Apologies for the late update. I kinda got sick and was confined to bed without a device.
In compensation, I have made this chapter extra long (tell me if you guys prefer shorter chapters).
Chapter Three: This Wasn't In The Map!
Viridian City, huh? This isn't like how the game depicted it at all! Even from a distance, I could see massive skyscrapers, helicopters, lots of trained Pokémon flying around with people on their backs, etc. It wasn't like the Manga version of it, either.
I swear, if I didn't find the bloody Pokécenter soon I'll hurt something. The fact I have to carry my lazy excuses for Pokémon didn't help at all. I'd already gotten several offers to sell Charmander. That lizard attracts too much attention.
A Pikachu zipped past me at lightning speed out of nowhere. Then a mob of people waving a varied assortment of nets and other trapping devices stampeded by, all shouting in a colourful language unsuited for the ears of little kids.
I followed them out of simple curiosity, returning my Pokémon despite the squeaks and whines of protest. I simply could not be bothered to carry them anymore.
The congregation of people gathered around the Pikachu, who had stopped, cheeks sparking. A very brave (or possibly stupid) fellow pounced, attempting to catch the Pokémon with his bare hands. Needless to say, he was rushed off to hospital soon after.
I prodded a nearby lady in the shoulder. "What's going on here?" I had to shout above the din to make myself heard.
"This annoying pest stole our produce! We're putting a stop to its mischief!" She replied.
Huh. It's that bit of the story, then. I thought this was suppose to happen in Pewter.
"It ate my apples!" A guy shouted.
"Ruined my berries!"
"The creature stole my phone!"
The image of a small Pikachu playing Pokémon Go flitted across my mind, prompting me to snigger weirdly while standing in the middle of the street.
Just then, a familiar boy wearing a red cap stepped out, with a Bulbasaur at his side.
Red.
I had a million questions just then, like: Where's your Charmander? How'd you get the Bulbasaur? Did you trade your starter away or something? And Do you wear the same clothes all the time, or just have an endless supply of the same outfit?
The Pikachu and the Bulbasaur eyed each other warily. Then Pikachu jumped forwards and unleashed a blast of electricity with an almighty Bang!
The crowd oohed.
The light faded away, revealing a still-standing Bulbasaur. The Pikachu squeaked in surprise as Red clicked his fingers and a jet of powder streamed from Bulbasaur's bulb.
The crowd ahhed.
After a moment of apparently nothing, Pikachu suddenly wobbled, and faceplanted into the ground. Red spun a Pokéball on his finger and casually flicked it towards the Pikachu.
It was an instant capture.
And the crowd went wild!
Rushing towards Red, the mob picked him up and carried him. Just before he went out of sight, he spotted me and dipped his head as a sign of greeting. I waved back enthusiastically.
Then I went back to my miserable task of looking for the Pokécenter.
I handed my Pokéballs to Nurse Joy and plonked myself down on a chair with a groan. How nice it this? Apparently the Pokécenters provide free food and lodging for every Pokémon trainer who stops by.
I flipped out my Pokédex and started surfing the Pokénet. Yes, I've recently found out that my 'Dex doubles as a phone. Sweet, right?
I'd just gotten to the fun bit of a story where someone is getting attacked by a drop-bear when my food arrived. With both my Pokéballs on a nice little tray.
I took the Pokéballs and let Charmander out first. He looked a little disoriented and a little grumpy but was otherwise fine. Then I opened Pichu's Pokéball.
Bad mistake.
Pichu leapt out with all the fury of a tiny mouse trapped inside a small round object for a tad too long and used Thundershock. On me.
It was super effective!
As I ran around screaming, I mentally sighed. This is a little cliché, ain't it? It's just like when Ash got his Pikachu- right down to the part about not liking Pokéballs.
I refuse to be Ash.
Because I actually plan on winning a Leag-
And then I proceeded to smack headfirst into multiple solid objects.
I sat down on my bed with a bandage wrapped around my head and glared at the troublemaking Pichu, who simply glared back. Charmander stood on the bedside table between us like a judge in his court, casting patronizing looks at us with his stubby little arms folded.
"You know, if you didn't want to be returned to your Pokéball you could have just told me nicely"
"Chu!" The aforementioned mouse squeaked grumpily. "Chu pi!"
"Whatever that means. Anyway, you could also have gotten off me and walked. Then I wouldn't have had to return you."
"Pipichu!"
"I don't speak Pokémon. But I have a proposition in mind. I promise not to force you into your Pokéball if you walk when I get tired. And if you promised to never zap me again after today." I said in a serious voice.
Pichu suddenly had an innocent look on his face. He offered his paw for me to shake.
I took the tiny hand between my thumb and forefinger and gave it a gentle shake. Pichu got a nasty glint in his eye.
Before I could pull away, Pichu's cheeks sparked and I got another shock. I tumbled back with a yelp and fell off the bed.
I glared up at the smug mouse.
"I thought we had an agreement!"
"Awr." Charmander huffed, pointing a tiny claw at the calendar. You said after today. He seemed to say.
"Point." I admitted. Then I climbed back to my bed and shot Pichu a death glare. "If you zap me again I swear I'll give you to a three year old as a pet."
Pichu shuddered at the thought.
Next day
After I picked up a map of Viridian Forest from the Pokécenter, I made a trip to the Pokémart. I bought food for both myself and my Pokémon as well as plenty of water, potions, and as many Pokéballs as I could afford. I used up all my money, but at least I was prepared for getting lost in Viridian Forest. Apparently that happened very often.
Red and Blue must have already gone on, because there wasn't a peek of them anywhere. I was hoping to catch up to them by not getting lost in the forest.
"What's the date today?" I spoke into my Pokédex. Just to make sure I know how much time I spend in the Viridian Forest.
"It is the Fifty-First of July." It answered in an electronic voice.
"There aren't even that many days in a month!" I exclaimed, getting some weird looks from other people.
The Pokédex paused. "There are approximately sixty days in a month" it replied in monotone.
Oh. That explains it. So the 'ten year-olds' Prof send on dangerous journeys are actually twenty year olds in Earth age. Means people here live twice as long as we do. I wondered if that applied to me too.
Not wanting to overthink it, I set off for a nice stroll to Viridian Forest.
Warning: Dangerous Pokémon ahead! I read on a sign. Pfft. As if. Caterpie and Weedle hardly fall into the "dangerous" category.
Right on cue, a kid burst out of the forest shrieking his head off. He ran past me and skidded to a stop, walking backwards until he was in front of me again. Charmander growled at him angrily from his place by my side.
"Oh, it's you" I recognized the trainer I battled (cough cough curbstomped cough cough) yesterday as he spoke.
"Nice to see you too." I muttered under my breath.
"Don't go in there." He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I was assaulted by a swarm of Wurmple and then attacked by a drop bear! A trainer like you wouldn't last nearly as long as I did!"
Wait, run that by me again? You were attacked by a drop bear?! I didn't know those lived in Kanto!
However, before I could voice my thoughts, he went back to dramatically screaming and running away.
Weird.
Needless to say, I didn't heed his warning at all.
Once inside, I was immediately lost. The map was completely useless (I may have discovered I had the thing upside-down after an hour or so of walking), and the further I walked, the more convinced I was that I would be here for days. Charmander and Pichu occasionally wandered off, coming back with berry juice all over their faces.
The dark green canopy was so thick I couldn't tell if it was day or night outside.
After hours of just endless green shrubbery and the odd bug Pokémon (easily dealt with), I stopped to make camp. My Pokédex told me it was 7:34pm and I simply could not be bothered to walk anymore.
I grabbed a sandwich for myself. My Pokémon were full from all the berries anyway. If I fed them anymore they'd become obese. I lifted the food to my mouth-
And bit my fingers instead.
Yelping, I shook my hand and looked around for the sandwich thief. Charmander jumped to his feet, snarling. Pichu simply stayed lying down where he was without a care in the world.
A shadow swept past overhead.
Charmander spat a burst of fire towards the thing, illuminating a feathery wing.
So, a bird, then.
"Pichu! Get your butt off the ground! Shock this chicken or whatever! It stole my sandwich!" I yelled. Pichu cracked open a beady black eye. Then closed it again. Grrr. That arrogant mouse.
That happened just before the flying thing snatched him off the ground.
Charmander leapt, claws flashing, but only caught a tuft of tawny feathers. I cried out something unintelligible. There was a bright flash from somewhere above and a 'Chuuuu!' before something fell to the ground with a thump. I was holding an empty Pokéball at the moment and simply chucked it at the Pokémon out of reflex. It missed the bird by a few feet and hit a tree behind it, bouncing off to roll on the ground. By sheer luck, it hit the downed bird on the way back. Just as the Pokémon started to get back up, it was enveloped in a spray of white light.
Twitch.
Twitch.
Twitch.
Twitch.
DING!
The blue light flashed once on the Pokéball button, signifying a successful capture. I carefully picked it up. Pichu, who was pinned under the bird a moment ago, got to his feet and staggered about drunkenly. I think he might have been Confused.
I called Charmander over and tossed the Pokéball lightly into the air. A flash of white light and a sudden gust of wind spewed out of the sphere. The light faded away to reveal a startled Pidgeotto lying on its side with puffed-up feathers from Pichu's Thundershock. It faintly resembled an oversized pom-pom.
It was bigger than both Charmander and Pichu combined, and judging by the fact it's a Pidgeotto, probably has higher levels than both of them too.
Charmander's claws glowed white as Pidgeotto got to its feet. It scrutinized me calmly, and I stared right back. The golden eyes blinked once. Since it didn't immediately try to murder me, I took it as a sign of acceptance. I fished out my Pokédex and scanned it.
This Pidgeotto is female.
Level: 19
Ability: Keen Eye
Current Moveset: Gust, Tackle, Sand-Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack, Air Slash.
Egg Move: Steel Wing
Nothing funny about Pidgeotto's ability, then. Damn, a Pidgeotto with Wonder Guard would have been cool.
"Want a name?"
The bird tilted her head and inclined slightly.
"How 'bout Aria?"
She nodded.
"Awright. I really need to sleep now. But at least we won't be lost tomorrow" Aria could scout for us. I'd beat Red and Blue to Pewter!
I was woken up by a roar. I bolted upright and looked around wildly, expecting to be attacked by Mightyena. Or Professor Oak's grumpy Dragonite.
It was then my Pokédex suddenly said:"Your Charmander has learned Roar."
I was greeted with the sight of a very pissed off Charmander standing on the chest of a boy, claws waving around in a threatening fashion. Aria was watching the scene from a safe distance on her perch, while Pichu had wandered closer to watch the show, popping berries in his mouth like popcorn.
"Care to tell me what exactly you are doing here?" I asked grumpily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
It was the annoying boy again. I just can't seem to get rid of him, like how you can't really get rid of the stains dead insects leave on the wall after you squish them.
"Er... " the trainer stuttered. Charmander growled threateningly, a puff of flame spurting from his nose.
The guy yelped in alarm. "Fine! I was trying to steal your Pokémon!" My hands curled into fists and I considered bashing him right then. Seeing this, he quickly added: "To get my Pokémon back! A group of creepy spastics robbed me! They had red Rs on their clothes and kept saying stuff about rockets."
My eyes widened. So Team Rocket was robbing people in Viridian now?
"You gotta get my Pokémon back." He begged. "I only have my Rattatatata- how many 'ta's were there again?- because I hid his Pokéball in my pants-"
"I didn't want to know that." I interrupted him. "Go to Pallet Town and get Professor Oak, or Gym Leader Brock from Pewter. My Pokémon aren't strong enough to take on Team Rocket."
"I don't have time to find my way out of this bloody forest, let alone get to Pallet or Pewter. By the time I do that, it'd be too damned late!" He exclaimed. When you hear a ten year old swearing...
I gave him a deadpan look. "Don't expect me to do anything about it." I said.
The trainer looked ready to cry. 'Nidoran is my starter' he said in a wobbly voice.
I stared at him for a moment. I imagined someone taking my Charmander from me, or even the headstrong, destructive Pichu.
As if sensing my thoughts, Charmander looked up from his position on the boy's chest and gave me a reassuring huff.
"Fine." I sighed. Charmander got off his chest and let him sit up. Coincidentally, Pichu had just finished his berries and burped. I scowled at him. "We're going to a dangerous place full of dangerous stuff. You can do all the destroying things there, you spaz. Now get your ass moving or I'll leave you behind for Team Rocket to find."
Pichu grumbled a bit in Pokémon, but got his butt off the ground. Aria flew down from her perch, eliciting a startled yelp from the other trainer. He obviously hadn't noticed her watching us the whole time.
"They went that way" he pointed. "I followed them and found a tree with a camouflaged button set into it."
"Not obvious at all." I said sarcastically. "By the way, we still don't know each other's names."
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Can I just keep calling you Girl?"
"Yes, if I could keep calling you Loser."
"Aww. What's your name, then? My name's James." He said with an air of pride, as if his name was special.
"Call me Aster" I stated.
"Isn't that the name of a flower?"
"Shut. Up." Touchy subject. Don't go there.
We arrived in front of a tree. With a very obvious button on it.
Is it just me, or does everyone in this world lack common sense?
I hit the button hard with the flat of my palm. There was a shriek, the sound of something tumbling down a staircase, and I suddenly realized James wasn't where he was standing anymore.
"What was that for?! Are you trying to kill me?" He yelled from the bottom of the hidden staircase.
"Don't tempt me." I muttered under my breath.
Let's skip the bit about walking down the stairs.
I scanned my surroundings. Corridors, corridors, more corridors. The Rocket base looked like some sort of giant underground lab you generally see in movies.
"Right. Let's not split up now, since it would make us easier targets" I said, stating a very obvious fact.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no one around at the moment. We went down a corridor, found a lift, took it, and ended up on a floor with lots of rooms. I found what looked like an office and went in, hoping for a map of this place or something. I admit, being here is starting to freak me out. If someone comes this way I'll be roadkill in a matter of seconds.
The annoying guy was looking around in a drawer, probably raiding the office owner's junk food stash or something. There was a lighter sitting on the table, which Charmander was sniffing at curiously. Pichu had run off somewhere along the line to vandalize machines, and Aria was currently residing in her Pokéball.
Nothing interesting here. I walked out of the office-
And came face to face with the ugliest nose I wish I'd never seen.
"Holy Mew!" I cried. "It's Squidward! It's Squidward! Arrggh! Get it away from me!"
The bald Team Rocket guy didn't seem very happy to see me either. His impressively large nose wrinkled in distaste.
"Kids shouldn't meddle in grown-ups' business." He growled. Typical grown up. He sounds like my eldest brother when I try to take part in a conversation between him and his girlfriend.
Then he sent out a Gloom and a Aerodactyl.
I sent out Aria, and Charmander stared down the Aerodactyl which was at least six times as big as him. Then the Pokémon proceeded to simply fall on each other with no regard for strategy.
Aria frantically spammed Air Slash and Gust to both attack and blow away the razor sharp petals Gloom was blowing everywhere. I had to duck once in a while to avoid getting a pixie-cut. Charmander used his small size to his advantage, as we were fighting in a very tight space, dodging attacks and occasionally blowing fire, but never getting too close.
Flame Bursts, Razor Leafs, and Gust mixed together at times, creating mayhem.
It was total chaos.
It was then Charmander decided to go in for a close-ranged attack. His claws flashed white and he launched himself at Aerodactyl-
"YEAH!" I yelled loudly. "FUS RO-"
Aerodactyl punched Charmander, and he went flying down the hallway. I ask you, how the hell do you expect a pterosaur to punch?
"-Fail." I finished lamely.
Aerodactyl went after Charmander, so I went into the office, picked up a chair, and set off in pursuit.
Charmander was lying again a wall, looking stunned. Aerodactyl started preparing a Hyper Beam.
Kids, do not do this at home.
"EAT CHAIR!" I yelled.
I jumped onto the Pokémon's back and hit it on the head with the chair. It faltered, Hyper Beam flickering out. In an instant Charmander was up. Between Charmander's attacks and my chair skills, it didn't stand a chance.
Within seconds it was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. I gave Charmander a high five (high paw?)as we caught our breaths. As soon as we'd recovered, I picked up Charmander and ran back to the battle, carrying him like a machine gun.
"Ember!" I yelled, aiming Charmander's mouth towards Gloom. Charmander fired off a barrage of fiery pellets, but it just got caught in the miniature tornado that was going on at the moment.
Suddenly, Pichu scuttled into view out of nowhere, gripping a cigarette lighter in his paws. Speeding into the melee with a Quick Attack, he made a beeline towards Gloom. As soon as he reached it he lifted his arms-
And lit the Gloom on fire with the cigarette lighter.
The sight was so comical that despite my surprise, I laughed. In fact, I laughed so hard that I dropped Charmander. He tumbled to the ground in a flash of golden scales and shot me a dirty look.
Pichu snapped the lid of the lighter closed and looked at me smugly. In the background, the still-flaming Gloom shrieked and ran into multiple walls in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, before finally giving up and doing a pathetic faceplant (face plant. Get it?) into the ground.
The grunt I'd taken to calling Squidward gulped, and bolted. Jerk. He didn't even pick his poor Pokémon up!
James poked his head out of the office and looked around nervously. "Is he gone now?" He asked in a small voice. I sighed in exasperation. "Yes, you dandy. Get your ass out here and actually help next time."
"I'm going after him. Stay here if you like." I secretly hoped he'd stay and get caught by Team Rocket. But nope, no such luck. He followed me as I ran in the general direction of Squidward's escapade.
Lots of corridors. I passed one with a pile of files heaped against the wall. The second one was empty of everything including squids, and I turned into the third corridor, following the sound of footsteps.
As soon as I went around the corner, I literally ran into someone, knocking us both sprawling to the ground.
The very obviously non-Team Rocket boy glared as he picked himself up. He had spiky brown hair, electric blue eyes, and was wearing his trademark locket.
"Oh, it's you." Me and Blue spoke at the same time in condescending tones.
"What are you doing here?" I snapped as I placed my fallen cap back onto my head.
"Invading a Team Rocket base to train my Pokémon. What does it look like?" He replied sarcastically. That's not a bad idea, I mused to myself. "No, I fell into a random disguised hole in the Viridian Forest and ended up in an even bigger hole crawling with people obsessed with rockets. What are you doing here?"
"This guy here-" I nodded towards James who had just arrived, panting, on the scene. "-dragged me into this rat nest to retrieve his Pokémon for him." The said person was now gawping at Blue, probably wondering why he was here.
"I propose an alliance." Blue said coolly. 'Until we get out of this place." He held out a hand.
"Deal." I shook his hand."Stop standing in that spot and get your butt moving, James. Or Team Rocket might start charging you rent.' I turned my attention back to Blue. "Have you seen a guy resembling Squidward- you know, big nose, bald- run past?"
"Yes. A few moments ago. Why?"
"Because he might raise the alarm." I replied.
"Do you know where he's going?" James asked, trying to assert himself into the conversation.
I snorted. "Based on a brief character analysis, probably back to the Crusty Crab restaurant."
Blue gave me a really weird look. "You watch too much SpongeBob Squarepants."
No, Blue. Judging by the fact that you know what I'm talking about, I'd say you have been watching to much SpongeBob Squarepants too.
Just then, a loud voice came from a loudspeaker somewhere.
"Attention, the base has been breached. The intruder was last sighted in Area Northeast, Section A6. Please prepare your Pokémon for battle."
I smacked myself in the face. 'Crap. I knew I shouldn't have come here'
"Wait a moment" Blue suddenly said. "This is Area Northwest, Section B16. I saw it on the sign just over there."
"Sooooo..." I began.
"It means there's another person who isn't Team Rocket in here" Blue finished for me.
"We're still undetected- for the moment" I stated. "Let's not wast time standing around doing nothing." My Pokémon, who had appeared out of nowhere (probably raiding food stashes again), squeaked, growled, and cawed in agreement.
Blue scrutinized my Pokémon for a moment, before inclining his head in agreement and gesturing for me to lead. I started walking down the corridor at a quick pace, and the other two trainers followed me.
"We need to find where they keep the captured Pokémon." I said as we went past a room packed with machines.
"Is that, by any case, a room labeled 'Pokémon Storage'?" Blue asked casually.
"Probably." I answered, wondering what he was thinking. He smirked and showed me a map of the place.
"Where did you get that?" I asked in surprise.
"Off a billboard in front of an office." He pointed to a spot on the map. "Pokémon Storage, Area Northwest, Section D29. We'd better find a lift."
After a bit of searching, we found one. But as soon as we got into it, we heard something extremely unwelcome.
"Attention, intruders have been sighted in Area Northwest, Section B17." Boomed a voice from somewhere.
Blue cursed colourfully. 'Language' I snapped. He ignored me and went to press a button in the lift, labeled "D". We began a painfully slow descent.
"What sort of Pokémon do you have?" James asked Blue out of nowhere. Instead of answering, Blue plucked three Pokéballs off his belt, clicking on the buttons. A light spray of water erupted from one, revealing Squirtle. Another Pokéball released a ball of white light, and the last one spat out a gust of air, which coalesced into the forms of a Rattata and a Pidgey.
Charmander went over to the Pokémon with an air of curiosity, while Pichu looked disinterested. My Pidgeotto was once again in her Pokéball, due to the lack of space in the elevator.
Just as I got fed up with waiting, the elevator doors chimed softly and opened. Blue strode out first, looking at his map, followed by all the Pokémon and me. James was the last one out, looking around fearfully as if expecting the walls to bite him.
Charmander seemed to have gotten attached to Blue's Pokémon, hanging around them and occasionally holding conversations. I wondered at what they were talking about. Complaining about their trainers, probably.
I took the silence between the trainers as a chance to start a conversation.
"Blue?"
"Yes?"
"Why doesn't Red talk? He's not really mute, is he?" I fully expected him to not answer.
Blue was silent for what seemed to be a very long moment. "You're very observant, aren't you? How do you know he's not mute?" He said at last.
Because Red definitely wasn't mute in the manga, and no one said anything about him being mute in the game. But I didn't say that. Instead, I just said:"Because he doesn't act like a mute person." And hoped Blue wouldn't find anything suspicious.
"His father was murdered by a gang of criminals when he was five." Blue said softly. "He saw the whole thing. Hasn't spoken a word to anyone ever since."
Not knowing what to do in touchy-feely moments, I just responded with an 'Oh'. We walked in silence after that.
Blue abruptly stopped, his Rattata crashing into his leg. I darted up to him to see what was going on, and paled.
On the other side of the hallway stood a bunch of Team Rocket grunts armed with a squadron of Koffing, Rattata, and Zubat.
We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, not speaking, not stepping any closer.
"In my very limited experience, the best cause of action to take here..." Blue trailed off. We all stared at him.
"Shit, never mind." He sighed. "Just run for your bloody lives." And we did just that.
We bolted past rooms full of boxes; rooms full of machines; rooms full of bloodied tools... I flinched, thinking about which unfortunate being had been at the wrong end of the sharp objects.
Blue shook my shoulder hard, breaking my train of thought. "Keep running!" He yelled. 'Don't stop!"
Behind me, James was being something of a whiner. "I'm tired!'"He complained. We just ignored him as per usual.
I stopped staring at the rooms and focused on running hell for leather out of there. The Rockets were still behind us, firing the occasional attack our way.
"Listen," Blue gasped after a while. "We can't keep this up forever." We were all puffing and panting, though the Pokémon seemed fine. "You take James to the storage and get his Pokémon back. I'll distract them. After you're done, come back and help me." He handed me his map.
I nodded. Taking Aria's Pokéball from my belt, I called her out and pressed the Pokéball into Blue's hand. "She's my highest leveled Pokémon."
"I can't command her." Blue complained. 'She's your Pokémon'
I stared at him in surprise. 'My Pokémon don't need commands to fight'
With a 'hurry up, doofus' to James, I took one quick look at the map and darted off in a direction, James hurrying after me.
Left turn, left turn, straight on and... voilà! We quickly slipped in the Pokémon Storage room, making sure nobody saw us in the process. James tried to open the door by turning the doorknob, pushing at it, pulling at it, and finally, kicking it. He failed quite spectacularly, bouncing off the door to land on his behind and proceeding to swear colourfully. "It needs a security card to open." he complained, rubbing his sore foot.
I smirked, and sauntered up to it, brushing a card against the panel on the side. Noting the other trainer's surprised look, I shrugged and said:"Pichu has very fast paws. He nicked Squidward's wallet. I think I have enough money to make it to Cerulean now."
There were neatly labeled boxes. Some said "Trained Pokémon" and the others said 'Untrained Pokémon'. Some were labeled 'Common', 'Rare' and 'Special' . In the corner, there was a heavily padlocked metal safe with a sign attached to it saying 'Important Pokémon Do Not Touch'. I checked to make sure James didn't see me, and quietly plucked an Ultra Ball from a box labeled 'Untrained Pokémon Special' and slipped it into my pocket. James had found his Pidgey, and was now looking for his starter, Nidoran.
Sounds of footsteps grew louder and louder. I hissed a warning at the unwary trainer just as a group of Team Rocket grunts burst into the room. They made a circle around us and blocked any path of escape.
"Look what we have here." a woman with a Golbat sneered. "A couple of children just like the one we met in the hallway'."I remembered the room with the bloody tools and wondered with a sudden panic whether Blue was still alive. And whether Aria was okay. Charmander whined softly, thinking the same about his newfound friends.
As if in answer, a burly man shuffled to the front, carrying a limp form. Blue! Now I have to find out if he's still alive. "The oversized pigeon and the turtle got away, but that hardly matters." The woman continued. I barely suppressed a smile. If Aria got away, at least she wasn't dead. Also...
"Squirtle is a tortoise." I scowled.
The big guy blinked. "But it says 'Tiny Turtle Pokémon' on the Pokéinfo page." He said, scratching his head ponderously.
"Now look here, you ignoramus-"
The woman just ignored me and talked straight on.
"I'll admit, the boy fought well. He took down most of our Pokémon. But in the end, Team Rocket always wins." Okay, okay. Stop right there. The villain monologue is boring and cliché. Just tell me if Blue is dead or not.
I made a gesture at Charmander. Understanding the message, Charmander used Roar, forcing all the Team Rocket Pokémon back into their Pokéballs.
"Stop!" The woman yelled. Not so smug now, are you. "If you move another step, we'll snap his neck." Actually, now I come to think of it, that would be most convenient.
Just then, Blue's fingers gave a slight twitch. I could have been seeing things, but I also remembered what happened when Koga tried to kill him in the manga.
"Oh my Arceus!" I yelled, pointing dramatically at something outside the door. "Could that be... MEW?"
All the Rockets instantly looked where I pointed, and things happened very fast.
First of all, Blue revealed himself to be not unconscious, and flicked something into the air with surprising speed. The big man who was holding him then found himself being Skull Bashed by an angry Wartortle, Probably thinking:'Oh, so the tortoise hadn't gotten away after all' as he fainted.
The Rockets looked back from where I was pointing and found Blue at our side, armed with a dangerous tortoise. Meanwhile, I was still trying to take in the fact that the Squirtle I saw five minutes ago was now a Wartortle. Blue must have done some intense training.
"You didn't hit him hard enough!" The woman yelled at the now unconscious guy. She reached over him and pressed something on the wall.
Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves in a cage which had suddenly dropped down from the ceiling. "HA!" The Rocket yelled in glee, dancing around in triumph. "I knew installing a pointless cage in the ceiling would come in handy one day." Is it just me, or is that a mental asylum escapee? The rest of the Rockets just looked at each other in an exasperated manner.
The woman leered evilly. "If I press this button, the cage will become charged with enough electricity to fry you to ashes." What did I say about cliché again? On the other hand, being fried to ashes may offset my ambitious plan to win a Pokémon League. Lance, don't you think you're escaping from this. I'm still coming for you.
The other two trainers in the cage were shouting now, trying to find a way to break the cage with their various Pokémon. I just acted casual and scanned Wartortle with my Pokédex. Apparently it was Level.18. Yeesh, that's a lot of Youngster Joeys with their high percentage Rattata who's had their dreams crushed in the past two days.
"This isn't fair!" James wailed. "What have I done to deserve this?"
"Bad life choices. We've all made some." I patted him on the head. "Next time 'round, get a starter Pokémon from a legit Pokémon Professor instead of catching it yourself, I hear-"
Crazy Lady got tired of watching us banter, and pressed the Button Of Doom, cackling like a retarded goose.
There was a bright flash as the other two trainers cried out and Charmander put his little paws over his eyes and all the other Pokémon made a dogpile (Poképile?) in their desperate attempt to escape-
Nothing.
"-That Professor Oak in Pallet Town still has a Bulbasaur left as a starter Pokémon." I continued as if nothing had happened.
Pichu mimed eating something and licked his lips smugly as he absorbed the last traces of electricity.
"Nah." Blue said lazily, snapping his Pokédex shut as he leaned against the bars of the cage. I've a feeling he just found out about Pichu's improbable abilities. "Bulbasaur got stolen yesterday."
"Pity." I replied. Seems like Green already made her move.
"WHAT!" Crazy Lady screamed, jabbing the buttons repeatedly. There was a series of flashes, but nothing much happened.
"I'd suggest evolving your Nidoran." I told James cheerily. "Nidoking are beast. And you might want to do something about that Pidgey. Then you can just fly anywhere you want if you have a Pidgeot."
"Yeah." James seemed to pick up the joke. "I'd need a water type. I don't think I'd make enough money to get a boat ticket to Cinnabar. I'm going for something like a Gyarados- so I wouldn't get eaten by a Sharpedo while Surfing to Cinnabar."
"Going for the League too? Same here, I'm on my way to Pewter at the moment- Wait a sec, I think Pichu's overcharging."
The little mouse seemed to be having a problem digesting the electricity. He glowed from inside out, and had a strained look on his face. I was worried Pichu would Selfdestruct on us, in which case we'd be toast. Almost literally.
"Pichu!" I called. "Use Thundershock! You need to get rid of the extra electricity." But the stubborn mouse shook his head.
Then, before I could say 'Stubborn Mouse', a vortex of lightning erupted from Pichu, engulfing him.
I cried out and shielded my face from the excruciating brightness. After what seemed like an eternity, the light dimmed, leaving stars dancing across my vision. I opened my eyes slowly.
In Pichu's place, a Pikachu was blinking in bewilderment.
"Congratulations. Your Pichu evolved into a Pikachu." The Pokédex droned from my pocket.
"Pika..."
Pikachu jumped up, and performed a contest-worthy flip. He executed a perfect Iron Tail on the bars, making a huge hole in a matter of moments. I could not have felt prouder then.
"Your Pikachu has learned Iron Tail." One of these days, I'll find a way to shut that thing up.
About a second after that, things became quite chaotic.
Blue and James got out of the cage, Pokémon following. Then the Pokémon present proceeded to get into a massive brawl, started by a roar of thunder fired off by Pikachu.
"Your Pikachu has learnt Thunderbolt." I get the point. Shut up, mister obvious.
A tumultuous racket started up as all sorts of Pokémon performed all sorts of attacks. Pikachu leapt up onto a bench, pushing a box full of Pokéballs tumbling to the floor, releasing even more Pokémon into the already furious mayhem.
Then, the knight in red jacket arrived.
A Charmander who was not my own unleashed a Flamethrower at a bunch of Zubat, fainting most of them instantly. Not to be shown up, my gold-scaled buddy fired his own Flamethrower at some Ekans. My Pokédex said the usual thing when one of my Pokémon learns a move, and I tuned it out.
"Hey Red!" I yelled across the room with a huge, stupid grin plastered on my face. "You're late for the party!"
Red gave me a distracted wave and released a Bulbasaur and a Pikachu to join the fray. I fished the Ultra Ball I'd nicked earlier out of my pocket and chucked it. "Go, Pokémon that I hope is a Dragonite or something!"
But nope, no such luck.
A dainty yellow fox with five tails emerged from the Ultra Ball instead.
Aw, c'mon. I groaned internally. I mean, Shiny Vulpixes are cool, but they're mostly for show.
A moment later, I changed my mind when the said fox casually fired a blast of white light at a passing Koffing, dropping it to the ground, and went back to licking its paws. I scanned it with my annoying Pokédex.
This Vulpix is male.
Level: 15
Ability1: Drought. Ability2: Flash Fire.
Current Moveset: Quick Attack, Dig, Feint, Feint Attack, Fire Spin, Foul Play, SolarBeam, Substitute.
Egg Move: Hypnosis.
The unusual colouring of this Pokémon suggests it is a Shiny.
Aw. SCORE!
Hidden Abilty Vulpixes (Vulpixes that have Drought as an ability) can practically use SolarBeam at will because of Drought. It also means HA Vulpixes have an advantage over Water-Types, despite being a Fire-Type.
I'm SO keeping this one. Thanks, Team Rocket!
"Ummm..." I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Go faint stuff."
The fox ran gleefully to join the battle. Seriously, are all Pokémon this eager to fight?
"We all got into this by accident." Blue muttered from somewhere. "But I'll bet all my travel allowance that Red found his way down here on purpose." I think his travel allowance is quite safe on that account.
More Team Rocket people joined the fight, but that just prompted Pikachu to push more boxes off benches, adding reinforcements to our side. The walls were now none-existent, having been blown apart quite some time ago.
Slowly but surely, our incredibly large force of Pokémon- who where mostly in their first evolutionary stages- overwhelmed Team Rocket, forcing them to recall their fainted Pokémon and flee.
As the last of the Team Rocket fled for their lives out of the battered room, we breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Right." I said tiredly. "Let's call Officer Jenny and get the Hell out of here, shall we?"