Pokemon: You're the Monster

by robert.williamstn

What if we didn't train Pokemon to fight our battles for us but instead harvested that power to use in hand-to-hand combat between men? Here is the original storyline retold with that notion in mind and some twists as well. With protagonist Red form the video games, we see Kanto through his eyes and a cast of other folks. New chapters should be up every Tuesday!

8. Vermillion and Celadon City

13

A few minutes go by and Green finally texts me.

"Sorry about that! Let me call you back in a little bit."

"What happened? Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm OK. I'll call you later."

I stare at the phone and feel somewhere between afraid and angry. What happened? Why didn't she just answer me? How long is later?

"Yo, Red, what's a matter with you?" Blue asks.

"It sounded like Green was attacked by something on the phone. I tried to ask her about it, but she texted me saying she would call me later. I just don't know what to feel right now."

"Oh, geez. Hey Red, chill man. If she says she is OK, she IS OK! I know Green may be cute, but she isn't a wimp ya know! I saw her take on Misty, and she had the trained eyes of a killer. Plus think about it. If you were in a burning house and someone called, you probably wouldn't want to talk to anyone right there and then. You'd be like 'uh, dude, I'll have to chat with you later!'"

"OK, maybe you're right, but then is she in the burning building or just busy? I just hope she's OK."

Instead of saying something, Blue pats me on the back and steps back before pointing his thumb up as in "let's go back up stairs." I nod and follow him up the steps. Along the way, we receive some cheers from the others on the boat. Some of them fought with us, but many more are just random passengers. We hear our names mentioned over the PA and fill quite proud with ourselves.

"I guess you two are celebrities now!"

At the top of the stairs is Daisy wearing a green bathing suit under a white sarong. Not only does her sudden presence startle me, but the outfit shows off her figure and I find myself trying not to stare and yet trying not to trip either. The closer I get though the clearer she becomes. I try to smile and look her in eyes when she reaches to give me a hug and brings her chest against mine.

"Hi…Daisy!" I force out the words.

"You guys," she starts as she lets me go. "This is pretty cool, but our trip is nearly over. We'll be back in Vermillion City tomorrow morning. I hope you all had a great time."

"It was pure heaven sis, but let's never do this again," Blue responds.

We all nod and laugh before heading back to our rooms. That night we eat a nice meal with each other and dive into some deep sleep when the day ends. At least that's true for Blue and Daisy. I find myself falling asleep and waking back up all night.

When Green finally texts me right before midnight, I see the phone light up and stumble out of bed. It's loud, but Blue seems too far asleep to notice. When I check the phone, several messages come flooding in from her. Apparently there is no service in Memorial Tower or Rock Tunnel which is where she has been for hours.

"Are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine now that I'm out of that tunnel. I didn't have much signal in there and didn't want my phone to do so I turned it on Airplane mode to save energy. I used my phone light to get back, but let me tell you, it was so stressful. I thought I'd never get out. Ha ha!"

"Well next time, don't scare me like that! Why did you scream earlier?"

"I am sorry, Red. I didn't mean to make your worry. I ran into some sort of Ghost Pokémon in the tower. Apparently they have been acting up ever since Team Rocket showed up here a couple of weeks ago. One flew right through me! But I'm OK, I swear, and now I'm safe in a pod back in Cerulean City. I'll head back to Vermillion City after breakfast."

"OK good."

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!"

"Yes, me, too!" I text though in my head I imagine Green here in the bed next to me in the covers and not miles away.

We text each other good night, and I put my phone away. Blue has been out cold and doesn't stir as I set the phone down and get back in bed. Within minutes I can fall asleep.

The next morning, we pack our belongings up and make our way to the dining room. Most of the guests are here to get a complimentary breakfast like us before the boat docks. We grab some good eats and cram them down so we can escape and get back outside for some fresh air hopefully before everyone else does. When we come back out to the deck, we can see Vermillion City in front of us.

We wait a few more minutes and the steam ship docks. As I grab my things and make my way down to the docks, I see familiar face.

"Yellow!" Daisy yells form behind me.

"Hey pretty lady!" he replies. She runs to him, and the two embrace and kiss for just a little too long for comfort. I look around us hoping that Green is there, but it's still too early. I want to see her, but honestly after her night I won't mind if she sleeps in and gets well rested first. Just as I'm about to say something to Yellow and Daisy, I notice someone looking right at me in the crowd. Erica? But I blink and look back, and she's gone. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.

"Sorry everyone, but I have to get Daisy back home," Yellow s.

"Ah but Yellow, I thought this time you would talk things over with your Dad," Daisy says. I notice Yellow tighten his face for a second.

"Ah that's OK. I don't need any condescending talk from him this morning honey. Ha ha!"

"Who is your Dad?" I ask.

"My Dad is good old Lieutenant Adam Matis, or as most people refer to him, Lieutenant Surge! Yeah, good luck getting a belt today if that's your plan. Dad is tough as nails and about as nice as some."

Before we can say anything more, Yellow gives us a smile and peace sign and flies off holding Daisy to his chest.

"Whoa! I gotta learn how to do that," Blue says.

"Yeah, cool huh! And to think his Dad is the Vermillion City Gym Leader," I add. It is cool, but there is something about Yellow I don't like. It's not just that he was secretly dating Daisy, but there is something else about him. I didn't mention that I was going to gym once I got back though Daisy could have told him I guess. He just always seems to know about my story before I do. Weird!

We head straight for the gym which is actually close to the docks, but when we get close we run into a problem. A large tree has fallen into the streets and is blocking the way.

"What now?" Blue groans.

"I got this!" I say and run towards the tree. Can I do it?

CUT!

I swing my hand up into the sky and back down causing the tree to split into three parts. I kick the middle part forward leaving a gap for us to walk through. A few people walking by clap, and Blue stops to bow a few times as if he did something and gives me a wink.

"Nice!" he whispers to me.

When we get inside of the gym, there are several trainers sparring already even though it's so early. Many of them wear fatigues like soldiers do, but are these people actual soldiers? When I look closer, I see the Thunder logo on their shirts. It's not military; it's branding!

"These guys aren't real soldiers. They have outfits on," I whisper to Blue. He nods.

"Oh, and what qualifies as a real solider to you son?"

I turn around and see him. I know its Lt. Surge, the muscular man in combat boots and camo pants with bright blonde hair and aviators on. He pulls them down as he gets close to my face. I feel a gulp in my throat.

"Wait, do I know you kids?"

"I don't think so."

"No, I know you or maybe you look like someone…"

"My name is Red," I interrupt. "This is Blue and…"

"Ah, your fathers were in the war right? Himura and Mizushima!"

"Yes!" Blue says looking very excited.

"Cool, you know I heard a lot about both of them. I even met Mizushima once. Yellow Unit had to disperse some supplies to Blue Unit in a valley in Unova, and he and I talked about you and...Daisy was it?"

"That's my sister!"

"Ah knew it! I'm a better man for fighting alongside guys like your fathers and Hayashi, too, for that matter. Your female friend was here the other day. Leaf, I think."

"Her name is Green," I reply.

"You're the first person I've heard talk about serving with my father…Well you and this guy named Looker from…"

"…the International Police. Yeah, know him, too, and his real name. But I have to keep it a secret. Ha ha! Yeah, those guys are out to do some good, I only wish they weren't so cloak and dagger. A man should be out in the open with his intentions, speak his mind, and do what he does with all his might. I'm afraid that my son has got caught up in their antics."

"Yellow?"

"Ah, you know him?"

"Yes, he…well we just saw him this morning, but he couldn't stay. He had to take my sister back to Pallet Town," Blue says.

"What? My boy was here in Vermillion City!"

"Yes, didn't you just see him?" I ask.

"What? No, I haven't laid eyes on him for three years. Was he actually here?"

"…He was. He made it sound like you two don't get along."

"It's true," Surge says seeming deep in thought. "We've never gotten along since the war ended."

"But then…why did he take the color of your unit as his name? We did that out of reverence for our fathers."

"He didn't take the name Yellow out of respect for me at all. I was in Yellow Unit, yes, and I fought for my country, but so was Joan."

"Joan?" We both say looking at each other.

"We were starting to get comfortable in Yellow Unit," Surge explains. "No combat for days, and we just had to basically sit tight and wait in further orders. One night the enemy took us by surprise. Guns and bombs everywhere! We sustained significant damage to our base and had to relocate. They attacked combatants and noncombatants alike. She…Joan died, and Yellow blamed me for her death," he says. I can see his eyes start to water.

"Was that your wife? Joan Matis." Blue asks.

"Yes, she was not actually a soldier but a medic at the base when that bomb hit. We truly never saw it coming. I came home mad and hurt and said things I regret. I went to America for a few months and spent time with some cousins."

"You're originally from America right?"

"The Lightning American! So you've heard of my nickname, well that's right, but home has always been here for me. I moved here as a boy and never thought about going back to stay. Anyway after the war, I wanted to toughen up the people of Kanto for the day that evil strikes again. I wanted to keep what happened to Joan from every happening again and so did Yellow but he went another direction."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"After the war, it was deemed unhealthy to discuss the war by people in power so a lot of reports and files were locked away. People don't trust those who are not out right and honest. It makes you worry about things even if nothing is wrong. I feel true same way, but I have to respect what the Champion decrees."

"The Champion ordered a cover up in the war?" I ask.

"Is that why teachers don't always explain things in history books when you ask them?" Blue asks.

"That's right! Whatever is put in the taboo box is meant to be left alone, undisturbed, but don't panic! The Champion has agreed to let the successor do as he pleases with the knowledge. He hopes that by the time he steps down the truth will no longer be so painful."

"Step down? But he just made that decision for everyone else?"

"You're right to ask these things. I didn't and my son hated that and that's what got him into the International Police. I respect what my son is doing, but he has to realize I'm not the enemy and neither is the Champion. Men started that war, and men ended it. We all have to check our vices at the ends of the day. We have to pay for our crimes, yes, and I think we have. War is terrible for everyone involved. But I will say, one man that took a detour was in the Silver Unit, Kami Sakaki. If you see him, he is bad news!"

"Really?" I ask. "Why do you say that? What does this Sakaki guy look like?"

Surge doesn't answer and instead points to a TV on the wall. The screen flashes with headlines about Team Rocket. Burglaries, fires, and bombings have been happening in Saffron City but now they are spreading to cities across Kanto.

"Team Rocket!" Blue yells.

"That's right. IP has been following their movements, and it all comes back to him. Team Rocket has exploded, and it will be hard to find him, but we have to work together or things will only get worse."

We all agree and tell Surge our plans to get the Thunder Belt and fight Team Rocket.

"OK then, I won't hold you up talking any longer. Red why don't you go first. Then Blue, I'd like to talk with you afterword if that's OK."

I look to Blue who gives a solemn nod then nod myself.

I step onto a metallic platform with blinking lights and cables around the edge. When Surge joins me, I notice his boots and gloves are made of something thick and rubbery. He has grounded himself probably with Evertone clothes. Why?

I rush to Tackle Surge, but he raises a hand to the sky, and a Thunderbolt appears in the air and strikes me.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

I crumple to the floor as a current courses through me like someone is shaking me vigorously. This is like the Thundershock from that Pikachu only much stronger.

When I finally start to get my bearings, Surge splits into two!

"What?"

I watch in amazement as two Lt. Surges stand in front of me. When I try to hit one, they both move in unison. It's some sort of after image effect. I chase them around the platform and finally reach one Surge, but my hand goes right through it. The fake one vanishes, and I turn just in time to see the real Surge raises a hand to the sky.

"Thunder!" he yells.

BOOOM!

I feel my body tremble as another attack hits and my Gyrados Skill fails. While transitioning to my next Skill, Surge gets one more Quick Attack on me knocking me down. I bite my lip when I hit the floor and Surge rushes me, but before he can strike again I throw Poisonstings his way and fall in my face to catch a breath.

I look up and see him stop and grab at the needles then I use the opportunity to keep forming and throwing more needles. Where do these come from anyway? No time to think, attack!

Crack!

I watch as one of Lt. Surge's Element Skills break and rush towards him for a Doublekick. He takes the hit hard, but I get shocked when I make contact with him. Falling to the floor, I feel a pain course through my body.

At first I feel angry then I notice I can't move at all. I'm paralyzed!

I have no choice but to transition once more and take yet another Thunderbolt.

Booom!

"Owww!"

When Surge gets close to me, I'm ready. I unleash Embers at him making him cover up his body with his arms. He lifts a hand once more to send an electric attack.

"Oooooow!" I cry. I'm in so much pain all over. This shocking feeling is new and unusual to me.

Surge is holding his arms, and I can see steam rising from his skin. We're both out of breath, but I can tell he the burns are distracting him.

He tries to rush me once more, but I'm ready to Scratch.

Crack!

Surge crumples to the ground, and stays there. I fall down to my knees to take a breath and look up to the wall. Both of Surge's dots or skills have broken. I won! The spectators all clap and cheer me on.

"Nice job man!" Blue yells.

"Red!"

I look to the door of the gym and see Green holding her hands up and smiling bright like the sun. She runs to me and drops to my side, wrapping her arms around me in a tight squeeze.

"Ow! Easy!"

I reach out to her with my hand and place it on her cheek. She grabs my hand and kisses it then kisses me on the forehead.

"Sorry," she whispers. "Are you OK?"

"I'm better now that you're here. How about you?"

"I'm just fine."

"I'm glad...you know I barely won this fight and...I forgot. I just know I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Hey Green, nice to see you, too!" Blue groans.

I forgot he was even there. We both nervously get to our feet and step back from each other. I feel Green hesitate as she lets go of my hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry Blue," she says and gives him a hug.

"Yeah, yeah, OK! I'm happy you're back."

She turns around and comes back to me with a big smile on her face. I can smell her hair and that familiar perfume. She takes my hand and electricity goes through me though this time it isn't the kind that hurts.

"Let's get you fixed up," she says and walks me over to a recovery bed. As I sit down on one, she dusts off my hair and face then steps back. I get in one and in minutes I'm feeling completely restored.

"Nice work Red!" Lt. Surge says as gets himself gets out of another recovery bed across from me.

We both stand before one another and bow. A man walks up to me and presents me with the Thunder Belt. A Thunderbolt shimmers under the overhead lights, distinguishing my newest trophy from the previous two.

"Blue, if you don't mind, give me a few minutes, and I'll be ready to fight you next."

"Awesome!" Blue replies.

We watch as the Gym Leader and some others walk off. Green turns to us with a concerned look once they are out of earshot.

"OK, since we have a minute, can I tell you about Lavender Town?"

"Yes!" I answer for both of us.

"OK. First of all, the roads around here all have something going it seems. You may know this, but Saffron City is under a sort of quarantine or something so you have to travel around it. Also, to make matters worse, the explosions apparently startled these beasts to come out of the mountains, and now they're in the way as well."

"You mean the Snorlax? It's kind of like a big sleeping bear thing, right?" I ask.

"That's right. It just happens to be really big and way too heavy for anyone to move. I heard that one blocks our path to the east on Route 12, but there is another one out west as well. I think it's on Route 16. Apparently nothing wakes them up, but if you DO wake one up, it will try to kill you!"

"What!?" Blue yells. "And there's two of those things walking around?"

"But that's not all! I followed some members of Team Rocket out of town. They didn't see me, but they're up to something. I just know it!"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"They have been doing something in Memorial Tower in Lavender Town. I think something bad."

"Wait! How did you get all the way over there? I mean to get to Lavender Town you would have to go east throwing Routes 11 and 12 to get to Lavender Town."

"Right! I tried that then went back north to Cerulean City and east through Route 9 and then through the Rock Tunnel."

"Isn't that the long way?"

"WELL BLUE, I DID HAVE A LOT OF FREE TIME THIS WEEK!"

"Oh...right," he says.

We…I feel bad about her not getting to come on the cruise.

"It's OK. I'm over it."

"Hey, Memorial Tower!" I say suddenly realizing it. "That's where they buried the dead from the Big War! My father is buried there. Why didn't you tell me right away!? I can't let Team Rocket get away with whatever they're doing near his grave!" I say excitedly.

Green puts a hand to my chest as I start to head for the door.

"Because I knew you'd feel this way. I wanted you to focus on your match and tell you as soon as you won!"

"Gee thanks Green, I mean it's not like my parents died or anything, too!" Blue grumbles.

"Oh…I'm sorry Blue! I…"

"Don't worry about it! I'm not as moody as Hero over here," he replies rolling his eyes. I can't tell if he's being serious or not. I'm less moody, right? Blue is definitely bothered by Team Rocket, too.

"Look guys, I'm sorry. I…Team Rocket. They did something. The Ghost Pokémon have been acting erratically at the tower. People have gotten hurt or gone missing!"

"Missing?"

"Yes, a girl told me her father went missing. He was working on some big project, and well I think Team Rocket is keeping him in the tower."

"Well then let's go! What are we…" I start to say.

I stop myself when I happen to see some people passing by in front of the gym. Blue and Green look with me as two men with "R" on their shirts throw on big jackets to cover up their outfits.

Coming up behind them is Erica in her kimono. The boys seem to be laughing about something, and I can see a faint smile on Erica's face, but she doesn't seem too happy. Is she with them?

"I don't believe it! She is one of them. Erica works for Team Rocket!" Blue whispers to us.

"Looks that way, but are you sure? Where do you think are they going?" I ask.

"I don't know, but we should follow them!" Green adds.

Just as we start to head for the door, Lt. Surge and his posse return.

"Actually…you guys go on ahead! I better get this belt and catch up with you later!" Blue blurts out.

"Oh…is something wrong?" Surge asks.

"Oh nothing," Blue says. "I mean I just realized that I will probably be at a disadvantage since I have a Water type Skill and a Flying one, too, and you clearly use Electric types which my skills will be weak against, but that's all."

What is Blue doing? Shouldn't we tell Surge about Erica and the two Grunts outside? I'll try to play along.

"Oh, that is true!" I say. "You just one Skill that won't have a type advantage. Plus I know you talked about how you wanted to ask Surge more shot your Dad."

"Yeah!" Blue says rolling his eyes at me. " I did say that and oh I forgot...these two love birds haven't seen each other for a week and wanted to get some time together so might as well go now…" he leans forward and whispers in my ear, "before they get away."

I nod and notice Green covering her red face out of the corner of my eye. She takes my hand, but I hesitate.

"Go!" He insists. Ok, fine! We both nod and turn to leave.

"Well we better hurry then," Green says. "Enjoy talking with the Lieutenant about your Dad, Blue! Bye everyone!" Green says.

I see Blue smirk then wave bye.

14

We wave back and run outside to catch up with the trio and find them headed north towards Saffron City. Green motions for me to keep quiet by bringing a finger to her lips with her left hand. I notice that has the other hand wrapped around mine still and giver her hand a gentle squeeze. If only we were on a date and not stalking some bad guys!

We try to stay about a block away from them so that they don't notice us on the route and successfully get all the way to the gate when they stop.

Green and I duck into some tall grass as a guard walks out to them. One Rocket member hands him a bag, and the guard simply walks off, leaving the building presumably open for anyone to get in. We wait a minute then run up to the gatehouse, pass through and enter Saffron City.

Once we enter town, all I notice at first are the scorched buildings. Construction workers are everywhere using loud machinery to make repairs to the roads. Everyone else in town seems to be too busy getting somewhere or too used to seeing the damage to notice or care.

Our trio is off to the left so we hasten to catch up to them. They lead us to the west edge of town towards Celadon City. When we get to the west gatehouse, it's vacant. The trio passes through, and we follow close behind. Once we make it onto Route 7, Erica looks over her shoulder to the left and then the right before turning back and seeing us.

We both freeze in place. Caught! Erica gives us a concerned look and motions for us to go away but doesn't say anything to her party. The two guys in front don't notice the exchange between us. She finally turns around and keeps walking.

"Red, what do you think is going on?" Green whispers.

"She isn't one of them it seems or she is but hasn't made up her mind. I'm not sure."

"You're right! This isn't what it seems. We need to find out what's going on."

I nod, and we follow them all the way to Celadon City, but when we get to town we quickly lose them in the crowds. There are simply too many people. I look in every direction.

The Rocket Grunts as I call them were in normal clothes, but Erica was in a kimono so…I see her walk by with a small group of men and women behind her.

"There she is!" I say pointing her out to Green.

We fall into line behind the group and follow them to the west side of town. I start to since something is wrong though when I look closely at Erica's face. Unlike just before, she seems very jovial and her voice even sounds just a notch higher.

"Is this an act? Is she pretending to be someone else right now?" I ask.

"Maybe but look!"

We arrive at the Celadon City Gym and watch as Erica and the group walk in the front door. If it is her, she is too real for to me tell. Could there really be two Erica's like Blue was suggesting?

"I don't want to face two Gym Leaders back to back and want Blue here with us. Can we maybe let him know what happened and then stick around town until he gets here?" I ask.

"We let her go then? I guess we know we saw her come into Celadon City and possibly this building. We can try again later. I guess since we're here we might as well make the most of it! How do you feel about takin me shopping?" she asks sliding a hand over my chest before grabbing my arm. "Come on!"

"I guess I don't have a choice, but I was going to say yes just so you know!"

"Well then let's go already!" Green says and takes my hand.

I follow her down the street towards the busiest part of town, The Strip. The Strip is sort of famous in Kanto as the place where everyone goes for well everything. There are apparel and other shops all stacked on top of each other not to mention a couple of theaters for the latest plays. Some of the shows that come on TV are shot and filmed here live. I don't follow celebrities that much but apparently they frequent this area, too.

I feel a bit overwhelmed in the crowd and even sick as people bump up against me over and over again. My only solace is holding on to Green's hand as she directs us toward a nearby store.

When we get inside, I get a chance to take a deep breath and feel slightly better though it's still crammed in here, too. The clothing store is one I don't recognize, but I notice signs in the back saying "Evertone."

"Sweet!" I exclaim.

We walk back to the clothes of choice and agree to try on some clothes then walk it into the middle for the other person to see and give feedback. I have a swimsuit tucked into my bag, but I could really use some clothes to wear on solid ground with Evertone. I find several nice looking dress shirts and pants and hesitate to grab them then pick up an ensemble like my current one but made of Evertone. I stares at some jeans in the Big's section when Green says "Don't be stingy now. This is part for fun!"

I pick the jeans up and the grab a nice purple dress shirt. Green reaches out and touches it.

"Oh, it's nice Red! Try it on! Hmm, I wonder if I can find a matching color," she says and runs off.

I grab the shirt and find a nice pair of black slacks and shiny shoes to go with them and make a nice outfit. Then I find a black t-shirt and some new sneakers that go with the jeans before turning to look for the changing rooms.

When I pass into the hall for the dressing room, I notice they are connected to the other side of the building. I see Green coming towards me with a bunch of outfits. She rushes into a dressing room and shuts the door. I take the dressing room open next to her. As I start putting on my clothes, I wonder how I ended up shopping for nice clothes today instead of fighting or training or something.

"This IS Evertone right?" I ask looking at my purple shirt. "I mean I could fight in if I needed to?"

"Sure could though, I hope you won't do that ha ha! I was hoping we could…oh hold on."

"We could what?"

"OK, found these leggings. Want to see?"

"Yes!"

I stop and pop my head back out since I don't have a shirt on yet. She comes out wearing her regular skirt but with green shirt and black leggings that high her legs. Though she actually covered up more skin, this is somehow just as hot to look at.

"Whoa! I like it!"

"Yeah? I want some kind of cover for fighting, ha ha. These leggings are Evertone but what's great is now I can actually move more when I fight! Ugh, why didn't I think of this sooner? What you wearing there?"

"Oh! I wasn't done changing."

She steps toward me and says quietly, "Red, don't let everyone see those muscles! I want them all to myself."

I smile and dart back into the changing room and shut the door.

"Ha ha! OK, shall we try dressy clothes now? Actually put your clothes on this time!"

"Right!"

I double check the regular clothes first and confirm they fit while Green goes through several outfits next door.

"Ugh! Too tight! Too loose around the arms! Oh, this looks terrible on me ha ha!"

"No luck?"

"Oh my gosh! This one! OK, did you find something? Are you ready?"

"Yes," I say looking at the mirror.
I've removed my normal clothes and smoothed over my hair to it the dressy look. The shirt sort of shimmers in the light and the pants have a reflective stripe that goes down the length of the leg to my shoes. It takes me the longest time to the get the buttons on my wrists down, but finally I get them in place and step out as Green opens her door.

Green comes out in a sparkling purple cocktail dress with a black belt and matching black heels. The dress ends just past her knees showing her lower legs. The top forms a "V" around her neck and covers her shoulders and showing her arms. As she turns for me, I admire how the dress hugs her hips and bosom. The back has an opening shaped like a diamond, and I notice she has a white flower pin in her hair.

"Red, you look so handsome! Great job!"

"Thank you!"

"OK. OK. Well what do you think?"

"Oh my gosh!"

"What is it? You don't like it!"

"Like it? I love it! You look so hot, I mean so nice!" I say and pull her close.

"Tell me what did you want? You didn't finish what you were going to say."

"I can't say it. YOU are supposed to ask me."

"What to get married?" I ask.

"Married!? No, I mean a date first might be nice!"

"Oh…Oh! Ha ha of course!" We both have the most intense looks on our faces for a second then relax and start laughing.

I pull Green into my arms and feel her against my body. She looks into my eyes, and I want to kiss her. I feel it so suddenly, and I pull her closer to me, but just as I am about to plant the kiss, an attendant barges in.

"Can I help you with anything today?"

We both pull away from each other instantly. Feeling quite annoyed, I stifle the desire to yell and respond simply, "no thanks."

The lady walks past us and starts grabbing up clothes left in a nearby changing room. I look back at Green who has the biggest smile on her face.

"What?"

"Oh nothing!" she says and runs back into her changing room and shuts the door behind her. I can get some rustling like she is changing again.

"So you liked that dress right or no?"

"I did," I answer over the top of her door.

"And it fit OK?"

"Yes, it looked great on you. It was incredible."

I hear the door turning and take a step back. Green steps out in a bright blue dress with pictures of fish and sea life all over it. It sort of looks like what I imagine the ocean looks like with Goldeen, Horsea, Shellder, and Magikarp everywhere.

"You wouldn't say that about everything I put on would you?" Green asks.

"I…I want to, but I just can't say it this time," I reply.

We both laugh.

"Good, so you can at least give me honest feedback," she says giving a playful twirl.

"It's pretty bad! But you kind of make it work."

I reach out and take her hand.

"Can I ask you an honest question?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to go out on a date with me sometime?"

"Ha!" Green snorts and spins around in another twirl.

"What? That wasn't a joke!"

"Oh, right you're serious aren't you?"

"So you don't want to go out with me then?"

Green stops twirling and grabs both of my hands.

"Red, have you ever asked a girl out on a date? You haven't have you?"

"No, I mean…"

"Hey that's OK. I mean I haven't been on any real dates you know. It's OK, but you just got to be a little smoother about it. You have to be confident and think things through when you want tell or ask someone something especially a girl you like."

"I'm listening."

"Good! Repeat after me. 'Green, would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?'"

"Green, would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" I repeat.

"Ah, Red, thank you! I would love to go! Where are we going? What time? What should I wear?"

"Uhhhh. OK. Um, could you wear that other dress you had on?"

"Not this one?" Green asks implying the fish pattern dress and making a silly face.

"No, ha ha! I want to take you somewhere nice. I don't know where, I mean I've never been to Celadon before, but I'll find the nicest place here and take you there. What do you think about 7:00?"

"7:00 sounds great!"

Green leans close to my face and whispers in my ear, "You did great!" before running back into her changing room. Man! What a woman!

I go back and change into my regular clothes myself, and we go to check out.

After leaving this store, we decide to stop for lunch. Once we sit down, a text from Blue lets us know he got his Thunder Belt and is on his way to Celadon City. Green does her best to explain how we got here to him by text and does a good job but unfortunately for Blue, the guards have returned to their posts and won't let him through no matter what he says. He tells us he plans to train nearby and wait and see if the path opens up for him later.

After finishing lunch, Green and I continue shopping. We stock up on various items we've had like Potions and Antidotes then get some new things like a Revive which will restore one do your skills to use in the middle of battle. There are also stronger versions of Element Crystals called Great Crystals which make it easier to take a skill from stronger Pokémon. But most importantly, we find something called a Bill Box. It's named after the same person that made Evertone popular and got me on the cruise or was that his relative? Ugh, I can't keep them straight.

The Bill Box is quite impressive! One simply takes a Bill Box which is about the size of a ring box and clicks the button on the side then throws it down on the floor. The box will land on the ground, glow, and expand into a 6' tall metal wardrobe! There are other versions which can change into smaller or bigger containers, but the ORIGINAL Bill Box is plenty big and also on sale! We both get one and decide we can throw all of our things in them. It's nice to be able to put everything you don't need into a tiny box, but there's something I don't get about this device. It shrinks, yes, and that is crazy enough, but how does it remain so light? Wouldn't the box be super heavy after you put it everything it?

"What's wrong?" Green asks.

"How does this thing work? Is Bill a magician or something?"

"You believe in magic?"

"Not really! I think there is some reason or science behind this thing, but it's not obvious to me."

"Hmmm…oh, here you go," Green says handing me a pamphlet about the local library. "Maybe you could go there and find some answers."

"Sure let's go!"

"Oh, you want me to go? I mean I don't care that much about the box or anything."

"What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to maybe walk around town. Maybe check the part he outsider town and find a new Element Skill."

I know that we just spent a lot of time with each other, and the plan is to go out again tonight, so maybe some time apart won't hurt. I agree to meet up with her later and we part ways.

I make my way off the Strip and over to the Myamoto Public Library. It's quite an old and rustic building but beautiful in its own right. When I get inside, it's clear the owner has a fascination for fantasy and nature as all of the walls are decorated with paintings of fairies and mythical beasts. A giant dragon hangs from tiny strings over the center of the main room.

I don't walk into the nonfiction section and pass through a few aisles before finding a book on a shelf with Bill's picture on the cover. At first I'm excited then, I notice the author and feel my heart stop. The he book says, "Doctor Samuel Oak. Like Professor Oak? He is an online teacher now, but he used to do research.

This book…he and Bill, the grandfather that is…they worked together. They were inventors in Johto and did projects on physics, space, time, and later Element Skills the book mentions but to be honest I didn't know that he did all that stuff. I thought he just knew about Pokémon and Element Skills.

I flip my through some more pages and find a section on the Bill Box. They have it listed as a future project in this book under a section about space travel. Space travel? They went to space?

I don't know. I don't understand this physics talk. I…well I think I should tell someone about my encounter with Bill.

I start to text Green and Blue but catch myself. Blue is training and Green wants some space. I'll keep the story to myself for now. All I can think is that the strange guy I met near Cerulean City must have some connection to Blue's grandfather. Does Blue know about Bill working with Oak? I pull out different books and start to see some pieces coming together.

A group of men worked on many projects together on Cinnabar Island until the volcano went off then the team changed a few times and ultimately fell apart sometime after the war ended. I don't recognize these names, but I'll have to show Blue once he gets to town and has a minute.

I decide that I've had enough reading about things I don't know and head up front to look at the magazines. I skip over different sections not really finding anything of interest.

"You shouldn't have come here, Red," says a voice behind me in a whisper. I start to turn around, but she puts her hands on my shoulders from behind and says, "It's me."

"Erica?"

I try to be still as she walks around to face me. I see fear in her eyes for a second before she forces a smile.

"Um…yes. Red, please don't stay here. They will come after you. I don't want anyone else to get hurt.

"Anyone else?" I ask.

"ERIKA!"

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S ERIKA!"

I turn around and see young girls running up to meet Erica and get her autograph. She looks at them all and laughs and smiles and looks sincere in her act, but I know something is off, and it's all Team Rocket's fault.

"I'm going to find them and stop them," I mutter in her ear as I pass by her.

"Giovanni's!"

"What?"

I stop and turn around to confirm she said something to me.

"You want to go somewhere nice tonight right? Go to Giovanni's nicest club in town, but it the food there is HOT. Be careful!" she says and points to a window. I don't feel good about this. We're we following Team Rocket today or did they follow us?

I finally look out the window and see a fancy looking building just across the street. The sign reading "Giovanni's" is off to the right of it.

"How good is it?" I ask.

"It's a blast!" Erica says making a Rocket motion with her hands. I see her give a fake smile to her audience but just so briefly she gives me a serious look. That's where Team Rocket is! I wave at Erica and turn to leave the library. I text Green and Blue and let them mow what I was just told.

"Red," Green texts me. "We have to go there!"

"I'm coming, too!" Blue responds.

"OK! Tonight we dine at Giovanni's!"

Our date just might have to wait.