Those first steps out of Red's town were a pain in my ass. Although everyone else was somewhat happy, I just kept to my usual grumpy attitude for reasons unknown. I finally decided to break our silence with asking Red something. "Excuse me Red. Where do we go? I mean, we just left your hometown. If you have been said to travel the world, don't you know where we should go next?"

He stopped in the middle of the road, brandishing the palm of his hand to signal us to stop. "Oh yeah! Don't think I didn't come prepared."

I watched Red swiftly pull the backpack off of his shoulders - one at a time - and open a pocket on the left side. He dug a little deep into the backpack, mumbling in the process, and yanked out a crumpled ball of paper.

He uncrumpled the ball of paper. Several smaller balls of paper fell out from the bigger ball. He unfurled the paper that formed the big ball. As I moved over to peer over his shoulder, I caught a glance of the words "Kanto Town Map" and some markings. They varied from cities to bodies of water.

Red started muttering to himself; something about a town of lavender or purple. Then another thing about having no clue where we are or maybe that we should go up the road.

"So are we lost Mr. Einstein? You should stop your muttering, it is an early sign of insanity."

"Actually Lunia, we keep heading up this road. Eventually we will reach the next city in Kanto. It's this place called Viridian City. Wanna know why?"

"I guess. Got nothing to do with our time but walk."

"Ok, from what I have heard, Viridian is mentioned in some other language, as to here we use green. It is known as the Emerald Green City too."

Interesting that people here have come up with clever ways to name the cities.

Serenity decided to speak up. "So Red. What do we do when we reach this so-called Viridian City?"

"Well Serenity, first we have to go to the Pokemon Center to heal you all up. Then I have to ask Professor Oak if he can ship some Pokemon over to me from the PC. He wasn't at the lab earlier, but he probably returned by now."

Professor Oak? I think that was the guy whose name was on that sign earlier.

Simple, uneventful things occured along the road to Viridian. Serenity and Paladus chattered with their usual sibling talk, whispering stuff to each other that I couldn't hear; or so they thought. They were unaware of the fact I can use my extra sensory powers to eavesdrop on them. I didn't feel like doing that on the point of respect.

Red was singing a little tune to himself, something about being radioactive, or along that lines. He kept quiet to himself, as if embarassed if he jubilantly would sing out that little melody.

I kept myself out of the three-way cacophony, and just curled my arms in on themselves while walking.

After about an hour or so, Red started to become a tad jumpy. His legs were shaking somewhat uncontrollably. He slowed to a halt, and turned to us. "I'm sorry guys, but I seriously have to take a leak." I rolled my eyes as usual. Paladus quit chattering with Serenity, "Yes Mother, I must relieve myself as well."

Red jokingly stated, "Well Paladus, I know the perfect tree!" They both chuckled at their male humor, that I just can't grasp.

Red and Paladus walked a few hundred feet to a tree, almost out of sight; leaving me and Serenity alone to talk for a while.

Serenity quietly shifted her feet, while I just sat down in the grass to the side of the road. Serenity quit shifting her feet and spoke to me. "Mommy, this has been eating at me for a while but can I ask you something a little...girl related."

I scooted a little closer to her, leaning in for confirmation.

She blushed, then asked, "Do you think Red is kind of cute?"

When she asked that question, I didn't exactly see my face, but I felt it flush when she said that. I understood where she was coming from, asking me when Paladus and Red were away; it would be kind of humiliating to ask Paladus or Red himself.

"Serenity, why do you ask?"

She looked away from my face, "Because I think he is cute myself." I wasn't really sure, but I would get a better look of Red when he came back. I heard the crunching of plant matter; a sign that Paladus and Red were coming back from their business.

I glanced at Red and soaked in every aspect of his image. A slim young man barely under six feet tall, a short mane of unkempt brown-black hair but having the look of being combed on top. He had a slight scruff going, but nothing seriously growing or needing of a shave. Wearing a maroon baseball cap on his head, turned backwards.

My eyes glided down towards his torso, a short-sleeved dark gray shirt was underneath an unzipped light red jacket. He had usual dirty white sneakers, and blue denim jeans with small tears in the legs.

Serenity was right in my opinion, but also somewhat wrong. The proper word was handsome in this situation, and I felt a little flustered at the sight of him. He was charming in looks as to human standards, but I like my men who don't treat us like tools of war.

Red rubbed his neck, "Well let's hit the road. Nothing to do standing around here except rot." So without another utterance we just continued towards Viridian City. Red broke into a loop of songs again, this time mostly singing about a pirate named "Monkey D. Luffy" and some place called the "Grand Line". I don't know what to think of him sometimes.

The rest of the way was the same, with Red singing about random ass pirates, and Paladus and Serenity going back to their previous chatter, and I left myself out of the social activities; preferring to keep to myself for the rest of the journey to Viridian.

We walked for the good amount of the afternoon. I looked at the clock at his house before we left. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon when we left. Over the horizon, there was a large dark green sign, that was kind of hard to miss. Time passed as we got closer to the sign; the sun starting to set. In the setting ligh, Red exclaimed, "Finally! Viridian City is only about another mile up the road!"

He turned to see us, with my unconciously puzzled face, and I assume Paladus and Serenity had too. "What guys? Did you think it was going to be like a week to get here? Viridian is only like ten miles from where I live. We were able to get here within an afternoon's journey."

Sure enough, after about half an hour, the faint glow of streetlights greeted us. I heard Serenity squeal for joy at her first sight of Viridian City. By the time we reached the gateway to the town it was almost night; I couldn't help but snicker at the obnoxious pink sign with "The Emerald Green City Welcomes You" proclaimed in large print letters.

Viridian City may not be the biggest city, but the night life is alive and vibrant with elements for every sense. We decided to rest at a bench a few yards behind the gateway. When we were done, the sun was well beyond set.

I gazed in awe at the sights of Viridian City. Everything from drama shows to night clubs. A wonderful aroma wrapped its way to my nostrils. It was sweet, with a small afterbite to it. It was coming from a bakery across the street from us.

I just had to stop and look at a strange machine that was fixed in the middle of the road. "Red, what in the world is that thing?" Red scratched his head, trying to find the answer. "Well, I believe it's called a car. They used to be around the world alot, but now, they are just bulky, smokeboxes used by the rich to get around faster, and quite rare too. These things can top their speed at around a Dragonite using Extremespeed, which is pretty fast. These things right here don't even look like they could outmatch my Pikachu's Quick Attack."

We passed the car on to other sights and sounds of the city, passing a book shop. A new volume was placed in the display window, titled "Dr. Houndour and Mr. Hyde."

All of the buildings were nice and whatnot, but I started to get tired from all of our walking. I yawned excessively loudly. "Red, do you know where the Pokemon Center is?"

"Lunia, I haven't been to Viridian in a while. It has been about five years since I was last here. A lot of the skyscrapers are barely two or three years old. Viridian is a modern city now, but of course it will never be as big as Saffron. The center should be a tad further if we keep going."

Surely enough, the classic bright red and white paint of the Pokemon Center, brightly lit greeted us as we rounded the corner. Oblivious to everything else, Paladus and Serenity rushed across the street, hoping to get into the Pokemon Center.

They rushed the door, but when they tried to open it, they failed to do so. For starters, they didn't realize that the doors were auto sliding kinds. Secondly, there was a piece of paper they both didn't notice taped to the outside of the door. Paladus tore the paper off and read it aloud.

"We honestly regret the Viridian Pokemon Center for being closed for the night. A recent power outage has caused the Pokemon Center to be operating at 50 percent of normal capacity. The Center will be open tomorrow in time for the Verde Tournament."

Crap, I guess that leaves out staying at the Pokemon Center tonight. Maybe we can get some leads for Star in the morning.

"Hey guys!" Red shouted. "There's a motel right over there at the end of the street. We could probably stay there for the night."

Sure enough, at the end of the block was a motel. Somewhat dingy, however could cater to our overnight stay here.

We were all about to go inside, but I muttered to Paladus, "You and Serenity stay outside. If she tries to come inside, stop her. You may be wondering why I won't allow y'all to come in, just trust my judgement."

He nodded, and immediately barred Serenity from moving. Paladus gave her a look that I know no one would question.

Red pushed the old creaky door to the motel open; a slightly mildewy smell happily welcomed me. The room was dimly lit by a single light bulb hanging from an old fixture on the ceiling. A small cage-like reception area was in front of us, with a crusty old man clearly snoring from the lack of activity. From the evident grime and mold around us, it was no wonder this guy was asleep.

Red cleared his throat to the ancient clerk. "We would like a room sir." Not a sound came from the old man; almost as if he was incapacitated. Red reiterated his statement. "Yo man, I would like a room." Red's clear speech did not rouse the old fart from his sleep yet again.

Red started to get ticked off at this point. He hammered his fist on the dirty countertop. "Old man wake up for the love of Arceus!"

The old guy behind the counter sprung to life, fists swinging, and wheezed; "And I'll kill you if you ever come back here!" He drifted back to reality, and placed his hand on the back of his neck, chuckling, and a tad embarassed. "Sorry I was taking a nap on the job. It's poor customer service for me to do so. Anywho, welcome to the Villa; the oldest motel, inn or whatever you want to call it. Do you both need a room?"

"Yes, I just need a two-bed room for the night. There are two more of us outside waiting."

The wisened clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a calculator. "So how long are you all planning to stay?"

"We'll be gone by morning," Red replied.

The old man nodded, "So that will be fifty dollars." Red unpocketed the crumpled bills and handed them over. "So a few things you need to know before you go. Your room is 7-E. The plumber is coming tomorrow to fix the pipes, because they are broken. The electricity is somewhat iffy here, and the televisions only get the Kanto Safari Zone channel. That's pretty much all to it."

Red tipped his baseball cap to the clerk, "Pleasure doing business with you."

I poked my head out the door and ushered Paladus and Serenity into the room, in time to see the clerk hand off a key to Red; probably for our room.

As we went up a flight of stairs, I felt compelled to snatch the room key from Red. I did just that, but he decided not to question why I did that. I counted off the rooms in row 7. I muttered the letters on the doors until we reached Room E.

I jammed the key into the lock, jiggled it a few times, and unlocked the door. Red went first, and flipped on a light switch, purging the darkness with a dim yellow light emitting from a ceiling fan adourned to the ceiling (duh). Two disheveled queen-sized beds were propped against the wall. On closer inspection, they were covered in moth-eaten sheets, which caused me to shudder. A small television was set on a stand on the opposite wall to the beds.

Serenity fell wide-eyed to the giant bed, and squealed for joy, "Mommy can I jump on the bed?" I sighed, "Yes, just keep modest with it." She flew past all three of us and proceeded to leap on the bed; bouncing on it repeatedly like a trampoline, using her psychic power to add to the grace of her step.

Me, Red, and Paladus made our way in succession, settling down to the room. Red unzipped his backpack, his Pikachu jumping out of the backpack (whom I almost forgot existed), licking his face and nuzzling Red's face.

Time passed, as we all fell under the spell of exhaustion. Paladus and Serenity took the first bed, Serenity passing out about twenty minutes of leaping on the bed. Paladus admitted to his tiredness, and bade me, Red, and his Pikachu a good night.

Soon after, Pikachu yawned loudly, and circled around the bed and fell asleep in Red's lap. That left only me and Red awake. An antique clock hung from the wall, the time: 10:53 P.M. I sat down on the second bed right next to Red. He stroked his Pikachu's back lightly, then adhered to me sitting down. He turned to me, and took a swing by asking, "Somthin' on your mind?"

"No Red, I just...don't know about this. I feel almost rushed about this. I mean in two days you have left your hometown on a goose chase of a journey with a Pokemon you just met. Does that seem out of your ordinary league?"

Red took a long pause. "Well, I should say it like this Lunia: when I was ten years old, I first got Pikachu, and proclaimed to be the very best like no one ever was. Do you really want to know the truth about what happened to that dream?"

I felt unsure about whether to say yes or not, but after a minute, I nodded my head, and he continued his story.

"Well, I have gotten all the Gym Badges that every region has had to offer me, but there is one thing I have never achieved. Your friend Star has achieved the one thing I so lack to attain the status I dream."

"You mean that you never even became the Champion or even an Elite Four member of any of those regions?"

Red shook his head, "Bingo! You can bet your sweet ass that I wouldn't be here right now helping you if I was the Champion or an Elite Four member of some region. You wanna know why? Because to become the very best, you don't need power at all, you need compassion, courage, and an overall sense of honesty and friendship. Screw intelligence, screw money, screw how big of a dick that people say they have. It is all about being a friend, and giving it all you got. In my opinion, true power can never be achieved, because one day someone will come along and be stronger than you. If you lose, lose with a sense of pride."

So that's the true meaning to being a great Pokemon. In all my years I never would have guessed.

"But Red, the one question has pondered me above all."

"And what may that be?"

"What is the purpose of my life? I abandoned my trainer, and now want forgiveness for my young dumb mind at that age. What is the purpose of this?"

"Well Lunia, that i can't quite answer. It could be some coincidence, maybe a stroke of fate, or even some form of divine intervention involved."

I smiled weakly to him, "Thanks for understanding Red."

"Good night Lunia."Red said weakly.

I blushed at a thought I had, "Red...would you mind if I shared the bed with you?"

Red paused once more. "Sure Lunia, just lemme take off my hat."

I rose from the bed, towards the light switch. Before I turned off the light switch, I caught Red throwing his baseball cap on the floor right behind his backpack, with his sneakers quickly following. I flipped the switch off, and used my detection skills to make my way back to the bed. I climbed into the bed; his Pikachu seperating both of us.

I lied awake for a little while, but eventually went to slumber land.

I find myself lying in the shadows, feeling like a puppet to some unknown master. The darknes strikes me from out of nowhere. Scenes of horror strike my brain with terrible what-ifs. Paladus getting his arm severed by the Tyranitar. Serenity lying in a crumpled, bloody heap where Paladus could not save her in time. Feeling myself falling into some strange unknown abyss for reasons unknown. I swore I could see the bottom getting closer, and closer and then...

I snapped awake, almost shrieking in terror. The nightmare I just had gave me chills all the way down my spine. "Are you ok?" I heard a small husky voice seemingly come fron nowhere, until I realized I was sleeping next to Red. I felt at ease hearing that heavenly voice of Red.

"Red...I uh, had a bad dream, and I feel uneasy." I heard nil from Red until he asked, "Would you like it if I comforted you?"

Good thing he couldn't see me blush in the dark, "I would actually like a hug. I just feel that would put me at ease." Red obliged, and I felt a pair of arms clasp around my neck, and pull me into a slightly sweaty shirt; evidently Red's. I held there for a little while, until I released myself from his grip.

I was right. I went back to a peaceful and uninterrupted sleep after that, having fended off the bad dreams.

Thanks for staying patient fellow readers. Real life has been a bitch lately, and I just needed a little time to sit down and figure out where to go with this. Chapters should come up a little faster now, because I figured out a very efficient way of writing my story. Yusei OUT!