Chapter 3: The S.S. Anne

"Tickets please." The Usher said to Roger and Kate.

"Here you go, two tickets to Vermillion City." Roger said handing the tickets to the Usher.

"Thank you sir, wait a minute! Congratulations, that Torchic is the 1,000th Pokémon to board the S.S. Anne!" He said pulling out two golden cards. "These cards will let you board the S.S. Anne anytime for free, no question about it."

"Yay!" Kate grabbed the tickets. "Thank you Torchie." She picked him up and started petting him.

"Torchic chic!" Torchie said enjoying Kate petting him.

"Thank you." Roger said as he was about to board the ship.

"Not so fast." The Usher stopped him. "I got something for your Torchic." He pulled out a TM. "This move is rock tomb, Torchic can learn this."

"Wow, thanks." Roger took it and then went in the ship. "Wait a minute where is our room."

"Room 348." Kate said holding the keys. "How can you forget these? Anyway it's on the top floor so let's go take the elevator to the sixth floor." She walked over to the elevator holding Torchie. They went to their room and found one bed, a bathroom, a big window, a TV, a closet, and a radio. "Wow, this room is great." She stood in awe.

"Torchic!" Torchic jumped out of Kate's grip and ate some Pokémon food on the table.

"No Torchie we need to pay for that!" Roger ran up to him and took the food. Torchie started to cry a bit because the food was so good and he couldn't have it anymore.

"Don't worry." A cruise assistant came in. "I heard you two won the golden cards. They also give you free room service and anything you want in that fridge."

"Thank you very much." Kate shook her hand and the assistant left.

"Torchic." Torchie went back to eating and Roger's stomach grumbles.

"I think I'm hungry" he said.

Kate laughs but her stomach growls too. "Ok let's go look at the restaurants we have here."

"Um where are the restaurants?" Roger asked embarrassed.

"Did you seriously forget your map too? Come on Roger." Kate said pulling up a map.

"You're cute when you're mad." Roger said. Kate couldn't help but blush. "Come on let's go find a place to eat." Roger held her hand and Torchic jumped inside one of the pockets in Roger's trench coat pocket. They eventually found a restaurant called Tangela's Noodles. Roger ordered a large chicken flavor for him and Kate to share and some cheri berries for Torchie.

"Yummy! This so good!" Kate said eating the noodles.

"Slow down your gonna choke." Roger said. "Oh wait a minute." Roger forgot about Mercedes. "Waiter, can I have more cheri berries for my other Pokémon?"

"Of course!" He said. "I will bring them here in a second." The waiter came back in five minutes. "Here you." He gave Roger the berries and left.

"Dinner time Mercedes!" Roger threw up a pokeball and Mercedes appeared.

"Growlithe growl!" Mercedes was happy to get of her pokeball.

"Mercedes, here ya go." Roger handed her some cheri berries. Mercedes ate them next to his chair. "Oh yeah I forgot to add you to my Pokephone." Roger pulled it out and scanned Mercedes.

"Growlithe, the puppy Pokémon. Growlithe is an extremely obedient Pokémon, Growlithe will wait patiently for orders by its Trainer. Then the Pokephone showed Mercedes' current moves and his hidden ability, flash fire.

"Cool." Kate said. "Now you need 150 more and you have every single Pokémon in your Pokephone. As they ate there was one more noodle left, and Roger and Kate both had a piece of it. Ruining the romantic moment Torchie jumps up and eats the whole thing. "Torchie why did you do that?" Kate said disappointed.

"Chic tor tor!" Torchie said happily finishing the noodle. Then they here people cheering the name Lt. Surge in the battle room next to them.

"Lt. Surge, he is here?" Roger was a little bit surprised that a gym leader was in the same boat as he was. "Let's check it out. Waiter I'm ready to pay!" We waved at the waiter.

"Um sir you don't need to pay, you have a golden card, and you can get anything we sell for free." The waiter said.

"Oh really, this card really is valuable. I will at least leave a tip." Roger put five hundred dollars on the table and Kate left one hundred.

"Much appreciated sir and madam." The waiter took the tip and left.

"Now let's go." Roger placed Torchie on Mercedes' back, linked arms with Kate, and walked towards the battle room. In there was Lt. Surge and his Voltorb defeating a trainer and his exeggute. Roget scanned both the Pokémon in his Pokephone. "Cool."

"Hey kid." Lt. Surge called Roger. "How about a battle?"

"You mean a gym battle, sorry but I'm not registered for the Kanto League yet." Roger said.

"That's ok kid, most of my Pokémon are pretty tired, I only have one more who hasn't battled it. How about a one on one?" He said pulling out his pokeball.

"Ok, this will be my first battle." Roger said and he heard the crowd cheer.

"Roger are you sure you want to do this. I mean he is a gym leader so his Pokémon must be very strong." Kate whispered.

"I'm not sure about this myself, but gym leaders don't normally challenge trainers like this. This is special." Roger whispered back. "Here take a video on my Pokephone, please." He said giving her the phone.

"A day view huh?" Lt. Surge said. "This will be fun, go Raichu!" He threw the ball to the ground and Raichu appeared.

"Rai!" He said sparking up his cheeks for battle.

"Kate scan Raichu for me." Roger said. "Sorry Mercedes but this is my first battle and Torchie is my first Pokémon, so it's only fair. So go Torchie!"

"Tor!" Torchie jumped of Mercedes' back ready to battle.

"Torchic, huh? Use thunderbolt." Lt. Surge relaxed and a little cocky. Raichu did the attack and a bolt of lightning hit Torchie.

"Torchie are you ok?" Roger asked. Torchie jumped back up. Then Roger remembered reading an article about Lt. Surge and his Raichu, it said he immediately evolved his Raichu right when he caught it as a Pikachu. Roger knew that Raichu are normally slower if they spend less time as a Pikachu. "That's it! Torchie use agility." Torchie obeyed. "Now Torchie follow up with quick attack!" Torchie landed a perfect, critical hit on Raichu. "Great job."

"You caused Raichu a great deal of damage, but it was all worth it to me because Raichu has static which means that Torchic of yours is now paralyzed. Now Raichu use thunder!" Torchie was hit with a powerful bolt of electricity.

"Oh, no. Thunder is one of the most powerful electric attacks!" Roger said in worry. "Torchie use sand attack!" Sand hit Raichu's eyes lowering down his accuracy. "Now use quick attack."

"Tor?" Torchie was surprised he couldn't use the attack but then he realized he was paralyzed.

"It's about time the paralysis took effect." Lt. Surge said kind of relived. "Now finish this off with volt tackle!"

"Oh, no! Torchie I know you can do quick attack, you just have to try!" Roger yelled desperately. Torchie used quick attack but then surrounded himself with fire. "Whoa Torchie just learned flame wheel! You got this Torchie!" Then flame wheel and volt tackle collided. Both Pokémon fell down but Torchie fell down first because he was smaller.

"This match is a tie!" A Pokémon referee said.

"Torchie rest." Roger called back Torchie. "You did great out there, I'm so proud of you." He said to Torchie's pokeball. "Here." Roger gave Lt. Surge 200 dollars. "Thanks for a great battle."

"Why are you giving me this? It was a tie." Lt. Surge said.

"Because Torchie fell down first, I'm taking this as a humble loss." Roger said.

"You know what kid? Raichu is my first and strongest Pokémon. You said this was your first battle? Well you did excellent against a gym leader. Right everybody?" Lt. Surge asked the crowd and they cheered. "Raichu return." Lt. Surge called back his Raichu. "How about we go to a Pokémon center?"

"There is a Pokémon center here?" Roger said as he returned Mercedes.

"Yes Roger!" Kate faced palmed herself.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Lt. Surge asked Kate.

"I'm Kate, Roger's girlfriend." She said with pride.

"Well you're a lucky girl." He said. "Roger is incredibly strong for a beginner."

"Now let's get going!" Roger said taking Kate's hand. They found the Pokémon center and gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy. In about two minutes they left.

"Well Roger, it's getting late. I'm off to bed. We will definitely meet again when you challenge my gym. But here is a little gift for you." Lt. Surge handed Roger the TM thunderbolt.

"Thank you Lt. Surge and goodnight." Roger said. Lt. Surge waved goodbye and walked to his room.

"We should go back to our room to our too." Kate said grabbing on to Roger's arm. "Come on, I'll lead the way because you probably don't know where we are. Roger gave in because he knew she was right. When they got back they changed into their pajamas.

"Well I'm giving Torchie some special training you want to help?" Roger asked.

"Sure, what do I do?" She asked.

"Can you boil some water for me?" He asked.

"Ok." Kate grabbed a pot, filled it up with water, and heated it. While she was heating it, Roger brought Torchie to the sink.

"Are you ready for you first day of training? Roger asked Torchie.

"Chic chic tor!" Torchic jumped around the sink in excitement.

"The water is ready." Kate said with a pot of boiled water.

"Thank you." Roger took the pot of water, closed the sink drain, and poured the warm water in. "Ok Torchie hop in!"

"Are you insane?" Kate yelled. "Torchie is a fire type.

"Torchic!" Torchie smelled the water and found out it was hot, so he jumped in. The Mercedes came out of her pokeball and jumped in too.

"The goal is for you two to stay in this water all night." Roger said.

"Torchic." Torchie laid down and went to sleep.

"Growlithe." Mercedes slept next to Torchie.

"Well time for us to go to bed." Kate said pulling Roger to their bed.

"Goodnight." Kate kissed Roger. "I love you.

"I love you to." Roger kissed her back. "Goodnight." Roger turned off the light.

The next day Roger got up with Kate staring at him only two centimeters away from his face. "Good morning!" She said to scare him.

"Ah!" Roger got scared. "Oh my gosh!" He got out of bed and walked over to his Pokémon. "Good morning you two.

"Torchic." Torchie said drying himself off on a towel.

"Growlithe." Mercedes said licking herself.

Roger touched the water. "Wow it's really cold, great job guys. Now it's time to finish our training. I want both of you to use ember on the water. The Pokémon obeyed and the water instantly turned to steam. "Great job guys we did it. Now take a nice long rest in your comfy pokeballs. Roger called back his Pokémon.

"Well they did it." Kate said. "Anyway look the boat stopped which means we are about to make our first step into the Kanto region." They packed up their bags and exited the boat. "Vermillion City is so beautiful!" Kate cheered.

"Yep, first stop Diglett Cave!" Roger and Kate ran to Diglett Cave. Just by holding Kate's hand he could sense that she was very excited for her first Pokémon and he was very happy for her.