A/N: I'm such a bad Pantera fan. Any metal fans on here reading this will have noticed that the chapters are all songs from the Pantera album 'Reinventing The Steel'. Well, I added in a chapter called 'The Underground in America'…only to discover that the song isn't on that album, and it's on another. SO. I'm going to leave it as it is, but miss out 'The Underground in America' on 'The Great Southern Trendkill', and all will be in business. Because I'm trying to have the chapter titles relate to the chapter itself. It makes sense to me.

Also. Thank you guys for reviews! It means a lot, and inspires me that little bit more to keep this story going. I really like it, and I'd feel so bad if I let any of you down by discontinuing it. That happens so often on this site, and I feel most Pokémon journey stories aren't very good - you know the sort, having Deoxys as a starter or something ridiculous like that. But I'm no one to judge!

Anyways. Happy reading. And enjoy the twelfth chapter of Hellbound. :D

My newest team-mate's name was Lily.

It seemed fitting for the only girl I had on my team.

I was a hit with the ladies.

But in all seriousness, the day had been - apart from a little incident in a little forest caused by a little fucker - excellent. Caught a new Pokémon. Explored a cave. Harassed by Team Rocket, and beat a bastard down to rescue my best friend like my life was some kind of lame action movie. You know the sort. Walking slowly away from an enormous explosion was one of my life goals, though.

Thanks to that complete bitch known as Mother Nature, we didn't make it to Vermilion City. We ventured outwards from Cerulean in hopes of reaching Dave's hometown but the torrential rain was horizontal, the wind was screaming in our ears and it was freezing. We turned back and ran for our lives, and just as we made it back, we saw Joel outside his parent's house, enjoying the night sky, completely dry.

Bastard.

Joel's grandparents had a few spare rooms, and they let Dave and I stay in one so we didn't catch cold. We were there now, and I had to admit the room was very comfortable. Two soft beds and a small, cosy lamp that lit up the room nicely were really the best things in life. And Iron Maiden. And cups of tea. Damn, that was the life. And that was how we spent our night.

"You know," Joel began, playing with a deck of cards. "That Abra I caught. What should I name it?"

"'Fucknut'," Dave suggested.

"Charming," I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help smiling. I was absently drawing in the sketchbook I had earlier forgotten about, and discovered it at the bottom of my superiorly Joel-organised bag. Art still had to be my favourite thing in the world. It provided an escape, and every time I produced something good, I was immensely proud. Little things filled me with such accomplishment - and I hadn't drawn that day. It was almost like not waking up.

"Uh…" Dave thought aloud, lying down in bed, arms crossed over his face. "Hocus. Call it Hocus. Like the film…" We were silent. "Man, guacamole sounds good right now."

"As does a brain transplant," Joel replied, staring at him, unblinking and unmoving. Then he burst out laughing, his face creasing into smiles.

Dave began reeling off names - 'Babushka', 'Abraham', 'Bra', 'Metal Rex', 'Baberaham' were a few - but Joel ignored all of them and settled on 'Skylar'. I thought it was quite cute. It was just so strange that he actually had a Pokémon. Maybe he would just hang out with it and be its friend rather than just battling it for pride and money like every other brainwashed little ten-year-old in Kanto did.

I still hadn't realised why I was doing it, but I was sure it wasn't pride. Money not so much.

"Why not 'Bra'?" Dave whined petulantly.

"Because that's a shit name."

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Don't start!" I laughed, and to my joy, they did. "Anyway…what time is it?" Joel pointed me to the clock. Half past one in the morning. The night was still young. But I felt tired after such a long and eventful day. And my jaw ached a bit, but I had forgotten earlier and didn't notice. Now it was just a dull throb in the back of my head.

Dave read my mind. "Must be getting skills from Bra because I know you're thinking about Gary Fucking Oak. Bets that he's in Vermilion City will be taken in shortly."

"Gary Oak?" Joel thought aloud. "Remember him! What a twat. Like, really. Bloody pretentious fuck thinking he's the shit. And he punched you, didn't he, Darrell? If he ever sees you again, you tell me, and I will…" He paused. "I will do things!"

Gotta love your friends.

I was pleasantly awakened the next morning not by the expected pillow in face, or much worse things in face, but to loud shouts and chants outside. Joel's grandparent's home was situated near the Pokémon Center, and that was where the noise was coming from. At half past nine in the morning, I was sitting in my bed, wide awake with Dave, both of us staring at each other, half-dead.

"I hate everything."

"What are they shouting about?" I groaned. "Did someone lose a stupid battle and they're raising merry hell?"

The door slammed open and Joel pranced - literally pranced - in. "Good moooooorni- oh, damn! You're up! What the hell? Darrell, that's not like you, my boy!"

I just blinked, senses deadening and wishing I could sleep until everything faded into an apocalyptic wasteland. "Listen."

"Yeah, there's a protest going on," Joel shrugged. "It's something to do with the government trying to close the Pokémon Center or some shit. And on top of that, apparently Team Rocket are about."

That woke me up.

A hearty breakfast was had.

I felt no fuller, though. My stomach was still in knots. Team Rocket. Team Rocket. Team Fucking Rocket are fucking here to fucking fuck us up. Oh fuck. Oh dear. Oh. Fornication. To add to the discomfort, the day turned out to be surprisingly hot for February, and I deeply regretted wearing the same clothes I had worn the previous day.

Got to take what you can get, right? Fuck changing every day.

We could have been walking around naked and a difference in temperature wouldn't have been made - but if everyone walked around naked, the world would have just been a better place. So we ended up going out to investigate the protest with me shirtless, Dave in a white vest, and Joel shirtless to join me. No regrets.

"What's going on?" Joel asked some individual, Jett pawing around at his feet, examining him for any danger. Ace sat happily on my shoulder; he seemed to like the sun, but looked much more interested in the crowd of people he could see.

"This Pokémon Center is run independently. If it needs money, trainers will donate in gratitude. It's only fair. It's the way it's always been, all over Kanto. But the government is trying to shut it down. Apparently it's illegal to have it independent."

"That's bullshit! No way is that illegal!" Dave cried, grabbing the attention and high-fives of some of the protestors. "How the fuck?"

Clearly this guy knew something about law.

Some kind of power mixed with pride rushed through my veins at that moment, or it could have just been the sheer heat. The air was warm and humid, it was like breathing in that warm air I'd always smelt on holiday. I'd never been to a protest before. I felt adventurous and free, and the knowledge I was away from Pallet Town just added to my freedom. I couldn't help smiling like a maniac. I was beginning to live my life. And I would have this for as long as I wanted it. Happiness was my friend.

But it was vanquished all of a sudden.

A strange man, dressed in all black - how he even survived the heat was beyond me - ran out of the Center, holding a stereotypical bag of loot, but this wasn't a cheesy movie. This was a real life robbery, and before I knew anything, I had tackled the man with a loud yell to grab attention, and brought him and myself to the ground. I fought against the anger that had conquered me the previous day, and would not let it do it again.

"Darrell!"

"Yeah, you go, dude!"

"Grab him! Grab him!"

"What the hell's he doing?"

"Team Rocket?"

"Come on, Darrell, it's alright, man!"

Someone else had pulled me away from him. A police officer. I was back with Dave and Joel, stumbling about. I had stopped a robbery. I had stopped a Rocket grunt. I had prevented I had stopped I had just done something I wasn't even sure I understood. I tackled someone. He'd robbed the Center and I stopped him. Oh. Oh wow. Oh fuck. Oh man. Oh.

"Well done, son," the young officer said to me, pulling the grunt up. Handcuffs. Arrested. "We've always had trouble with the Rockets. I'm not surprised it was them again, behind this crime."

The Rocket said nothing. He just glared at Dave, Joel and I.

"Here you go," he said, digging something from his pocket, and handed me a small, golden-coloured disc. "It's not much, but I'd like to give you a proper reward at some point. It's a TM. You know what those are?"

I nodded. "They teach attacks, yeah?"

"Yup," he nodded back in appreciation. "That one teaches Thunderbolt. It'd be pretty good for that Pikachu you have there. Anyway, thanks, son!"

A little disc that would teach my Ace how to shock an opponent into oblivion. My day was already eventful. Again. I'd caught a Rocket, stopped a robbery, and now had the protestors congratulating me. I had a new item on my hands. I'd heard of TMs before, but never owned any. I'd never needed them. But they would have to come in useful at some point. Every self-respecting trainer used them.

It felt good to be part of the protest. Or, it could have just been the heat.