Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies. The characters in this work are all loosely based on those created by Pokemon and its companies, and this story will never by no means be used to make monetary profit or gain.

CHAPTER TEN

Recognition:

Samuel Oak was without doubt the smartest man in Indigo. He was the most respected authority on the subjects of natural sciences and engineering, and even if there existed those close, or in some fields superior to him, they would never dare claim to be his better - at least not to his face. And the reason was quite simple. Unlike most his peers, Professor Oak did not expertise in only one branch, he mastered all. His research on pokemon physiology and anatomy was unparalleled, the "Samuel" formula he had found was the only known way of calculating the maximum distance a teleporter could travel, the entirety of the league database system was programmed by him, the economic insights he gave on "The Weekly Show with Mary" always proved right, his designs on Kanto's sea waves power plant to the east coast were detrimental in supplying the entire country electricity, and I did not even have to explain the unhackable masterpiece he had built with Blue's and mine dexes.

So when Professor Oak admitted during one interview that when it came to the fields of software and mechanical engineering, he wasn't even close to understanding the works of young William Stein, well, the media made Bill the most famous person in Indigo almost overnight. Soon, pretty much everyone had heard about the tech genius from Goldenrod and the many patents that belonged to him people had used in their daily lives without knowing, the PC Storage System and capture stylers included.

Bill quickly became a hot topic and was wanted everywhere, interviews, parties, conferences, guest lectures, league meetings... He was invited to them all. And him refusing to attend only made the interest on him grow.

But slowly, as months passed and Bill was never seen in public outside of absolute necessity, opinion on him changed. He became a disliked person in the academic and scientific community for he rarely collaborated with his fellow men and joined their intellectual discussions. Reporters hated him; he was the youngest and richest bachelor in Indigo, but there seemed to be no scandal about him they could print. The one-percent couldn't accept the fact he wouldn't mingle with them, and the general public found him too snobby, what, he couldn't even appear on TV at least once? Soon, as rumors told, there were less than a handful of people who remained in regular contact with him; Professor Oak was one, for he seemed to be the only person Bill always had time for, and then a few military contractors that worked with him on some top secret governmental projects.

I always secretly admired William "Bill" Stein and his approach towards the "normal" people, and I thought of him a man of my own mind. A person of such obvious talent did of course not need to bother with those lesser, and if people thought him arrogant, it was at least righteous arrogance, with a keen mind backing his attitude.

Well, these were all mine and the public's assumptions anyway.

And as I laid down on Bill's couch in his small cottage home, my shoulder covered in bandages and recovering from my injury, I now knew that the truth was much, much different.

It was very, very wise of Bill to not appear in public.

In fact, I would go as far as to say he shouldn't be allowed in public.

Bill was a fucking freak. And this came from me, who myself was often defined as abnormal by most and had met his fair share of actually crazy people recently.

From where I was, I could see the shelves of the small living room filled with unopened, still in prime condition action figure boxes. Characters from comic books and cartoons stared at me from all over the place. I only knew the more popular ones, no doubt someone like Blue could name all the other obscure super heroes here. But the plushies all over the floor, them even I recognized. They were stuffed pokedolls of the legends in our world. I counted five Rayquaza, ten Xerneas, and seven Dialga. A common theme the stuffed toys shared was that they were all the good-doing and benevolent figures of legend, there was a noticeable absence of certain other legendaries, those like Giratina, Yveltal, Kyogre...

I realized my eyes were resting a bit normal than usual on one Suicune doll, almost as if... I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Leaning up a bit, I tried glimpsing out of the window, where the giant silhouette of a mechanized clefairy suit could be seen working on the garden.

I now had to come to terms with the fact that, as unbelievable as it sounded, last night I hadn't hallucinated. Indigo's top engineer really was a fantasy hero complexed lunatic posing as a vigilante in a pink fairy suit with added flamethrowers to burn criminals to a crisp.

I had to get the fuck out of here.

A humming sound distracted me, an actual clefairy holding a tray had entered the room. Singing and twirling around, she offered me a cup of aprijuice, a bitter tasting but full of vitamins, vitalizing drink. I took a small sip and nodded my thanks, wondering the story behind one of the rarest pokemon species in the world being reduced to a house maid and why it seemed whenever my life was going to shit I would always encounter this specific species of pokemon.

"Ah, faithful Graviton! Always taking care of those in need!"

I almost dropped the cup in shock, I hadn't heard Bill enter, which was unbelievable since he was still wearing his robo-fairy armor. The head portion of the suit was screwed out and tucked under one arm so that the famous young billionaire's face was poking out. He grinned at my shocked expression and lifted one foot.

"Sound absorbing boots! Alas, in my experience, though it is an act without honor, surprise attacking one's opponents saves many lives!" he explained.

The clefairy openly snickered at him, and Bill's face reddened. "Ehm, by experience, I mean of course only last night. I haven't had the chance to real- I mean, it is unwise to fight crime unprepared! The suit still needs many upgrades, young trainer, and when I am finished, the underworld will tremble with fear at the names of Flamefairy and Graviton, the wonder duo!" He finished his speech with expecting eyes directed at me, obviously waiting on me to give some awe-stricken reaction.

He got none, which was why his voice sounded less confident when he spoke again. "Eh hem, now dear trainer, I am sure you are full of questions, and I'm glad to answer them and elaborate in detail the path that led William Stein in becoming the scorn of darkness, the champion of justice, Flamefairy. You see, it all began years ago, with lack of hope for any intellectual match in the world, I was only left wit-"

The clefairy cleared her throat, interrupting his rambling with a sound of chimes ringing. Bill stared at her crossly, before returning his gaze at me.

"What my faithful sidekick," he emphasized on the word, giving the clefairy a sideways glance, "is urging me about is, umpfh. This is embarrassing to admit, but do you remember me mentioning the few upgrades my suit needed before it was ready? Well, when last night's events occurred near my doorstep, I might have been too hasty in donning the not fully functioning version of my crime-fighting outfit, and well..." He turned around, allowing me to see two clasped tight buckles on approximately where his shoulder blades were. "I'm... stuck."

He gave me a pleading look. "Now, please dear citizen, do not think me of asking any kind of favor, I've long come to accept this noble duty is thankless, but if you could just maybe find it in your heart to free me, I promise I'll mak-"

I opened the twin locks.

Steam erupted from the opening. A portion of the giant clefairy's back swung wide open, and out stepped William "Bill" Stein himself, coughing and only in his underwear. He looked up and down at himself. "Allow me one moment to be decent, my fellow man, and I shall return in no time to answer all your questions!"

He ran towards the back, leaving me and Graviton alone. I could only stare behind him.

"If you actually want to escape this place but he doesn't let you," I addressed the clefairy. "Give me some sign now. I think we can build a 'non-trainer abusing a pet' sort of case. I promise after I leave I'll come back again with the police."

Graviton giggled. I sighed and waited for Bill.

))(())((

The Moon Base, Bill explained, was Flamefairy's secret headquarters. It was located under Sea Cottage, his humble home was only a front to distract the few visitors he got, and the sub levels could only be accessed by arranging the hands of an old clock to a precise time, therefore unveiling the hidden staircase that led to the oversized basement.

The only reason I had for following him was he had told me my pokemon and dex were there.

On the way down, he kept going on and on about his mission, why he planned on using his money and skills to save the good people of Indigo, and how the patents he owned gave him enough capital to buy secrecy and raw materials for his many crime fighting tools. Of course, he still simply had to play the role of William Stein on occasion, so he kept contact only with those he trusted, like Samuel Oak and bla bla bla... I usually tuned him out, as grateful as I was for him saving me and my team last night, the words he was sprouting were the fantasy filled delusions of a madman with a hero syndrome; pure, absolute nonsense.

Then again, his skill and genius were the real deal, and after finally reaching the lowest level of his retreat, I couldn't help but feeling impressed at the technological marvels he was hiding in his ridiculously named Moon Base.

The floor was tiled in white and above us were same colored fluorescent lights. Numerous machinery of purposes unknown were attached to the surrounding walls, and at one corner stood a great empty glass case, where I suspected Bill normally placed his suit. At the center of the room was a workbench with a blowtorch and two thin sheets of metal on it, possibly an unfinished project Bill was working on. A giant dexscreen was attached to the opposite end of the room, and a small desk covered in papers was placed in front of it. And on top of the stack of papers was-

"Your dex." Bill picked up the device. "Or should I say, my dex? I did contribute in building it after all."

Oh. I suddenly remembered the professor's words from when he first handed me my dex. "I programmed it myself and sent it over to William. He too added a few tweaks."

"The device had an 'Error UP', which I fixed, but it is curious. That error only shows up when this beauty encounters an untraceable pokemon, and well, that simply shouldn't have happened." Bill stared at me for a second, and his tone became more serious. "Have you, Trainer Red, per chance met a beast with enough electro-psionic potential to override your pokedex's tracking algorithms written by myself and Mr. Oak?"

I shook my head, but kept notice of the fact he addressed me by my name. I doubted someone like Bill would recognize me from the battling tabloids, which meant he had probably snooped through my pokedex. No matter how freaky he acts, this guy is still a genius. Just like I've been assessing him, he's been doing the same to me, I thought.

"I see then. It was probably a random bug." Bill's cheerful and optimistic voice returned. "This is once again yours fair Red."

I took the device back, momentarily angry at myself that I kept either breaking or losing it. I really needed to start taking care of this dex better, especially after the time it had saved my life under Mt. Moon.

"As for your pokemon." Bill reached under the desk and pulled a drawer, revealing four pokeballs, three of them too familiar.

They all survived. My eyes tearful and hands shaking, I clipped all three of them back to my belt and left the one I thought belonged to Dante.

Bill was kind enough to turn his back and give me a moment for wiping my eyes. After a minute, he began speaking again "Your pikachu - quite an unusual specimen, I might add, a physical pinnacle of its species! - was completely drained of charge, which was the main cause of its exhaustion. And please keep in mind Red that despite my nightly occupation, I am still a man of science during the day and use my words literally. So when I say 'completely drained', I mean your pikachu had no amount of voltage, and I do not think last night was not a reason on its own for that condition. Any ideas?"

I shook my head again and gently touched Pikachu's ball with my forefinger, imagining how much he wanted to be let out now. Soon, buddy. Once we're out of here.

Bill rubbed his chin with one hand. "Curious. Anyway, since my mission obligates me to help those in need - men or pokemon, no exceptions! - I treated him with voltaic ores I acquired from Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh during my last visit. They built up your pokemon's charge overnight to a healthy level, and afterwards he collapsed in deep slumber, which was when I took the opportunity of placing him in his pokeball."

There was light in Bill's eyes as he explained his work, he kept smiling to himself. "Your ivysaur was easier to treat. Although the injuries inflicted upon her by those scoundrels were far more severe, they were also those of a physical nature; the wounds on her skin and leg healed sufficiently enough when I placed her under some self-made HPS lights. By morning she was in a better condition, but I would suggest regular sunlight treatment for a full recovery."

I nodded, I was thinking the same thing myself for Callidora. She had taken almost the full brunt of yesterday's attack and was also instrumental in saving and keeping us alive. Without her, I couldn't imagine how last night would have ended for us. I promised myself to treat her for a feast and go easy on her training for the next couple days.

"The arrow wound on your slowbro, that was, forgive my language please, simply nasty to treat." Bill eyed my bandaged shoulder. "Your pokemon's thick flesh stopped the weapon from damaging critical organs, but it appears the arrowheads of these scum were dipped in crobat venom, not the most potent of poisons but one of the harder ones to detect. Luckily, my work is thorough dear Red, and after taking some blood samples, I noticed the toxin spreading - any other pokemon than a slowbro and I would have been too late. I gave him the correct antidotes and then, remembering you too had been hit, checked your blood as well. Unbelievable, but turns out you are immune to toxins specific to the zubat familia."

Bill shook his head in wonder, but this didn't come as a surprise to me. Under Mt. Moon, I had been on the receiving end of a rather violent bat colony onslaught and then dipped naked almost immediately afterwards into a miraculous healing fountain of unknown potential. If that didn't buy you antibodies for life, nothing did.

"Nevertheless, you should know your slowbro is also safe and sound in his pokeball, which leaves us with the late Trainer Nolan's Dante." Bill gestured sadly with his hand the unpicked pokeball.

I raised my guard again. How did Bill know about Nolan? My question was answered before asked, apparently Bill liked the sound of his voice too much.

"After tucking you all in and leaving Graviton to keep company, I ventured out in the unknown, aiming to drag out the final scum who escaped my justice from his hiding hole." Bill's voice was dreamy, as if recounting a tale of adventure. He sighed before continuing. "Alas, my best efforts proved unfruitful, as the villain had escaped without trace. But I did manage to find one item of interest; in a clearing within deeps of the forest, a single pokeball." He pointed Dante's ball.

So Butch managed to escape and then got rid of all the bodies? In the time Bill treated us? He must have had maybe an hour at most. These rockets prove themselves even more resourceful and efficient than my initial suspicions. Blue is right, someone in the league must be backing them, I thought.

"Perhaps his escape is meaningful, yes, yes, could it be-?! Finally, have I found my arch nemesis, my ultimate villain, have I created him myself?" Bill happily muttered to himself, lost in fantasies once again.

I cleared my throat loudly, bringing him back to earth.

"Ah yes, the ball." Bill went on nonchalantly. "After some examination and searching the league database, I matched it a starter's ball, issued to one Trainer Nolan, who I assume is last night's victim? Why else would you be unknowingly running to my doorstep with another trainer's pokemon? Unless..." Bill gave me a sideways, hopeful glance. "You wouldn't be a thief, would you Trainer Red?"

I shook my head sideways too quickly.

"Ah. So I knew," Bill tried saying cheerfully, though the tone of disappointment in me not being a criminal was evident. "Which leaves us with one problem, wouldn't you agree?"

What?

"What are we going to do with him?" Bill pointed at Dante's ball again. "His original trainer is no more. I can't have him, it would be a shame to keep a trained fighter here in my laboratory, and I can't take him out on my heroic ventures. I would never dare endanger another life aside my own!"

Behind him, Graviton gave an annoyed hum which Bill conveniently ignored. "I suppose I could release him to the wild, but..." He paused dramatically.

I knew what he expected from me, and after last night it would be a lie to say I didn't consider it. From what I knew, Dante was a too loyal pokemon who had stuck with his owner to the end. His species was known for their battle prowess, and to have a fire type in a team always provided offensive power.

But I also knew that Dante was regularly drugged, his impressive stamina at the tournament therefore did not count, and last night his flames were not nearly as powerful as the average of his species. Furthermore, even during my tournament match against him at his best, uninjured and juiced, when Nolan had left the charmeleon alone and without commands against Pikachu and me, he had performed worse than a wild pokemon on its own and had only won that match due to his amped up endurance, proving his natural fighting skills were already blunted under an incapable trainer's treatment.

Even from what limited time I had spent with the charmeleon, I knew that he was a naturally good natured pokemon that would listen to me and not cause trouble, but he had neither the stubborn courage and battling spirit of Pikachu, nor the sharp mind and keen instincts of Callidora, qualities I liked seeing in a main team. I could take him as a backup pokemon like Paul, but even my slowbro had a rare trick up his sleeve, Dante was simply outshone on all fronts.

The logical thing to do would be trading Dante for cash or releasing him. Albeit a good pokemon, I was almost sure he was not a fit for my ambitions.

But pokemon training was not always about logic. Otherwise a pikachu that tried to kill me five years ago would not be today my best fighter. Otherwise a gift ivysaur from an institutionalized random lover would not have saved my life multiple times.

Sometimes, destiny shaped its own self. Sometimes one had to go with guts and abandon logic.

Battling is half the responsibility.

I picked up the pokeball and brought it to my lips.

"I couldn't save your trainer. I didn't try to."

If Bill was surprised by my sudden speech, he said nothing.

"I only focused on escape. And when I needed it most, you helped. I called, and you answered. And even if you are silent now, I want you to know I hear you. I hear, this time, your call." I sighed. "What kind of a dick would I be if I didn't answer?"

The sound of a pokeball clicking against my belt echoed.

"That. Was. Epic!" cried out Bill. "Did you try to imitate the speech from issue two-two-eight of Z-Men, when th-"

Tuning him out, and in a better state of mind now that I had my dex and pokemon back, I wanted to leave this place more than ever. I was about to ask Bill the exit when something caught my eye, something previously blocked because of my dex being there.

On top of the stacks of papers, was a small, purple card. An invitation letter, the words were colored in gold and shined brightly:

"The Silph Family welcomes you to the coming of age ceremony of its youngest member! A party for all to remember, please join us aboard Vermilion's luscious S.S. Anne!"

S.S. Anne...

Anne...

Why on earth did this sound so familiar? Why was there a twist in my gut, as if I was missing something importan-

A sudden flashback of the dialogue between the two rockets interrupted my trail of thought.

"How's your brother doing?"

"Duke's on the Anne mission. He's expecting a promotion."

Of fucking course.

I grabbed the invitation on top and hurriedly read the rest of its content. Apparently, the youngest son of Obadiah Silph, one of the wealthiest and influential businessman in Indigo, was turning eighteen the following month, and old man Silph had rented a party boat, inviting all of Kanto and Johto's elite to join.

Lost in thought, I considered the possibility of the S.S. Anne being an actual target for Team Rocket. Admittedly, it was very much not likely. From what I could gather, secrecy was a major rule for these criminals, and I didn't think they would risk exposure by confronting the wealthiest people in the nation. But then again, if there was indeed some plan going on, it seemed like I was the only person who could stop it.

The question was: Did I care to?

Not enough to go out of my way and journey all the way to Vermilion.

But also enough to ask Bill if I could keep this invitation. He seemed surprised, but allowed me to have it, then kept rambling about another favorite issue about his second favorite series. I guessed he didn't plan on attending anyways.

I slipped the invitation in my back pocket. I wasn't going to travel all the way to Vermilion just to confirm a suspicion, but there was no harm done in checking it out, provided I successfully won a badge in Saffron. The third city on my list, if I managed to win my badge and still had time to make it to the party, I planned on indeed investigating. But otherwise, this matter was no concern of mine and simply wasn't worth deviating from my goals.

Deciding on leaving, I interrupted Bill's speech and offered him my hand as a thank you for all he had done. He smiled and shook it.

"Thank you, Trainer Red, for without you, I would still be stuck in my alter ego's outfit. I owe you a favor. I've added my private number to your dex, you need something, name it," he said sincerely.

This guy... I sighed. Last night he had rescued me and my team from certain death, healed us from our injuries, provided us a safe resting spot, and today he gave me his invitation to an exclusive event freely, yet he still felt like he owed me just because I had opened two locks. How far does this guy's hero complex go? I thought. Then I remembered Professor Oak's words in his last message to me. "In my experience, it always helps to have accomplished scientists in your corner."

Well, even if crazy, when the second most genius mind in Indigo felt like he owed me a favor, who was I to turn that down?

"Yes Bill," I addressed him for the first time, grinning. "When I need something, I'll definitely call."

))(())((

I only released Pikachu from his ball when I deemed I had cleared enough distance from Shell Cottage. I didn't know how he would react, the last time he had been placed in a ball was during his laboratory days, over two months ago. I prepared myself for his angry growls, for him to lash out or even shock me.

But I wasn't ready for him to bury his head between his fore legs, his body shivering as if he had caught a cold, and his constant whimpers, crying, the normally erect and threatening tail curled up, its end tucked under.

It was... a sad sight. On one hand, like always when we spent more than a few hours apart from each other, I couldn't help marvel at his physical beauty; almost as large as a raichu, his fur was sleek and bright, his body was lean and muscular, he radiated health and strength all at once. Which made his current state of mind break my heart even more.

I knelt next to him and put my hand gently between his ears. I tried calming him down, reassuring him with my presence, but there was only so much I could do at the moment. I did not know why Pikachu hated the ball so much, I did not know what painful memories he associated the experience with. And there was no way of me helping him overcome that, he had to deal with the aftereffects of being put in a ball during necessary times like last night on his own.

All I could do was be there for him.

It took a good few minutes for him to stop shaking, and another minute for him to stretch his body and stand up on his feet. Growling quietly, he licked my reached-out hand, sniffing the scar he had given me long ago on my out stretched arm. "Yeah, buddy," I muttered. "You feeling better?"

His fur crackled with electricity in response. Smiling, I stood up. "Let's go then. Lot of ground to cover today."

We walked in the direction Bill had earlier pointed at for me, according to him, that path would lead us back to Cerulean, where I planned on restocking my supplies to prepare for the journey to Saffron. He turned out to be right, half a day's walk later the city's northern gate was in sight.

If the officer was surprised to see a trainer approaching, he did not show it on his face. I knew travelers arriving north of Cerulean were considered suspicious, after all, no cities or settlements existed in those grounds and the routes built there only led to Cerulean Cove, a touristic location for which it was hardly the season. Possibly a new graduate from police academy, he looked bored with his stationed position. His face lightened up though when I gave him my trainer's card.

"Oh, oh! Trainer Red, sir! I watched your battle against Ms. Misty on TV. Pardon me sir, you must be hearing this every day, but it was amazing!" His grin grew on his face. "My sister watched you live, I was so jealous, wait till she hears I saw you in person! Do you mind taking a picture sir?"

I absolutely minded. Shaking my head, I almost snatched my trainer's card back from his hand while Pikachu growled beneath my feet. I walked into the city, leaving the disappointed looking officer behind me.

I was relatively more familiar with the streets and canals of Cerulean now, and I knew the largest trainer's market was near the city square. I noticed that me and Pikachu were drawing stares as we walked, and two kids even rudely pointed at us with their fingers.

What is happening?

Disturbed by looks, instead of walking all the way to the city center, I barged in the nearest store I could find. The shop owner lifted his head from the gazette in his hands and eyed Pikachu. "No pets allow..." he began speaking, but his voice trailed off. He stared at us for a brief moment, before standing up and straightening the front of his shirt.

"Welcome young man," he started in an entirely new voice. "How may I help you?"

Ignoring him, I stocked up on the limited amount of trainer exclusive items available. I didn't like the way he was rubbing his hands together expectantly as I passed the herbs and antidotes I wanted to him. "Ah yes," he said with a sly smile on his face. "These are all trainer exclusive items. I need proper identification."

Fearing the worst, I gave him my trainer's card. His grin widening confirmed my suspicions.

"My, my Trainer Red sir, what an honor!" he said, acting surprised. "Such a big name, in my humble shop, what an honor indeed!"

The expression on my face should have convinced him I wasn't made for small talk. That, or I was betting on the sound of Pikachu's fur crackling doing the job. But apparently subtlety was not this man's strong suit.

"I've read about you of course - two badges by combat! And one from Ms. Misty herself. They call you the greatest prodigy Indigo has ever seen, championship material!" He patted the gazette with one hand while passing my items through his register. "Of course, you probably know all that." He chuckled.

I did in fact not. Apparently, something had happened during the one week after my battle with Misty that everyone in Cerulean had heard the name of Trainer Red. And what's more, with Pikachu being my signature pokemon, I assumed every person here who saw a free roaming pikachu next to a trainer would automatically be right in making a connection, meaning as long as Pikachu was out of his ball, everyone on the street would recognize me.

I tried my very best not to groan loudly - the last thing I needed was more people distracting me, taking my time, forcing me to communicate with them as if we were equals. I did not want to be the single shine of excitement in their otherwise boring, mundane lives.

"And this shop feels the need to support young trainers as yourself Mr. Red, yes we do. Because you youngsters are our future after all, I'm sure some great league position is waiting for you!" The shop keeper was taking forever on giving me a price, I just couldn't wait to leave this city. I was sure part of the reason for the recognition I was getting was that I had defeated these people's own leader, Misty. In other cities I wouldn't be as noticed.

"So, I wouldn't mind giving a talented, upcoming trainer like yourself a special discount." The owner leaned forwards and winked. "If you won't mind me taking a few photos, posting online something small like 'Trainer Red shops here' or so? Not a bad deal, is it?"

I didn't even care anymore. I simply bundled up all my purchased items in my arms, dropped them in my bag, and left cash on the table more than the total price. If the shopkeeper was surprised, I did not know, for I exited the place as fast as I could.

A small crowd was already gathered up front; two teenage girls, a family of three, and a group of boys were snapping pictures of me and Pikachu. They were calling me by name, asking from Pikachu some poses, one of the girls even shyly asked if I had a girlfriend, and the noises were growing, and more people were showing up, and...

This is madness.

Under the surprised looks of my fans, I ran away to the one spot I knew in this city no one would find me, Pikachu leading in front. I only stopped running when I safely made it to Melanie's hideout.

What in Arceus' name was all that? I thought. Pikachu growled next to me as if guessing my thoughts, he too was annoyed by the number of people recognizing us. "All this just means we have to leave Cerulean faster," I muttered. "Let's wait till night here. Then we'll try leaving under the cover of the night."

Pikachu nodded his agreement, and having nothing better to do, he curled up and tried sleeping. Soon, I could hear him snoring. He must still be exhausted from the other night, I thought to myself.

I actually wanted to release Dante and check on him, introduce myself as his trainer properly, but on the small chance that I had misinterpreted his character completely, I decided to only let him out once we were away and off route - it wouldn't do me good if he suddenly behaved aggressively and started fires within city limits. But I did release Callidora.

My ivysaur stretched herself once out, the bud on her back shivered slightly. She eyed her surroundings and snorted at Pikachu sleeping, but I could tell from her expression she was happy to be in a familiar place. I bent on one knee to stay on the same eye level with her and reached out, cupping her face in my hands. She tried wiggling herself free.

"Stop it," I muttered. "Let me check you for injuries." It wasn't that I didn't trust Bill's words on the severity of her wounds, it was just... No, that was exactly it, I didn't trust Bill's words. He wasn't a trainer, only a scientist gone mad, and he didn't know Callidora as well as me. I inspected her face closely, there seemed to be no visible injuries left from Pikachu's attack. Gently, I traced my hand further down to her left foreleg and saw a small scar where the rocket's bolt had hit. Likely, that mark would stay with her forever. I tried swallowing the bile in my mouth as my hatred for the rockets grew exponentially. Shaking my head to calm myself, I moved towards her side, where Pikachu's indirect lightning had traveled through. She made a small whimper from my contact, and her body involuntarily jerked then stood still. I imagined she was acting as if her pain was nothing worth complaining. "None of that," I said while reaching my bag to grab some rawst and cherri berries. I crushed and mixed them together with water, making a small ointment that helped paralyzed nerves and burned skin recover relatively quickly. I rubbed the mixture on her entire side in small, gentle moves. She tried her best to keep still, but occasionally she would still shake and grit her teeth. After ten minutes of rubbing, I was nearly done. "Vine," I ordered. She looked at me innocently. "The vine," I repeated. Having no choice, she extended the vine that had made initial contact with Pikachu's lightning.

I blew a long whistle. The vine was charcoal black at its end, definitely dead. If I did not cut it out soon, Callidora would be infected once the rot made its way to her main body. This was a common problem with grass type pokemon; their extensions were usually the first place to be injured, and once retracted, since they were out of sight, trainers would miss the wounds that eventually killed or maimed the pokemon. "Brace yourself," I said as I pulled a small knife from my bag. My ivysaur pleaded with her eyes, but I ignored her and held the extended vine down with one hand. "On three. One, two-" I cut on two.

I inhaled sharply as another thorny vine came and made a small cut on my face as Callidora headbutted me with a loud growl. I fell on my back but saw the dead vine fall silently, the cut was clean. I picked it up and threw it in the water.

Callidora was still snarling. "Get over it." I rolled my eyes. "You'll grow a new one." She still seemed displeased, so I decided on giving her the surprise I had planned for her once we were travelling again. "You know," I began as I picked up my bag. "I never thanked you for last night. You did an amazing job noticing the noctowl, and even more amazing job by stopping us from stepping on an execution. And picking up the marowak bone so thunder could travel through to your captor, genius." Her growls lessened, and now she had a more embarrassed rather than annoyed look on her face. "So here: Enjoy." I dropped a mixture of pokeblocks, berries, and roots; a genuine poke feast.

She dug right in, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her appetite. I normally kept my pokemon on a strict diet, and sugar filled candies like pokeblocks were always out of menu. Pokeblocks were the equivalent of human junk food for pokemon, they were no good as nutrition for a fighter - the last thing I wanted was a fat ivysaur. "All's forgiven I take?" I asked. The answer was a mouthful, pleasant growl.

With Pikachu sleeping and Callidora eating, I sat down and decided on checking my fixed pokedex. I wanted to see Sabrina's bio and begin preparing strategies against her, and also maybe read the local news for some explanation of the fame I was getting.

I got bad news on both fronts.

"Arceus dammit!" I slapped my hands on the ground so hard that Pikachu twitched in his sleep and Callidora lifted her head up from her dish for a second. "Listen to this," I complained. "It's a league issued order. Saffron's gates are closed indefinitely, only access allowed is through flight, shadowing, or teleportation. What the hell is the reas- Oh, wait. Woah. Snorlax sighting. Two of them."

I sighed. The league's sudden order now made sense. Snorlax were omega level pokemon, meaning they were treated as threats of the highest order. There were four levels of classification when it came to wild pokemon, and in determining them, though there were some exceptions for certain pokemon, the rule was generally simple: How many men - men, not trainers with the aid of other pokemon, only men - would it take to kill the certain pokemon? If the answer was a small number, said pokemon would be classified as gamma level. These pokemon were generally first or second stage evolutions, like my current team. For beta level pokemon there was usually a need of projectile weapons and a hunting party of at least ten strong men, and for alpha levels serious measures needed to be taken.

But omega levels, omega levels were different. They were natural catastrophes, they by their lonesome could wipe out entire human settlements. It was mainly against these monsters that the first of trainers emerged. These were why the league existed; only experienced leaders could stand toe to toe to these monsters, only the four and the champion could defeat them alone. Gyarados who could summon the storms of the seas, abamosnow that left entire cities under snow, dragonite with their impenetrable skin and unmatchable strength were all examples to omega level monsters, as with their miraculous healing factors and unending, voracious appetites that forced the beasts to consume all in its path till sated, were snorlax.

League rangers normally did a good job in isolating these threats from society, forcing them to keep to themselves in their mountains and caves, so if two snorlax were on the loose so near Kanto's capital, it meant someone had screwed up badly. Not surprisingly, I read further that Bruno of the Elite Four was sent from the Plateau to track and hunt these beasts down.

There was nothing I could do. Without doubt Saffron's gates would be closed until the snorlax were hunted, and who knew how long would that take. Once again, like in Pewter, I was stuck. With my winnings from Misty I could afford a one-way porting to Saffron, but my remaining money would only be enough to cover one battle against Sabrina, and I wasn't sure I could defeat her in a single go. A mutant, Sabrina was the most powerful human psychic to existence, and she was one of the league's most valuable, youngest assets. Arguably, among all the leaders in Indigo, if you would to exclude Giovanni and Clair, Sabrina was the strongest, and there were rumors she would be soon offered Elite Four membership with Will, another psychic trainer, retiring from the position. It was because I respected her strength as a trainer that I wanted to challenge her sooner rather than later; with increasing badge numbers, the gym rules changed and tipped slightly more in favor for an equally termed battle rather than the challenger having the advantage of numbers, like when I had used three pokemon against Misty's two, or two against Brock's one. If I had challenged them for my, let's say, fifth badge instead of first and second, no doubt would we be fighting evenly and I would have lost.

But now, with the path to Saffron closed, a change of plan was needed. I could already see fate leading me to Vermilion, begrudgingly, I accepted it was too huge of a coincidence me overhearing the rockets' Anne plan and then acquiring an invitation to the same named ship docked in the only available city for me to reach from Cerulean with Saffron inaccessible. Different from Pewter, where I was stuck and had to resort to a creative plan like traveling under Mt. Moon, the route here was clear, it was to Vermilion.

And I was still hesitating.

The truth was, I knew Vermilion City Gym's challenger rules, every trainer did. Because unlike the other gyms where the rules were adjusted to your badge numbers, Vermilion Gym had only one never changing rule for its challengers, one Leader Surge took full advantage of. This made Vermilion was one of the toughest gyms to win a badge. Many trainers avoided it, as I had wanted to in my initial route I had planned for my journey.

But now that Saffron was impossible to reach and Vermilion was my new destination, preparation for Surge and his team couldn't wait, I had to train my team immensely during the walk there. And as if dealing with that problem wasn't enough, I had another pressing but unrelated issue to handle.

I had been wrong in assuming my fan base was strictly local.

According to my dex, I was now famous in all of Indigo. My name was being discussed in forums and platforms, newspaper sites were mentioning me in title, and apparently, I now had my own official fan club. I scurried through the news of past week to find an explanation for all this.

From what I could gather, the reason was twofold. Firstly, I was already a record breaker with my victory against Brock, but even the least familiar with battling could understand I had played him psychologically, our match had not been a battle between respectful opponents, but rather one side tricking the other into underestimation. Though the win was enough for me to make a name, most commentators had described the victory as a fluke, and heat on me hadn't grown too much.

However, my victory against Misty was clean, albeit confusing. After the battle, most had not understood how I had won, trick room was a strategy not common to ordinary viewers after all. But a win was a win, and had proved I was not a random lucky rookie, and actually a capable, aware of what he was doing trainer. That victory had made me taken seriously in the competitive arena, and a few famous commentators had even quoted that "young Trainer Red and his fan favorite Pikachu was worth keeping eyes on".

Though this explained why the professionals and actively interested fans would know me, it was not enough of an explanation for why a middle-aged shop keeper in Cerulean would recognize me. Then I watched the video of a nationwide famous radio host, DJ Ben, mentioning me in name, posted two days after my battle against Misty.

"Yo, yo, yo, good evening Indigo!" it began. "Tonight we gotta hip show for y'all as always; we got some old school rock, announcements for last week's prize winners, and you asked for it, so Goldenrod Radio did it for you! All the way from the land of ideals and truth, lead singer and guitarist of the Dogars, Roxie will be joining us at the end of our show for some Q and A time - and maybe some live performance? Keep those calls coming Indigo, and we'll see!"

"But before all that, I just gotta get something off my chest Indigo. Man, I'm in love, and you're not going to believe it, it's a dude. I wanna talk a bit about my main man Pokemon Trainer Red here y'all and forgive me for acting fangirly, but this dude is hard-fricking-core. I first heard of this guy in the tabloids 'bout a month ago. Kid is a seventeen years old early graduate from Pallet - and he breaks the Indigo time record on quickest badge? Against Brock? Now I know Brock, fans will remember him from our show, kind enough to always show up when asked, so I'm like, really? A kid from Pallet? Mmmkay, trash news, you got my attention, I'll watch the battle."

"And from the first fucking second I'm like - wait a minute - dude Brock, this guy's playing you. I know performance gents and gents, because who are we kidding, the gals listening to this show ain't ladies. Anyway, this kid is up there against a onix that can swallow him whole, and his whole face is in fear and shit - but that's just it, ain't it? Shit. Yo, this boy is FAKING fear against an ONIX y'all, this kid crazy! I got it the second I saw him, takes a performer to know one, and I'm thinking what the hell? What's his endgame? And I'm not going to bore y'all with the details, but know it includes a pretty bug, a rat, and an onix falling on its ass - no offence Brock my man."

"Now I'm intrigued viewers, I'm intrigued. I watch the video over and over, and I can't just get over how perfectly executed every single action is. This kid, I think to myself. This kid gonna make it. This kid ain't gonna sit on his ass. Me thinks this kid is soon gonna blow the world."

"Now two days ago, this kid wins another one, against Misty. And he doesn't know it, but I'm watching this one live man, wasn't gonna miss it. Guess what I saw Indigo? I saw total pawnage. I saw a one-man roller coaster stone cold killer ride named Red. I saw - excuse my pun - a game of roulette and the revolver exploding on Misty's head. And you know the best part is Indigo? Red don't give no fuck. His first pokemon is almost on verge of death - Red gives two-minus-two amounts of fuck. He beats Misty's ace to a pulp - his face has the total time my parents spent with me amounts of fuck. And when he wins, the crowd cheers his name and asks speeches or waves and shit - you know what Red does? He turns around, pulls his tiny ass cap tighter, and walks out giving - you guessed it Indigo - zero amounts of fuck."

"Like I said Indigo, I'm in love with this guy, his team, his swagger, his cap, his name. I wanna meet his ma and pa and shake their hands, because remember Indigo, you heard it here first: Pokemon Trainer Red - he the guy soon we'll all be talking about. So, this next piece is for the hardest trainer out there right now. Trainer Red, man, you listening out there, know that this DJ's your first fan of more to definitely come - not that you'll likely give a fuck. Keep chill Red, keep chill!"

This was the absolute worst trick anyone could pull on me, so much that I almost considered Blue might have been behind it. A popular celebrity show host giving my name to the masses for appreciation during prime hour, no wonder everyone in the city wanted a piece of me. I shut off my dex, discomforted and unable to read anything else that had my name on the title.

Putting aside my indifference against people and hatred for unnecessary interaction, the reason I had gotten so far so quickly in my career was people underestimating me. Brock definitely paid for that, so did Jessie and James when torturing me. Misty was more prepared, but even she couldn't guess I was willing to sacrifice my first mon to set up so I could sweep the rest. In short, my battling style worked best when I was the underdog, I was good at finding unexpected ways to wiggle out of impossible situations. It was an exceptional trait to have, but like all the leaders I faced had warned me, it wouldn't be enough if I aimed higher. Unfortunately, until my team evolved and grew enough to win matches on strength alone, this was the best game I had and it did not work well under the spotlight DJ Ben had brought me. Now that the media, the real media, not tabloid bloggers and small-time battle commentators, were interested in me, gym leaders would have to try their absolute best in trying to defeat me, leaving no room for mistake, for otherwise their battling strategies would also be criticized live. The only way possible I could see to cool this heat on me was to...

I grinned to myself, not believing that I almost considered deliberately losing a match just to keep the mightyena at bay. I looked at Pikachu sleeping and Callidora eating, and my heart filled with affection. They were the only weapons I needed, last night had proved it. True, the path in front of us had now gotten more difficult, but the goal itself hadn't changed. In hindsight, I thought to myself. Blue's plan to train first and battle second was exactly made to prevent the situation I am in now: Keeping your rivals guessing, giving as less clues about your potential as possible, and hitting them when they least expected it. He really has a plan for everything doesn't he?

No, I corrected myself. Not against me. A sudden flicker startled me, I looked up and noticed the street lights slowly turning on one by one. Night had fallen, and if I was to escape this city unseen, now was the time. I recalled Callidora and woke up Pikachu. "Hope you're rested," I said. "Because we have a long journey in front of us till Vermilion."

He looked confused; although he did not know where each city was located geographically, he knew that our initial destination was to a city of a different name. "Yeah, lots changed while you snoozed," I continued. "Like I said, I hope you're ready. Because I want to clear route K05 to the south tonight. And then..."

Pikachu looked up questioningly.

"And then... we go underground." I finished.

))(())((

Author's Note:

Sorry for delay, but I decided on editing the grammatical mistakes on the previous chapters before hitting the 100k words mark on my fic - NOTHING story wise has changed.

Also, double chapter. Have run reading the next one too.