Pokémon
Rabid Red
"Er… hi there," Red greeted softly, feeling the girl's deep glare pierce through his very soul, "I take it this is your Fearow then?"
The girl ran past him, paying him no mind as she knelt beside the wounded creature.
"Ah!" she cried out worriedly. "Fearow! Look at you! Look at your wings!"
"Fear…ow…" the injured Beak Pokémon chirped, bobbing its head side to side softly.
"What did you do to him?!" the girl asked suddenly, turning to glare at Red once more.
The boy raised his hands, attempting to calm her as he climbed back to his feet.
"Hey now, I think a better question is what did your Fearow do to me?" he said. "Besides, that overgrown monstrosity of yours tried to eat my Magikarp!"
"Row!" Fearow squawked, trying to point out that if it hadn't been for Red foolishly tossing the Pokéball as he had, there wouldn't have been a Magikarp for it to devour in the first place.
"Fearow, don't move!" the girl said worriedly, setting a gentle hand on the bird's beak, "we need to get you to the Pokémon Center!"
She reached inside her small purse, grabbing a black and yellow Pokéball before pointing it at the wounded bird. Red blinked at the object in amazement. That wasn't like any Pokéball he'd ever seen before.
Just who was this girl?
"Take a rest for now… I'll have Nurse Joy look over you in a moment," she whispered, recalling Fearow quietly.
That done, she slid the ball back inside her purse and made to stand.
Red shook his head. He could worry about who this girl was and what type of Pokéballs she had later. He needed to figure out how he was going to deal with his new Pokémon…
"Well then, now that that overgrown bird of yours is gone I think it's just about time I got out of here-" Red started, only to be cut off by the girl's piercing glare.
"Oh no you don't!" she scowled, moving to grab him by the collar before he could retreat, "You're coming with me down to the Pokémon Center so we can get this all sorted out! I don't take kindly to people who attack my Pokémon for no good reason you know!"
"I told you already," Red retorted angrily, attempting – and failing – to pry the girl off of him, "your Pokémon was the one doing the attacking! All I did was ask for it to put me down!"
"Oh, so you expect me to believe a fully grown Fearow crashed itself?" The girl asked with a huff, releasing Red's collar to set her hands on her hips.
"Well…" Red frowned, averting his eyes from the girl while playing with his hands, "I… might've moved its wing a little…"
"Oh! So you admit you did something to my Fearow after all!" The girl grimaced. "You just decided to take a joyride didn't you?! Besides, who runs after a Fearow for a Magikarp?! I bet you don't even have one!"
The sound of a Pokéball opening cut them both off. The two glanced beside them, where Red's gold Magikarp flopped about on the forest floor harmlessly.
It stopped after a second to glare at the girl.
Angrily.
"Karp Karp! Karp!"
The two Trainers stared at the scene blankly for several seconds, before Red could finally take no more of the pathetic yapping and held his Pokéball forward.
"Magikarp return!" he shouted, recalling the "useless fish Pokémon" back inside its Pokéball.
"Hmm…?" the girl frowned, raising a brow at the scene. "Okay… so maybe you do have a Magikarp… and a shiny one at that…"
"Told you…" Red grumbled.
"….but that still doesn't explain my Fearow!" the girl snapped.
"Weren't you listening?!" Red snapped. "Your Fearow did that to itself! Kind of…."
"We'll see about that! Nurse Joy is capable of figuring out how any Pokémon injured itself! She'll be able to discern the truth, as it's obvious I can't believe a word you say!"
"Coming from the person who said I didn't have a Magikarp…" Red snorted.
"What was that?!" The girl's glare made Red's retort die on his lips.
"N-Nothing…" he replied, drooping his head down low.
Chapter Two: VS Rattata... Again!
Pokémon Centers. Oh what wondrous buildings they were!
Filled to the brim with healing equipment and resting rooms, Pokémon Centers were a necessity for the aspiring Trainer. Not only did they offer food and shelter for the weary traveler, but the well-known caretakers of the facility – Nurse Joy, they were all called – healed one's Pokémon with the help of the ever eager Chansey!
And the best part of the Pokémon Center?
Everything was free!
It was for that very reason that Red now sat quietly in the waiting room, across from the stony eyed Trainer he'd met along Route One. They had only just arrived, but his female companion – for the time being – had taken no time in raising a complaint on how he was to blame for her obnoxious Fearow's condition!
The look he'd been given by Nurse Joy when she took their Pokémon hadn't been pretty, to say the least.
Still, if the rumors were true, Nurse Joy would be able to comprehend the real reason why that Fearow had been injured, and once he was cleared of suspicion, he'd be free to head back to Pallet for that Charmander and track that snot-nosed brat down!
Yes.
Terrible vengeance would be wrought upon Youngster Joey, and when it was, no one, not even Arceus would be able to save him-
"What are you looking so happy for?" The girl across from him frowned, her head resting gently within one of her palms. "You aren't planning something are you?"
"That's none of your business!" Red scowled.
"Fine, be that way then," the girl frowned, "I was only trying to pass the time with a little conversation, but if you're gonna be rude about it then forget it!"
"Rude?!" Red asked. "You're the one who's accusing me of beating up your stupid Fearow!"
"Well you did, didn't you?!" Leaf snapped back. "I was only responding like any rational Trainer would have, and you're not out of the woods just yet!"
"Excuse me?" Nurse Joy approaching the pair with a gentle smile on her face. "Your Magikarp is completely healed. If you'd join me at the counter, I'll be able to release it to you whenever you're ready."
"Great!" Red shouted cheerfully as he rose from his seat, eager to get as far away from the girl as he possibly could.
"Hold on one moment!" The girl frowned, standing to accompany them to the front desk. "What about my Fearow? Is it alright?"
"Well, it certainly isn't in any danger, if that's what you're asking." Nurse Joy replied. "However… we did come across a small… problem…"
"A problem?" the girl asked. "Oh no, my Fearow is gonna be alright isn't it?"
Red made no motion to comment, though his face did twist into a slightly worried expression. It wasn't as if he wanted to cause the bird any permanent damage after all.
"Well… most of the damage your Fearow sustained was easy enough to fix," Nurse Joy explained, "unfortunately, it seems that whatever injured your Fearow did quite a number on its right wing. It seems to be broken."
Red flinched.
"B-Broken?!" the girl asked, taking a step forward worriedly. "No way! You'll be able to fix it won't you?!"
"Oh yes!" Nurse Joy replied cheerfully. "With the Pokémon Center's technology such a thing is rather simple, but the process is rather drawn out and time consuming."
Slowly, Red released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. For a moment there he thought he'd done some serious damage to the overgrown avian. It was good to hear that it wasn't permanent.
"Oh…" his temporary companion sighed in relief, "well, that's good to hear. How long is it going to take then? Another hour or two?"
Nurse Joy smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I'm afraid it's going to be much longer than that dearie."
The girl blinked in surprise, "Huh? Really? That's strange. I didn't think Pokémon Centers took that long to heal Pokémon anymore. How long is it gonna take then?"
"Erm…" Nurse Joy paused, stepping back behind the counter and glancing down at her clipboard before running the numbers in her head, "ten to twelve weeks?"
"TEN TO TWELVE WEEKS?!" The girl snapped. "I can't wait that long! I need that Fearow in tip-top shape now!"
"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you." Nurse Joy admitted. "The surgery itself will take the rest of the day, and from that point on your Fearow will need to undergo physical therapy before being cleared."
The girl wrung her hands anxiously, pulling down on her white fisherman hat as a low whine escaped from her lips.
Nurse Joy smiled at her apologetically.
"I'm sorry for the wait, but there's really nothing more I can do at this time. If you wish to file a complaint, feel free to phone our Board of Directors!" Nurse Joy explained, gesturing to the video-phones located on the far wall of the facility. "They will be happy to take whatever questions or concerns you may have!"
"No," the girl stated emotionlessly after a moment, "it's fine."
She turned to face Red at that point, her expression masked by the low slant of her hat.
"You. This is your fault."
Before Red could even utter a retort, the girl turned and left.
Red watched her leave with a steady frown on his face, wondering if she might be planning to get back at him somehow. Before he could get into the subject however, Nurse Joy promptly recalled his attention to his own Pokémon.
"Here you are! Your Pokémon is fully healed!" Nurse Joy bowed politely as she handed Red his lone Pokéball. "We hope to see you again!"
Frowning, Red took the sphere and promptly attached it back to his belt.
He didn't quite understand why Nurse Joy said that. Did she want his Pokémon to wind up injured and bruised, or was she just trying to be polite in her own way? Either way, it was certainly a shift of attitude from when he'd first been dragged into the Center behind that mysterious girl. He shook his head, driving the thought from his mind.
There was no point in dwelling on it any further.
"Thanks," he replied to the woman, "I'll… do my best?"
Red adjusted his cap slightly, and left the Center without another word.
It had taken some time, but finally, he was free to explore Viridian City.
Rarely had the boy made the trip in his youth, and when he did, it was typically for the sole purpose of attending the local Trainer School that taught students the basics of Pokémon. Status Problems, Type Effectiveness, it was all something they were supposed to learn before setting out on their journeys.
Of course, everyone learned at their own pace…
Regardless, for once in his life, Red could say that he wasn't in Viridian to waste his time sitting behind some desk reading off of a blackboard.
Finally, he could do what he always wanted and take a look inside one of those Pokémarts! Who knew, maybe they even had some of those Pokéballs Blue had been so arrogant about? Red was certain he had enough money to buy at least one or two of the things…
He glanced upward, locking eyes with the sleek blue sign of the store.
There was only one way he was going to find out.
"Let's get to it!" he shouted mostly to himself, running inside the sliding doors and taking his first step inside the Pokémart.
His Pokéball popped open not two steps after doing so.
"KARP!"
"Er, excuse me sir," the clerk behind the counter deadpanned, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to return your Pokémon to its Pokéball. We can't really allow them to try any free samples…."
"It's fine," Red assured the man, glowering at the golden fish. "Magikarp return!"
The fish flopped sadly at the command, and disappeared back inside its red and white home.
Red sighed, holding the Pokéball up to his face and staring at it firmly.
"Why do you keep on coming out anyway?" he couldn't help but wonder. "It's not like you're doing any good out here…."
The Pokéball shuffled, almost as if the Magikarp could hear his thoughts.
Red shook his head, and quickly attached the ball back to its holster on his belt before turning down one of the many aisles.
"Looks like they have some good stuff here," he whispered, "I don't see any Pokéballs though…. Are they all out?"
"Heh, you would think something like that, Red!" a voice called out from behind him, startling the boy.
"Blue!" Red tried not to shout, turning around to face the boy.
"In the flesh!" Blue greeted, waving his hand nonchalantly as he always did, "So you already made it to Viridian too huh? Interesting, it looks like you might be a worthy adversary for me after all!"
"Worthy adversary…?" Red deadpanned, "You're still on about that huh…?"
"Of course!" Blue smirked, setting a hand on his hip arrogantly, "So, you caught any new Pokémon yet, or are you still just running around with Gramps' old things?"
Not even waiting for a response, Blue took a swift glance at Red's belt, noting the Pokéball he'd given him sitting silently… alone.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Blue asked. "Where's the Pokémon Gramps gave you?"
"…." Red sighed, "I didn't get one from him. Some… stuff happened since we last met at his lab."
"Heh, so that's what it was." Blue nodded thoughtfully, "I was wondering why you weren't at the lab to watch me get my awesome Charmander! Now I know! You thought you'd skip ahead and try and get one over on me by catching some rare, obscure Pokémon for your starter didn't you?!"
"W-What?!" Red exclaimed, though not for the reason Blue was expecting.
"Well, it's too late for you now Red, because I've caught up, and from here on out, you're gonna be the one left in the dust!" Blue swiveled on his heel, turning to leave the Pokémart. "Smell ya later, loser!"
"O-Oi! Blue, come back here!" Red shouted after him.
But it was too late.
Blue was gone.
And with him, Charmander as well.
"That sonuva-! He knew I wanted Charmander!" Red cursed. "Now what am I supposed to do?!"
His Pokéball popped open yet again.
"KARP! KARP KARP!"
"Grrrr…. Magikarp!" Red shouted.
"SIR!" the clerk behind the counter scolded.
"…return." Red finished meekly.
Ten minutes later Red sighed as he left the Pokémart several Potions richer. So Blue had chosen Charmander… now what was he supposed to do? All those dreams he'd have of riding upon a mighty Charizard… they were slipping away from him, quickly.
"This is all Joey's fault!" Red thought bitterly as he stomped through Viridian. "If he hadn't attacked me back then I would've been able to get back in time to get Charmander! Now I have nothing but this stupid Magikarp… that won't stop following me around!"
"Karp!"
Red sighed, not wanting to recall Magikarp to its Pokéball yet again. He was going to have to do something about that Pokémon soon. How in the world had he even captured it in the first place…? He certainly didn't remember throwing a Pokéball at a gold Magikarp, much less desiring one.
Now that Charmander was off the table he might as well keep the thing. Who knew, it might even come in handy someday!
"Karp, Karp!"
Yeah, right.
"You're a cheeky little fella aren't ya?" he asked, kneeling down to address the flopping fish.
It stopped flopping around on the floor, leaning up properly to stare at Red face-to-face.
"Karp."
"You know," Red muttered, lifting the fish up to stare at it closer, "I've been meaning to ask you all this time… why are you gold? Are you some kind of Super Magikarp or something?"
Magikarp wriggled slightly, its slimy skin knocking it free of Red's grip and allowing it to slap him in the face with its tail. Red cried out, falling onto his butt as Magikarp landed gracefully and began to splash around yet again.
"Karp, Karp!"
"H-Hey!" Red shouted, "What's the big idea?! That wasn't very funny you know!"
Magikarp disagreed. Its eyes were curled up happily as it continued to splash around in the dirt.
"Karp!"
Red climbed back to his feet, his fists trembling with rage.
First Joey, then the Fearow and Charmander, and now this? It was getting to be too much.
"Why you-!"
"Getting in a fight with your Magikarp now? You're even worse off than I thought."
Red deadpanned, turning his head slightly to gaze at his addresser from the corner of his eye.
"Oh, it's you again." He muttered, "What do you want? Come to bug me about your Fearow again? Sorry, but there's nothing to be done about it now. Nurse Joy already told you what's what!"
"That's true," the girl said sadly, "but that's not why I'm here. You see, I need to get to Saffron!"
Red frowned, kneeling down to pick his Magikarp up once again.
"And? I don't see how that's my problem."
"It is." The girl frowned, "Because my Fearow you felt the need to bust up was supposed to be my ride there."
"So? Go catch another Flying Pokémon then! It's not like there aren't any around!"
"Ngh…!" the girl scowled, "No way! Do you know how long it takes to teach a wild Pokémon how to fly a person somewhere it's never been?! It'd take way too long! That's why I decided…" she paused, before pointing to Red dramatically, "I'm gonna have you escort me there!"
"I refuse," Red said immediately, making to walk away.
"W-What?!" the girl shouted in shock, "You can't! You can't do that!"
Red frowned, stopping to stare at the girl in disbelief.
"Oh yeah," he asked, "and why's that?"
"B-Because," the girl said as if it were obvious, "you're the reason my Fearow can't fly me there in the first place!"
"Karp, Karp." Magikarp wiggled slightly, agreeing with the girl.
"Well… that's true…" Red whispered beneath his breath.
The girl nodded sagely.
"Glad we're all in agreement then!" she said proudly, "We can start by heading through Viridian Forest-"
"No way! I've got better things to do than walk around the forest with you!" Red frowned, "Besides, I need to track down that Joey and his stupid Rattata-"
"Huh?!" the girl exclaimed, "Joey? Rattata?"
"Yeah!" Red frowned, giving the girl a stern nod. "He got the drop on me when I was coming through from Pallet Town! Attacked me even though I didn't have a Pokémon! He cost me a Charmander too! I'll make him pay for that!"
"Karp!"
"Eh?" the girl asked wryly, shaking her head as she started to think. "If you wanted a Charmander shouldn't you have just stayed in Pallet Town to begin with…? But I have to say… hearing that Joey's running around bullying people with Rattata is worrying… I better look in on it…."
"Fine! What if I help you track him down then?" she asked.
Red and his Magikarp blinked.
"Huh?"
The girl set her hands on her hips.
"You heard me! This Joey kid! I'll help you find him, but in exchange you better take me to Saffron, got it?"
Ordinarily Red would have immediately said no. What help did he need finding some brat in Viridian City of all places? It wasn't like the place was a bustling metropolis! Still, the culmination of events had led to Red not being as complex as he normally would have been. His mind was filled with thoughts of Charmander, Rattata, and vengeance. As such, it was no surprise to the girl when he dumbly nodded his head at her sudden outburst.
"Uh… yeah, alright."
"Karp!"
"Great! Come on then!" the girl shouted eagerly, grabbing Red by the collar and dragging him down the street, "I know exactly where we can look first!"
-Red-
They had gone to the Gym, only to find it closed and locked.
They had searched Route One, to no avail.
They recalled Magikarp… ten times.
Even the many houses of Joey's so-called "friends" left them with little to no leads, though the girl had always insisted on Red remaining outside during the questioning… it was starting to get suspicious, to be honest.
If he hadn't known that she was doing all this just to get him to take her to Saffron, he might've thought she was trying to hide the boy from him!
Still, the look on her face as she left the last house told him everything he needed to know: she'd found him.
"Route Twenty Two," she had said, pointing toward the small roadway leading toward the Indigo Plateau, "seems he wanted to take a look at the supposed entrance to Victory Road…. Whatever that is."
Victory Road.
The final hurdle for those wishing to face the Elite Four. Red shook his head. Joey may have had a powerful rodent, but even he had to have known that he was a long ways off from facing the Elite Four.
Slowly, Red stared down at his splashing Magikarp.
The time for vengeance was finally upon them.
He would not be denied.
He stepped down onto Route Twenty Two firmly, accompanied by the mysterious hat girl. Their target was in sight.
"Alright, Rattata!" Joey shouted enthusiastically. "Let's go all out and catch that Spearow!"
"Rattata!" the furry purple rodent hissed in agreement, rising up on its hind legs before staring the tiny bird Pokémon down.
"Go! Use Hyper Fang!"
Rattata's fangs shone brightly at the command, and the small critter charged forward intending to finish the bird off in a single blow. Unfortunately, Spearow chose that exact moment to kick some dirt into Rattata's eyes, driving the rodent to miss with a well-timed Sand-Attack.
"Oh no! Rattata!" Joey shouted worriedly.
Spearow crowed, flapping its tiny wings victoriously before taking to the skies.
"No! No! Don't let it get away!" Joey complained. "Hyper Beam! Hyper Beam!"
Rattata's eyes went wide at the command, and it turned to stare at Joey incredulously.
"Come on…!" the boy groaned. "Why aren't you using it?!"
"That's because that Rattata doesn't know Hyper Beam, you twit," a voice said behind him.
Joey flinched at the sound, stumbling forward several paces before turning to face the speaker.
"Surprise, bet you thought you'd seen the last of me." Red deadpanned.
The girl walked up beside him with a steady frown on her face.
"I-It's you! But how?" Joey squeaked, pointing towards Red with a shaky finger. "I thought I left you back at the river!" he began sweating when he saw the other person present. "A-And you brought sis too?!"
Red stumbled, a disgusted expression forming on his face.
"Oh, ew, what?! You're his sister?!"
The girl made no move to comment, instead taking a step forward to glare at her younger brother meaningfully.
"Joey you're gonna be in so much trouble when we get back to the house! You know you aren't supposed to be using mom's Rattata for battle! When she finds out what you've been doing with it you're gonna wish that thing knew Hyper Beam just so you could knock yourself out to ignore all the pain you're gonna be in!" she shouted.
Joey flinched, "So… So you told her about that huh? Well, too bad! Pokémon were made for battle! And as for you," he continued, turning his gaze back to Red, "I was just getting even for all those times you beat on me in Pallet Town!"
"Hmph, you're the started it!" Red scowled, raising an arm dangerously.
"Yeah? Well now I'm gonna finish it!" Joey grimaced, "Rattata, use Tackle!"
"JOEY!" his sister shouted angrily.
The purple rodent nodded, its fur standing up on end as it charged forward intending to give Red another dose of pain. Unfortunately for the ruby-eyed rat, things wouldn't go according to plan.
"KARP!"
Red's shiny Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball just in time to intercept the attack. Leaping into the air, it caught the Rattata off guard with its sudden appearance, and "splashed" its fishy tail against the rat's face.
"Ah, it's Magikarp!" Red shouted in surprise.
Rattata fell back in surprise at the motion, despite feeling no pain from the assault. It looked at the fish in shock, before shaking its head and returning to the problem at hand.
"What?!" Joey asked from the sidelines. "You have a Gold Magikarp?"
"Yeah," Red smirked slightly upon seeing Joey's surprised face, "and it's really thanks to you that I have it."
"Well… even if it's shiny, a Magikarp is still a Magikarp!" Joey said. "Go Rattata, use tackle on that overgrown fish!"
Rattata nodded.
"Tata, tata, tata, tata, Rattata!"
"Magikarp dodge with Splash!" Red shouted hurriedly.
Magikarp flopped about at the command, managing to pull off a perfect backflip while leaping above Rattata's tackle. It crashed back down on its side seconds later, returning to dancing about helplessly on the ground.
"No way, it dodged?!" Joey questioned.
"Well, that's certainly one way of using Splash," the girl behind Red thought coyly, "I wouldn't have thought of that myself. Not bad, for a brute."
"Nrgh, you may have been able to dodge that one, but how about this?!" Joey shouted. "Rattata, use Hyper Fang!"
"Rattata!" the rodent hissed, its fangs beginning to gleam with awesome power.
"That move again?! Magikarp, you'll need to dodge it!" Red shouted hurriedly.
But it was too late. No sooner did Red finish giving the command did Rattata crash into the side of his Magikarp, resulting in another bursting explosion that covered the landscape.
"Kaaaaaaaarp!" Magikarp shouted weakly, flying back into the small pool of water behind them.
"No, Magikarp!" Red shouted worriedly.
Joey clenched his fist eagerly, "Yeah, that's the way Rattata! You got him!"
"This isn't going to end well for you Joey!" his sister warned from behind Red, "You should just give up before you get in even more trouble!"
"No way! I'm gonna win this thing and prove that I'm a better Trainer than you or mom ever were! Rattata, get ready to use Bite when that Magikarp comes up!"
"Tch… Magikarp, if you can hear me down there use Splash!" Red shouted, "If it jumps high enough it'll be able to avoid Rattata's attack!"
"Karp karp karp karp karp karp KARP!" Magikarp replied, splashing its way to the surface and soaring into the air.
"Now Rattata!" Joey shouted, "Bite!"
Rattata didn't need to be told twice. It lunged after the Magikarp swiftly, opening its jaws wide to sink its fangs into Magikarp's scales-
-only for the fish to spin around at the last moment and swipe its tail down onto the back of the rat's head.
Rattata cried out in pain, its body sent crashing down into the pool beneath it. Joey cried out in surprise, watching as Magikarp landed sloppily back on the ground.
"You must be joking!" Joey spat, "I won't lose to a Magikarp! Rattata, get back up here and try Hyper Fang again!"
The pool of water suddenly glowed white. The purple rat leapt from its contents, its teeth shining with energy as it again charged Magikarp directly.
"Magikarp, Splash!" Red shouted just a moment too late.
Once again, Rattata's teeth rammed into his fish, sending it soaring against the rocky walls of Route Twenty Two.
"K-Karp…!" Magikarp said weakly, using its fins to try and stand properly.
"Your Magikarp won't last much longer," the girl told Red.
"I can see that," he grunted in annoyance, "but what can I do?"
"Heh, well, you could always give up!" Joey said arrogantly.
"You wish!" Red retorted. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much more of this Magikarp will be able to take! All Joey's been doing is switching between Bite and Hyper Fang! If that Rattata manages to land another hit… it might be game over! There must be something…" his eyes widened. "The Fangs! If we can get rid of those then it won't matter if Rattata uses Hyper Fang or whatever! But how…? Ah!"
"Magikarp, stay right there!" Red commanded.
"Karp!"
Joey grinned, "I don't know what you're up too, but it's not going to work! You're just giving us an easier target! Go Rattata, let's wrap this up with Bite!"
Rattata nodded, speeding forward and opening its jaws wide.
"Perfect he fell for it! Now he just needs to get closer…." Red thought, clenching his hand tight, "Closer… Closer… Now!"
"Magikarp quickly, leap up with Splash!" Red shouted at the last moment.
Magikarp nodded, flopping upward with a small twirl.
Rattata's eyes bulged as its fangs sank down into the rock behind them powerfully. Unfortunately, the rock was harder than its teeth. Such a thing might not have been a problem if it had been using Hyper Fang, but…
"Rattataaaaaaa!" it hissed in pain, rising on its hind legs to grip its mouth in pain.
"Ah! Rattata, what's wrong?!" Joey asked.
"Of course! He used Rattata's speed and strength against itself!" his sister shouted. "Since it wasn't using Hyper Fang, those rocks were more than enough to damage Rattata's teeth!"
"Now, Magikarp," Red shouted swiftly, "come down hard on its head!"
"KARP!"
Magikarp finished its twirl before flopping back down as fast as it could, its scaly body landing directly on top of Rattata's head.
It was a perfect tackle.
Rattata's eyes blanked out as it felt the full weight of the most pathetic Pokémon crash down on top of it. It fell to the floor in a heap, its front fangs falling out just before its eyes turned into swirls.
It had fainted.
"Yeah! Way to go Magikarp!" Red cheered. "You did it!"
"KARP! KARP!" the gold Magikarp said happily.
"No way…" Joey murmured, falling to his knees in disbelief, "I lost… to a Magikarp?!"
"If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I might not have believed it myself." His sister agreed.
"How's that, Joey?" Red asked gleefully, cracking his knuckles together, "And now, it's time for some payback-!"
"Hang on there hotshot," his sister interrupted him, grabbing Red by the collar before he could descend on the defeated boy, "I think you'd be better off leaving this one to me!"
"What?! No way!" Red snapped, "You heard what he did to me with that Rattata of his!"
"Yeah," the girl said far too sweetly, "but somehow I think mom will be able to make him regret it more than you ever will!"
She walked toward Joey slowly, an evil aura overtaking her as she began to crack her own knuckles.
"Besides," she said, keeping the giant smile on her face, "it's been far too long since I got to pick on my "dear younger brother" anyway!"
Despair and horror filled Joey's heart as he looked up and saw the expression on his sister's face.
"N-No!" he cried out hopelessly. "Don't do it! Noooooo!"
Red just stared.
"And she said I was a brute..."
"KARP!"
-Red-
After the girl had finished "picking" on Joey, they "kindly" taken to "escorting" the boy home, where he was to receive the judgment of the all-powerful figure in the household.
His mother.
"I'm terribly sorry about all this," The woman apologized profusely with a bow, "but thank you for letting me know. I assure you that this kind of thing won't happen again! Isn't that right, Joey?"
The boy winced, his ear being pulled tightly by the woman as he mumbled a quiet "yes" to Red.
"Well, I'm just glad that no one got hurt." Red lied.
"Oh please," Joey's sister smirked, "you still want to beat him up don't you? It's written all over your face!"
"Now, now, children," the mother said kindly, "there will be no roughhousing while I'm around."
She turned back to Red, "Will you be staying for dinner?"
"Ah, no." Red said quickly, waving his hands, "I need to get going if I'm gonna reach Pewter City anytime soon."
"Pewter City?" the woman asked, "Ah, I see! So you're going to take the Gym Challenge?"
"Yeah." Red nodded, "I had hoped to do with a Charmander… but I suppose this Magikarp of mine will do fine as well."
"Oh dear, you're only using a Magikarp?" the woman frowned, "That simply will not do! Why don't you take a few spare Pokéballs? At least that way you'll have the chance to capture something on your way through the forest!"
"M-Mom!" the girl shouted insistently upon seeing him hand the boy the many spheres, "Those are mine-!"
"Oh please dear," the woman laughed, "it's not as if you're using them anymore. Might as well give them to an aspiring Trainer like your friend here. What was your name again?" she asked the boy.
"Ah, it's Red, Miss…." he said softly.
"And so polite too!" she giggled, "I think you've found a keeper dear!"
The two blanched.
"No way!"
"You must be joking!"
Joey too, looked horrified at the prospect, but he was prevented from saying anything by yet another pull of the ear.
"Well then, if you're not staying you best hit the road soon!" the woman smiled. "It'll be getting dark within an hour or two!"
"Yeah," Joey's sister sighed, "We should get going."
The mother nodded with a smile, before glancing once at Joey and pulling him up the stairs. Once they were gone, Red turned to look at his "self-proclaimed" companion with a bemused expression on his face.
"We?" he asked, raising a brow casually, "I don't remember promising to travel anywhere with you."
"Didn't you though?" the girl replied, running a hand through her long brown hair, "I seem to remember you making a deal about helping me out if I tracked down Joey. Since I did hold up my side of the bargain…"
"Urk!" Red flinched. He'd forgotten all about that!
"T-That's not fair!" he shouted, "If I'd known you were related to that brat there was no way I'd have gone for that! Of course you'd know where to find him in that situation!"
The girl smiled softly.
"Fair's fair!" she said, "You wouldn't want me to tell everyone that you're a no-good liar who'd leave a poor, innocent, girl like me to trek all the way to Saffron alone now would you?"
Red scowled. "Why you-!"
She cut him off, pointing a finger into his face dramatically.
"And enough with that "Hey, you" stuff!" she continued. "I have a name you know, use it!"
"…." Red wracked his brain, searching for any mention of the girl's name. "Er... is it… Jo…ina?"
"No!" the girl shouted with a huff, "That's not even close! It's Leaf, you idiot! Leaf!"
"Well how was I supposed to guess that?!" Red asked, "It's not like you ever told me!"
"…That's true," Leaf admitted, turning away from the boy sheepishly.
Red sighed. This girl…
"Here," he said after a moment, holding his arm out for a handshake.
"Hm? What are you up to?" Leaf asked cautiously, turning to stare at the hand as if it were some kind of weapon.
"I figure you'd just follow me if I left you behind anyway, so if we're gonna be stuck together, we might as well try and get along." Red muttered, reaffirming his arm once more, "And… I guess I could have been a little sorrier about your Fearow…"
"Hm…" Leaf closed her eyes, thinking it over. "Alright then." She decided, taking the hand with her own.
"Nice to meet you Leaf," Red said as politely as he could, "I'm Red."
Leaf shook her head, holding back a snicker at his awkward face, "Nice to meet you Red, I'm Leaf."
And for that one moment, all was well.
"KARP!"
Chapter Two
END