. Since she needed to evolve and the journey through Mt. Moon would be kind of pointless anyway, it was a good chance to train up some of my backup Pokémon.

"Red!" Normally someone calling my name was a sign that I'd be in a fight with Blue, but for once I was pleased at whom I saw.

"Yellow!" Yellow, my friend and neighbor, just left the nurse, a Pikachu right behind him. "Woah, you got a PokéPet license?!"

"Hehe," he blushed, "well, Oak had to give it to me. Pikachu wouldn't stay in his ball." Pikachu nodded in agreement. "Besides, we're good pals now!" The Pikachu surprisingly shouted its name in joy. I didn't think Pokémon could say their names…

"Um, well, anyway, you beat Brock?" I asked.

"Yes I did!" He gave me a look over. "Wait, are you just getting here now?! I mean, I knew I was better, but-"

"No! I just came back home for a visit. I'm already going for my fourth badge." Yellow was shocked to hear I got so far, but that only made me feel good inside. "So where's Green? I figured she'd be with you."

"Oh, yeah, we split up." I asked if anything went wrong, but he quickly shook that thought away. "Nah, it's just she beat Brock first and I told her to go on without me. I, uh, had to fight him twice."

"Don't be embarrassed, dude, he was a hard fight for me too." That picked up his spirits a bit. "Well, I'm glad to see you again."

"Yeah," he said. "Hey, if you're heading to Cerulean City, you wanna team up until we get there? Could be lots of fun!" It wasn't a bad idea, so I agreed and we left Pewter City.

The journey to Mt. Moon was a bit slower than I hoped, but fighting double-battles with Yellow was fun. His Pikachu was still low in levels, but it was definitely special in more ways than one. Once we reached the mountain, we healed up. Unfortunately, I met a familiar face.

"Hello there, laddies! Have I got a deal just for you!" No… "I'll let you have a swell Magikarp for just 500! What do you say?"

"Hmm, a Magikarp," Yellow pondered aloud. "I've heard of that before. It's good, right?" You're kidding me, right?

"YES!" the man shouted. After the stares of terror from nearby trainers subsided, the man continued. "Just hand over your money and you'll get the ultimate Pokémon!"

"Oh really?" I said, and the man turned to look at me. He didn't like me, but it took a few seconds before he recognized me. His face turned pale in horror. "I said no refunds!" With that, he turned and ran right out of the center.

"Dude!" Yellow said to me. "Why did you scare him? I wanted that Pokémon?" I spent a good ten minutes ignoring Yellow after that.

With Yellow by my side, the cave-dwellers ignored us, focusing on unaccompanied trainers. A few Zubat or Geodude would try to take us on as a team, but they really didn't stand a chance. We reached the final hallway of Mt. Moon, approaching Miguel the fossil excavator again. He wasn't alone.

"Stop right there!" the man said to us, with Miguel's shirt collar in his clutches.

"That fossil is Team Rocket's!" the lady next to him added, a Meowth next to her.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" they said in unison. I grabbed my Poké Ball and prepared to toss it, but when I looked over to Yellow, he was just face-palming.

"Why is it always you three? Just, just why?" He knew Miguel? Did I dare to ask of the history?

But my question was answered. And it nearly gave me a heart attack too. "You again?! Listen twerp, stop following us already! Or else!" The Meowth talked.

"Or else what? You'll sing? I don't have time for your dumb motto today!" I really wasn't sure what to say, and looking to Miguel, he was just as lost as me.

"Um, did, did that Meowth just talk?" This had to be the most awkward encounter I ever had with Team Rocket grunts.

"Believe me, it gets less impressive after you fight them half a dozen times," Yellow said with exasperation.

"Oh, that's it!" the Meowth…said. "Let's just beat them up already!"

Yellow just sighed and said, "Yeah, let's just do this." The Rockets were obviously annoyed, and sent out their Ekans and Koffing to fight. With Daydreamer and Pikachu, they didn't stand a chance, and even with Meowth attacking at the end; it was so weak it went down just as easily.

"This…was interesting," was all I managed to say.

"A brat beat us?!" the girl said.

"Two brats!" the man added.

"You both really are stinkers, you know that!" the Meowth finished.

"As amusing as this madhouse is," I said, "I think it's time you three went to jail for your crimes."

They shook their heads and wagged their fingers, as if they had more authority than I did. In unison, all three said, "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" With a Smoke Ball, the three vanished, leaving the three of us and our Pokémon dumbfounded.

Going through Mt. Moon the second time was definitely a new experience; fewer Rockets to deal with gave more time to admire the scenery, and dealing with those three grunts taught me that I should expect the unexpected.

But how do you expect a Pokémon to start speaking like a human? "So that's Cerulean City?" Yellow asked me.

"Yup," I said. We stood for a minute and just stared at the lights of the small city sparkle. In my haste, I never had a chance to admire Cerulean from afar, and it really was beautiful. We decided to spend the night together before reaching the city, just so we could fall asleep with splendor in our eyes.

We let out all our Pokémon and they all began to interact. Handlebar, now a Metapod, was very friendly with Yellow's Butterfree; at least I think so, it was kind of hard to tell apart a Metapod's expressions. Beedrill eventually came over and talked with Butterfree. I guess Bug types can easily get along, although Beedrill did look jealous.

Pikachu and Charmeleon were talking about something; if I had to guess, it was about previous experiences and each other's teams. Charmeleon kept pointing out my Pokémon and looked like he was filled with pride. Pikachu seemed to defend his two partners as well.

Pidgeotto and Diglett were also talking, but it looked more like arguing. Pidgeotto kept raising his wing to the sky, while Diglett hopped up and down in the ground. Type talk? No idea, but it was one of the craziest sights I've seen. And I've seen plenty of that today.

Gloom and Daydreamer sat together and admired the view. Daydreamer was fascinated as always, and I guess Gloom wanted to try and be the mediator of the group. Yellow got engrossed in a conversation with his mother, and I was reminded to call Mom as well. She was already missing me again. But I made sure that we were fine, told her about Yellow, and that seemed like enough satisfaction to let me go eat.

When dinner was done, we all settled in for the night. Yellow was surprised at my idea to allow Pokémon to sleep out of the ball, so he took it on and allowed his two others to follow my team's example. Diglett dug a hole near Gloom and the two slept leaning on my right side. Daydreamer slept at my feet. He behaved, but I worried he would take interest in my shoes. Handlebar slept on my left, squeezed between the curled up Beedrill and myself. Charmeleon stared into the sky; it was as if he dreamed of touching it himself.

When we arrived in Cerulean City, I gave Yellow a bit of advice and told him where everything was. We each thanked each other for a fun trip together and promised to have a match once he was ready. He headed for Route 24 to train, and I headed into town to take care of some business.

"Oh, Red, it's good to see you!" Melanie said. "What brings you back to Cerulean?"

"Oh, just passing through, doing some training before I go to Rock Tunnel."

"Rock Tunnel?! Wow…you've certainly grown a lot if you're going to take on that gargantuan cave." I gave her a worried look, and she noticed and tried to rectify the situation. "Don't worry; I'm sure you can handle it! Just remember, it's a lot tougher than Mt. Moon. Keep your wits about you and all that." I nodded in agreement. "Actually, I'd let you have Bulbasaur if you want."

"What? Really? But, isn't he yours?!"

"Well, kind of," Melanie responded. "I've been raising him, but only to help him recuperate. Truthfully he's still got a day or two left to get better. But if you're patient and need a grass type, he'll serve you for great justice."

I felt guilty to think about it, but it was a great idea. Having another starter-type on my team would make me beat Blue to a pulp.

And yet, that would be too easy. If I was ever going to complete my Pokédex, I'd need a Bulbasaur someday. But I will get it one day, no matter what it takes.

"Sorry Melanie, but I don't think I should slow down my training." She actually looked sad, and I think I knew why. "But don't worry, I know who can give Bulbasaur a good home. Make him strong and stuff. My friend, Yellow, he's bound to pass by here. You give him Bulbasaur, and he'll be a titan of a Pokémon." She smiled so big, she couldn't help but give me a hug. It felt awkward, but good, and we were both happier.

"Thanks Red," she replied. "Well, I better not hold you up. Go prove yourself to be champion material. Just uh, be careful, because little Bulbasaur here will give you a challenge you'll never forget." With one last smirk, I left the little house full of injured Pokémon and went south; it was time to retrieve an old friend.

"Your Rattata has grown a lot!" the Daycare man said. Honestly, I had been worried he forgot who I was. "By level, it's grown by 5!" Not bad! "Aren't I great?"

"Um, sure." This guy is so weird. Emotionless and yet has an ego?

"You owe me $600 for the return of this Pokémon." I couldn't tell if that was expensive, but I figured it was worth it, so I gave him the cash. "Thank you! Here's your Pokémon!"

I got Rattata back! I was tempted to let her out right now, but I'd wait till I got outside first. I then released her from my ball, and she jumped at me with wide joyous eyes. Rattata really had grown a lot, and now was the same level as Beedrill! I decided that the training this guy provided must be top notch, and worth repeating.

It was a hard decision, but in the end I went with Diggy. Charmeleon, Beedrill, and Gloom all proved themselves too valuable for the team, and Handlebar was just about to evolve. Daydreamer was a little weird, but I figured letting him be trained by another guy wouldn't help his quirky personality.

Before I went in I decided to let everyone give a farewell to Diglett and greet my old pal. When everyone saw a Rattata instead of a Drowzee (I had put him in my Box), they were confused. However, that confusion quickly passed and Charmeleon and Beedrill happily greeted Rattata. Gloom walked over as well; she wasn't as familiar, but they still knew each other.

On the other hand, Diggy and Handlebar were confused, but Handlebar took a leery eye at Rattata before finally giving in and taking on happy eyes…I think. I really need to evolve her…

After the other two did a meet-and-greet, I said to them all, "Alright guys, giving up Rattata, I felt bad about leaving her. I'm glad she's back, stronger than ever and looking just as happy as always, but it's time to separate again." This was hard for me, and the others looked worried about what I would say next.

But I had to say it. "Diggy, I want you to stay here with the Daycare. You'll get so much stronger and you'll be a much bigger help!" He looked scared and faced Gloom for an answer. I'll never know what Gloom said to him, but in the end he nodded and his head drooped.

I didn't want to let him go, but I knew he'd be better for it. "Return." He zapped away back inside my ball, and everyone, even Rattata, looked sad. "Don't worry guys, he'll be okay, I promise." The uncertainly slowly wore away, and they all gave me a smile. Except Handlebar; she used her eyes.

With everyone returned, I went inside and gave Diggy away. I made a promise to come back for him someday; I just didn't know when that day would be.

The journey on Route 9 had begun. Daydreamer was back in my party, and Rattata and Handlebar finally evolved! It wasn't in the same battle sadly, but I was still very happy. Raticate also fit back in with the team really well, and we were all glad to have her.

The bittersweet day was very quiet, filled with battles and training with Surge's gesture technique. A Picnicker also tried to make me hers. Yeah, it was as weird as it sounds. Nevertheless, thanks to her, I had a Raticate. And thanks to Hiker Jeremy, I had a Butterfree. After catching the mysterious Voltorb named Deceit, we reached a Pokémon Center, and I healed up my team once again.

The sun was setting, and because I didn't want to go into Rock Tunnel tonight, I instead sat and watched the sun fall down behind the hills. I let the whole team out since nobody was around to really care, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Beedrill was impressed by Handlebar's evolution, and they flew along a nearby river. Beedrill would send a splash at her and she'd get a little mad before whipping the wind up and send droplets back at him. If I could understand them, I'd bet they were laughing a lot.

Gloom rested her feet in the water, absorbing all the nutrients it offered her. She seemed lonely with Diggy gone, but Daydreamer came over after sniffing the grass and cheered her up. He was a weirdo, but he had a good heart.

As for Charmeleon and Raticate, they stood by my side, admiring all the beauty around them. Charmeleon had Raticate show off her new strength and moves, as if he was testing her value. But she was too happy to say no, and they had a safe sparring match.

I was getting a bit bored of just sitting around, so I decided to make a game. I had everyone line up and told them to race to the south hill wall and run all the way back to the Poké Center. I told them they could use any move to help them, but they were only allowed to use that move once. Everyone seemed excited and lined up.

"Ready!" Everyone got into a runner's pose. "Set!" So many smiles, you'd think it was a party. "Go!" And they were off! Charmeleon took the lead, followed closely by Beedrill and Handlebar! Raticate was right behind the three racers, but how long would that last? Daydreamer and Gloom had the hardest time keeping up, so Daydreamer got on all fours to raise his chances!

Despite Charmeleon's initial lead, Raticate got ahead and touched the wall first! Charmeleon and Beedrill were right behind her, and Handlebar began to tire. Daydreamer caught up to Handlebar, but he couldn't get past her. Gloom had tired down too, and I was starting to feel guilty for her.

The boys were jealous of Raticate's lead and tried to take charge! Beedrill fired a Poison Sting and Charmeleon did SmokeScreen, both at Raticate! She dodged Poison Sting but couldn't avoid the smoke barrier, giving the males a chance to get ahead! Handlebar looked annoyed at Beedrill for attacking, but I did give him permission…

Daydreamer touched the wall and Handlebar followed suit, heading for the finish line. Gloom approached the cloud of smoke while Raticate, Beedrill, and Charmeleon were still inside. Suddenly, just as the three jumped out, Gloom shot spores into the air! Before they could move another muscle, they were all hit by the spores and slowed down to a crawl before falling over; they were asleep!

I could see Gloom smirk back at me before waltzing through the cloud of smoke, satisfied with her victory. However, I thought Daydreamer and Handlebar would still win, until they left the cloud, even slower than before! Gloom must have used PoisonPowder, and now they were too busy coughing to keep going at full speed!

Still, I figured they had a large enough lead, but Gloom continued to surprise! With a decent Speed stat, she managed to catch up with the three and even passed them by! Daydreamer and Handlebar did their best to ignore the poison and catch up, but Gloom had too tight of a lead.

Raticate finally woke up and saw how much ground she lost. But Quick Attack changed that! She moved so fast, and even if it didn't catch her up, she was right behind Handlebar now! Raticate tried to reach first place in time, but Gloom pushed past her limit and ran to the wall with seconds to spare!

The two leading males finally woke up as the smoke blew away, and came over to congratulate everyone who beat them. Raticate proudly boosted Gloom on her shoulders and they danced around in victory. I patted Gloom on the head and said how proud I was of every one of them. I don't remember ever seeing them this happy until today.

Little kids are afraid of the dark. Sure, not all of them, but there are enough in the world to be noticed. And sometimes that fear lives on as they get older. Usually it's just a minor thing, but for some, it's huge. For me, it was never a problem. Until I walked down the ladder into Rock Tunnel.

The darkness inside the cave was a black hole, and the light from the entrance was obscured so much that it hardly mattered. For the first time ever, I was afraid of the dark. Or perhaps not the dark, but what it contained.

Thankfully, I had a solution. Flash, the bringer of light, would solve the problem of endless shadows. It was a tough decision, but in the end I taught it to Daydreamer. I sent him out and told him to use Flash, as well as instructing him on the hand signal in case we ever needed it in battle.

As soon as we got it down, I said, "Daydreamer! Use Flash!" He began to glow dully, and then suddenly exploded in light and a blinding Flash lit the area! I shielded my eyes, and when they came to focus again, the area was incredibly bright thanks to the shine from Daydreamer. "Um, thanks buddy," I said with stunned eyes. "Lead the way?"

Although I was unsure of the legality, I needed Daydreamer out so I could be sure the lights stayed around. Just like Mt. Moon, there were jewels that shined with light, but unlike Mt. Moon, as soon as we passed, the light faded from the roof crystals. Perhaps Mt. Moon was more special than I thought.

Nevertheless, the travel through Rock Tunnel was still hard. I managed to catch Kara-Tee the Machop, but lost Handlebar, Gloom, and Beedrill. I kept Daydreamer out of most battles to protect him, but when times get tough, even he had to fight.

During the battle against a PokéManiac, things got really bad. While Daydreamer only showed himself to gain experience, Charmeleon and Raticate were not so lucky, and the damage they took was more devastating than I expected. They barely survived the battle, but it was clear we should head back.

I dug through my bag and found my Escape Rope. I didn't come well prepared, but I wasn't expected Rock Tunnel to be as rigorous as Mt. Moon; at least with my experience. The rope activated its magic (not literally of course), and sent me back to the Pokémon Center.

I did some considering, and I realized Handlebar just wasn't cut out for this cave. She had reached her final form, but I needed all the strength I could get for Rock Tunnel. And who better to guide me than a Rock type: I withdrew Ninety for my next round.

Despite being the weakest of the team, Ninety was resilient and proved he was willing to take on all-comers. This was far from Ninety's original home, but he had a way of knowing where to go, so he was a great navigator.

The second pass through the cave was easier going too. It was going to be a hard journey, but we managed to gain ground. Granted, even against another Geodude, my Geodude couldn't stand strong for long, but he never once questioned my command.

Our next opponent was a Hiker named Eric. But then, the worst happened. I foolishly sent Daydreamer, totally sure that his type advantage over Eric's Machop would guarantee a win. However, that didn't happen; a critical hit did. As Daydreamer collapsed and I returned him to his ball, already the light began to fade from the rocks.

The shadows that once fought against the light began to meld with it, and soon we would be consumed. The Hiker had no fear, and demanded I continue. I took a moment to think, and realized Charmeleon had a little light.

"Go! Charmeleon!" I don't often rely on the phrase to psych myself up, but suddenly my fears were budding in this new situation. With one Scratch, Machop was done, but the Pat Benatar fan declared his next Pokémon: Onix. Gloom could win, but the lights would die away, and then Gloom's accuracy would be doomed.

With all this in mind, I stuck with Charmeleon, having faith in Metal Claw. What I didn't expect was for Onix to give Charmeleon a hard time. He pulled through, but Onix landed enough critical hits to make myself unpleasant. Rock Tunnel was turning into a beast, but I knew I had to get through, and my Pokémon wanted to get through as much as I did.

Without Flash, we had to walk through the cave, and Charmeleon did his best to spread as much light. Even with Ember, the stones would barely light up, so we were as blind as a Zubat. And because Charmeleon was now far too important, I had him stay out of the action completely. This lead to a lot of pain for other team members, but Gloom managed to pick up the slack.

Until Hiker Lucas came along. As soon as I sent Gloom in, his Graveler used Selfdestruct! Gloom was gone, and my team was looking weak as I stared upon his second Graveler. Tired and surrounded by the darkness, I was worried. Still, Raticate had this fight won, and one last Hyper Fang would end the battle. But Lucas wasn't losing reasonably.

"Selfdestruct!" he shouted. Before my eyes, the four-armed beast dashed and clutched Raticate! With no hope left, Graveler lit up slightly before unleashing a blinding explosion, leaving us down another team member.

Even with that battle over, the continuing fights left the entire team decimated. Charmeleon and I were the only survivors. I considered forcing Daydreamer out so he could use Flash. The great thing about HMs were that they could be used non-offensively and without PP cost, and even better, with the Pokémon fainted.

Oak, however, taught us something different. When a Pokémon faints, it's still somewhat conscious, but no longer has the will to fight. It's exhausted and unable to battle, and that's why Pokémon battles are decided that way. But it can still use HMs and even move if it has to. But if you've been beaten up to a pulp, you won't want to.

Out of respect, I let him be. I knew I was close. The end had to be close. And yet my morals said to go back. If I lost now, I'd have to walk back to the Center alone, in the dark. And worse, my team would take a huge morality blow. There's always a time to surrender and regroup, and this is now.

"Charmeleon, let's go." Clearly he was disappointed too, but he was too tired to debate my decision. I'm sure he agrees. Going back through Rock Tunnel was easy and hard at the same time. I remembered the paths, but it was tough to spot them going backwards. And worse, Charmeleon was feeling too tired to do much of anything.

So when an Onix attacked us, we really were condemned. The beast exploded from the ground, so we tried to run, but it made sure we stayed with a Bind attack! Charmeleon couldn't see it coming, so the snake wrapped itself around my Pokémon without fail.

"Metal Claw!" I frantically yelled. He landed the hit, but Onix only angered and squeezed again, landing a critical hit in addition to the indefinite pain. I ordered the attack again, and Charmeleon used the last of his strength to shove his claws straight into Onix!

It yelled in pain, but as it fell over, the last of Onix's Bind crushed the remaining life out of Charmeleon.

That was it. Everyone had fainted. I was alone.

I was alone once. It was raining, and being a dumb kid, I ran off to play in the rain. Mom kept an eye on me at first, but I saw something. Something shiny. What a way to get in trouble, right? I ran for it, and before Mom could think, I was lost to the dark. It only took her a few minutes to find me, but when she did, I was muddy, wet, and crying. I can't remember why, but since then Mom always lectured against going somewhere scary on your own.

And yet here I am. I returned Charmeleon, and within moments, the remaining light faded away into nothing. No light. In desperation, I pulled out my phone and Pokédex, but the light was hardly brag-worthy. I felt some regret summoning Daydreamer, but he'd happily offer, especially for something like this.

And with that, we began our trek back out of Rock Tunnel. The humiliation of walking back a loser was a constant thought in my mind. I felt guilty that it almost overtook my thoughts for my team, but I knew they too would be disappointed. Just judging by Daydreamer's eyes, he was disappointed too.

But he was also scared. I was about to ask why when I saw the reason: a Zubat, flying straight toward us. Fearful of what damage the bat could do, I returned Daydreamer for safety. The bat lost interest once he was gone, but the light crystals were already fading again. I counted to 10 and sent him back out. "Let me know if you see another one, okay?"

Daydreamer nodded, and we marched on. I considered asking the trainers nearby for help, but they were sleeping, which meant that the sun must have set already. And since I couldn't get reception inside the cave, Mom would have more reason to worry than today's events.

A few more Pokémon got in our way, but nothing drastic happened. We reached the last floor (or first floor) and began making our way back when I did something foolish. Daydreamer waddled around a big rock, and at first I thought nothing of it.

But as I stepped on it, the rock came to life and threw itself in the air! My foot, being on the rock as I climbed over, was pushed painfully in the wrong direction and sent me falling to the floor.

I laid there for a second and saw the Geodude hover above us. I tried standing, but my foot hurt too much to put pressure on it. Instead, I recalled Daydreamer, and just in time too; Geodude tried to Tackle him!

But that didn't make my situation better. Geodude was only attacking Daydreamer out of respect to Pokémon battling rules. Now the only target left was me.

I dropped to the ground with only seconds before the rock flew by my head! And as if things wanted to get as bad as possible, the lights were shrinking away. My hopes shrank with them.

Desperate, I grabbed whatever Poké Ball I could and threw it. Someone, anyone, would be helpful! I looked, and in the shadows stood my tired but trusty bug. "Beedrill!" I dumbly said. Thankfully, my brain kicked in just in time. "Geodude attacking! Look out!" My dumb luck paid off; Beedrill had night vision, so he was able to dodge Geodude.

I wasn't able to though. As Geodude came flying again, his Tackle led to his arm smacking mine; the pain was not describable. Beedrill noticed me and flew over to pick me up. No doubt he was fatigued, but he still picked me up, ignoring the bruises and injuries.

He didn't know Fly, but he managed to carry me farther than any of my Pokémon could. The Geodude eventually gave up, and Beedrill set me down. Using my cell phone light, I checked over my foot and arm; both were swollen, but not pointing in a gruesome direction.

I shined the light on Beedrill as well, and despite his bruises, he wasn't gravely injured. "Alright, thanks buddy. You better get back inside." I'd rather take my risk with solitude than risk my poison bee. But he apparently disagreed. I tried tossing the ball at him, but he just swatted it away. Even as tired as he was, he was still ready to protect me.

"Alright, but be careful, no fighting." He nodded and we walked toward the entrance; only now following his night vision and my crummy cell phone camera-light. Even though we were tired and surrounded in shadows, we were still bait for an ambush.

Beedrill shrieked as he was flung to the floor, a Zubat on his back! I was accidentally thrown back, but I got up and ran (well, limped) over to him and grabbed the Zubat by its legs and pulled as hard as I could. I knew the fangs wouldn't rip out, but hopefully the pain would be enough to convince the annoyance to let go of Beedrill.

It took a few tugs, but it worked, and I practically threw it away as I checked on Beedrill. He was weak from blood loss, but alive. I helped lift him to his feet, and tired to walk him toward the wall.

But then I felt a strange sensation on the back of my neck. At first it stung horribly, and I moved my free arm to reach for my neck, but I started getting tired. I let my arms fall to my sides, and then I fell to my knees. I started hearing buzzing. Beedrill, maybe? But eh, I was too tired to really play detective.

My arms soon were my only support to keep me up, and my eyelids were pulled by gravity. I looked to Beedrill, but he was gone. Suddenly a massive force slammed into me.

Or rather, the sensation on me. I didn't like that, but I didn't have the strength to care. I slipped to the ground, and felt surrounded once again by the chilling darkness.

"Get away from him!" a weird voice shouted. "He's not a Pokémon, you freak!"

"But I'm hungry!" another voice, a squeaky voice, called out. "And besides, YOU were my meal, and he interrupted! This is vengeance!"

"Vengeance?!" the voice yelled. "We're Pokémon! Are you really that petty?!" There was the sound of flesh being pounded by something heavy, but the noise was hard to make out.

"Pfft, stop being so old-fashioned!" the opposition squeaked. "You know people treat us like vermin! You know we're being used as tools, and even worse by that one organization of black shirts!" This strange banter began to gather interest of anyone nearby.

"Look, bug, face facts! We're enemies! It's why we attack simple humans who walk by! They shouldn't be pardoned, and today, I'm taking action!"

"Get away!" the weird voice said, and sounds of a struggle replaced the dialogue. The "bug" made a growling noise, which was hard to describe, only that a lot of rage was behind its bellow.

The sounds of struggling, flapping, and buzzing eventually quieted down, and then stopped. There was buzzing once again, but much slower, with frequent pauses. Eventually the buzzing reached its loudest point, and there was the voice of the winner. "It's okay, Master Red, we're out of here."

Why the presence worshipped a color was not clear, but it managed to make noises and buzz again, this time without gaining distance. After a few minutes, a strong sensation came, as though light was trying to pierce the shadow blanket. The noisy creature continued to buzz, and the light pushed harder on the wall of dark. And though it never pierced the wall, the light did change direction.

The buzzing made a distinct change, and with it the light swung to the right. The presence stopped again, and a door opened. The weakened darkness was chilled by a breeze and the sounds of other beings boomed and echoed. There were voices. There was a collapse. There was lots of movement. And then there was a hole of sudden light.

A woman looked through the hole and peered inside. She called for others, and the sound of movement occurred again. The hole closed shut, and there was the sensation of many presences, all grabbing and lifting at once. Things began getting confusing, and the calls of the "bug" came forth. All that could be heard was, "Master! Please be okay!"

"Seriously? Are you sure?" Mom asked.

"Hehe, I'm serious," the nurse said. "Your son had a sprained ankle and a big bruise on his arm, but this is all stuff we can handle here. He'll be free by tomorrow."

"Well that's a relief," I said. "But I can't remember what happened still. Is that the poison or what?"

The nurse put her finger to her lip and said, "Hmm, well, Zubat are poison types, and while Leech Life isn't poisonous, it does inject a tiny bit of venom into its victim. And, well, humans can't handle it well. In most cases, they'll just have a lucid dream.

"Either way, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll be fine." She was happy with her success in treating me, but I still had a nagging issue to address.

"What about Beedrill? I know he was doing bad, but he is getting better, right?" The nurse was not so positive looking here.

"Well, yes, he is going to recover. But I'm afraid there's a problem." Mom grabbed my hand and held it tightly. "Your Pokémon took a lot of internal injuries, and we can fix them, but they'll not be the same, and from now on it'll be too dangerous to use in battles."

"Meaning," I managed to say, "he'll never fight again?" She nodded, and the full impact finally hit.

"It's just too much of a risk. If Saffron was still open, we might have fixed him in time, but the extent of the injuries has gone too far." She closed her eyes and waited a moment before continuing. "Operating on Pokémon is incredibly risky because of how vastly they differ from one another, so if he's already healing, it's just not a good idea to put him into surgery now.

The next couple of days passed without any excitement. I spent every second with Beedrill, and once I was free to walk normally again, I helped him walk around outside. His legs were still sore and his wings were still bandaged, but he appreciated the attention.

And of course the others got time to hang out with him too, but they were all wishing we could just leave. But I couldn't leave Beedrill; he was with me since the beginning, and we worked so hard to get this far.

However, he must have agreed with the team. Every day he would point outside. I would take him out, and he would point at the cave. I told him I wasn't ready, but he shook his head and kept pointing. Even when I said no, he'd get the rest of the team to sit outside by the entrance to the cave.

One day, he joined with them while I went inside for a soda, and finally I said, "Guys, I know you want me to go, but I can't leave Beedrill behind." Technically Mom promised to visit and eventually would take him back to Pallet Town, but still, I wanted to stay.

Beedrill walked toward me and rested his giant spikes on my shoulders. He stared me in the eyes, and somehow, that was enough. I could no longer ignore it; he wanted me to go on.

I felt disrespectful for adding a new team member already. But I wasn't going into Rock Tunnel stupid, and Kara-Tee was a Fighting type. This would be our toughest test yet. Mom got me an Escape Rope before she went back home, but I didn't want to use it. I was going to Lavender Town today.

The third trek was easy at first. Ninety rose to be a challenge for even Daydreamer, and he was working hard to prove himself. My guess was he felt bad for Beedrill's loss and was compensating for the whole team.

And while Ninety threw himself at his opponents, pushing himself to the edge of death, Kara-Tee played more laidback. She landed hits without fail, but she wasn't taking risks; a different, and yet effective style.

Still, Kara-Tee didn't go over well with a certain opponent. "Eek! Don't do anything funny in the dark!" Why does every girl think I'm a pervert? After I beat her, she said something about Machops. I looked toward my own, and she just shrugged at the Pickner's peculiarity.

Just when the cave began to test our patience again, a miracle happened. Light came from above; it was the exit! Excited beyond belief, I ran at full speed for the ladder, not caring about my foot acting up. I got up the ladder, and was blinded by the light.

When my eyes adjusted, I saw more hills, a tower, and most importantly, the sky. I took in the fresh air and breathed a sigh of relief. I heard a lot of laughing from afar, but also a cry from under me; I totally forgot about my Drowzee trying to follow me up.

"Oops, sorry Daydreamer." He was not amused, but he was happy to see sunshine at least. "Okay, return buddy."

Once I zapped him away, a female voice called to me. "I'm feeling a bit faint from this tough hike." I went to comfort her; then she decides to fight me. She wasn't very smart. But the very thought of fainting brought about feelings of guilt and I think Charmeleon fed on that as he delivered his Metal Claws to her Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

"I'm not up to it!" The anger that statement brought me was hard to describe, and it took all the chivalry I had to stay polite. But after that, I just hurried to Lavender Town.