The wind gently blows through the area of Route 1, causing the trees to dance to its silent melody. Leaves found themselves flying in the wind while the dust find itself levitating as shoes made contact with the dirt covered path. The air filled with various sounds from the ecosystem as Pokemon were in the trees and the tall grass doing their daily activities of survival. The wind then howled again, this time a lot louder and being a lot stronger as it caused some of them to take cover and brace themselves as it passes. As the air resumes its routine, it passes through the black hair of a boy with red eyes as he traversed the area. Holding onto his red hat, he continued along the path with Pikachu taking refuge in his backpack, sighing in content as it lay and watched the sky.
'At least one of us is comfortable.' Red thought, chuckling at his partner's actions. For several minutes, he continued walking through the wilderness, occasionally checking at the map. As the raven haired teen went to take a break by a tree with Pikachu hopping out of his bag and curling itself into a ball by the tree. As he put down his backpack, he immediately heard a rustling noise coming from the bush that made him jump and brace himself for whatever. Suddenly, a Pidgey darted through the grass and tackled Red in his chest, surprising the boy and his Pokemon as he got knocked to the ground. Pikachu got up and quickly disappeared, attacked the Pidgey in a burst of speed, smacking the Flying-type into the bushes.
"Thanks…" Red muttered out of breath, petting the Pokemon as he used the tree as support to regain his balance. He got up before turning to see shuffling again in the tall grass. Once again, Pidgey flew out the bush, this time followed by a Rattata as both of them glared angrily at Red and Pikachu.
"Pikachu, let's go." Red said as he fixed his hat on his head. Pikachu went before its foes and got into a battle stance with its cheeks crackling with electricity. Suddenly, Rattata bared its fangs at the yellow rodent with the Pidgey following behind.
"Pikachu, dodge their attacks then use Quick Attack on Rattata." Red ordered. Pikachu obliged, nimbly avoiding both of their attacks before disappearing in a flash and tackling Rattata into the ground. The bird Pokemon turned and went to attack the Electric-type, which was looking at Red in concern. Noticing this, the teen met its gaze, giving the Pokemon a confident stare before turning to Pidgey as it was closing in, narrowing his eyes at the bird as he waited. 'Just a bit closer.'
"Nuzzle." The red capped teen commanded, as it got close. Pikachu went towards the bird Pokemon, rubbing its cheeks against Pidgey before retreating. The result was the bird wings flapping slower, signaling its exhaustion, which earned a smirk from Red. 'Perfect.' He thought as he watched the bird Pokemon descend to the ground at an astonishing rate.
"Quick Attack Pidgey towards Rattata then use Thunderbolt!" the teen said, confidence radiating from his voice. Pikachu quickly sprinted towards Pidgey, hitting it into the Rattata. As they both crashed into each other, the yellow rodent cheeks started to spark with electricity as its two enemies close, releasing a huge bolt of lightning that blasted the two Pokemon. "Awesome, Pikachu! Not b-' Red's smirk faded quickly as he realized that the electrified duo was heading towards him.
'Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.' he said, backing away quickly. He tried to escape but it was too late, they crashed into him before they all collided into a tree. Pikachu ran towards them, seeing the two unconscious Pokemon along with a dirt covered teen with spiky hair due to the electricity. It laughed at its trainer as Red got up and blew a puff cloud from his mouth with an irritated expression on his face. "Real funny." The teen silently groaned, getting a brush out of his bag and combing his messy hair before putting his cap on his head. He then got up, holding out his hand for Pikachu who smiled before jumping on it and perching on his shoulder and nuzzling him, causing his hair to slightly rise.
"This is going to be an everyday thing, isn't it?" he said, his Pikachu responded by nodding with a smile. The teen sighed, a small smile appearing on his face before they headed off.
After an hour of venturing, he found a clearing on the route which he decided to use it as a place to rest for a while. Red took a seat on a log, taking out a chocolate bar and a bottle of water after he put some Pokefood in a bowl for Pikachu who was eating it cheerfully. After eating, the teen then laid himself on the grass, gazing at the clouds in the sky before drifting to sleep.
'Where am I' Red said as he ventured through darkness. As he continued his journey, he then heard a voice calling to him.
'Red…'
The raven haired teen looked around, searching for the source of the sound that somehow know his name. For what seems like hours, he endlessly searched for the voice but was unable to find it.
'Where are you, Red?'
He looked again, only to see a ray of light that shows an area he has never seen before. An endless grassland, covered in trees of different types as they all part away to make a clearing that was covered by water. 'What is that?' Red thought as he stared at the sight in awe. The light then started to fade, causing the teen to run frantically towards it, not knowing or caring of what will happen to him when he reaches his destination. As his hand touched the light, everything went blank as he found himself floating, as he heard a few words before going into the world of consciousness.
'Don't forget our promise…'
Red slowly woke up, feeling weight on his chest. Thinking it was Pikachu, he carefully got up, trying his best not to wake up the yellow rodent. Just as he sat up, he realized that he was holding was not his partner. "Wha?" He muttered. When he took a closer look, he realized that he had a Shinx who was sleeping soundly in his hands. Red put it down before waking up his partner whose ears twitched as it opened its eyes and smiled as it saw the other sleeping member. Silently, the red capped teen packed his not wanting to wake his new guest as he crept away from the slumbering Pokemon. Sadly it all came to vain when Pikachu jumped on it, excited to have a new playmate. "Pikachu." Red silently groaned with palm in his face. Shinx's eyes shot open, immediately playing with the yellow rodent before hopping on all fours and running circles around the red capped teen. Hearing a grumbling sound, Red looked down to see Shinx suddenly stopped moving, having a blush on its face which earned a laugh from Pikachu. 'Looks like someone's hungry.' Red sighed, rummaging through his backpack and taking out a bowl of berries and placed it before the blue Pokemon which it gingerly ate. When it finished eating, it let out a happy cry before rubbing Red's leg which made the teen smiled and petted the Pokemon. After allowing the two Electric type Pokemon to frolic around for some time, Red packed his things and was about to depart until he felt a tug on his leg, seeing both of them pulling his pants.
"What's wrong?" Red muttered, squatting down to eye level with them. Pikachu spoke loudly, gesturing to Shinx before stepping aside and pushing it towards the teen with its tail. It looked at the red capped teen nervously before it started to roar timidly then put its tail around his leg and nuzzled it.
"Y-you want to come with us?" Red asked. The Pokemon responded by nodding happily before running around in circles with Pikachu joining it, causing a quiet chuckle from the red capped teen. Red got up with Pikachu climbing on his shoulder, about to leave until he looked back to see Shinx looking at him perplexed by his behavior. "What's wrong, Shinx? Are you- Ohh!" The teen suddenly realized.
'I forgot most Pokemon battle before getting caught or staying in a Pokeball.' The red capped teen thought before kneeling and petting Shinx with a smile on his face. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and patted the Pokemon's back.
"It is your decision if you want to come with us or not." Red calmly said which the Pokemon responded by nodding quickly and letting out a happy growl. The teen got up and spun, continuing on the path with Pikachu and Shinx by either of his sides.
On his way, Red came across the occasional Rattata and Pidgey, along with a few Poochyena and Sentret who were dealt with handily by Pikachu and Shinx. After a few minutes of venturing he came across a ledge, looking up before preparing himself to climb. 'It's not that far so it should be doable with the gloves I have on.' With Pikachu and Shinx in his bag, he started to scale the rocks. Within minutes, he reached the top of the ledge, raising his hands in success. 'That's a new record!' He thought, stretching his body, as the son of an archaeologist, Red was introduced to hiking and mountain climbing earlier than most kids. He got up, standing proudly as he dusted his hands, looking down the ledge with a grin on his face. As he walked off, he was suddenly attacked by a barrage of rocks which missed him, the stones barely grazing him as they passed by. Before he could turn, a snowstorm suddenly started, instantly enveloping the area in a sheet of snow.
'What the-' Red couldn't finish his thought as a gust of snow hit the group, blowing his hat off, leaving his black hair in the open. After the cold winds have subsided, the teen scouted the area for his companions, noticing Pikachu's feet poking out of the snow. He quickly made his way to it, pulling the shivering Pokemon out of the snow and putting it into his jacket to shelter it from the cold. Red resumed his search through the endless sea of snow, this time for Shinx and possibly his hat. Before he could continue, he sensed something from far away which caused a chill up his spine. Without missing a beat, he turned and pointed in the direction of the presence. "Thunderbolt."
The Pokemon leaped out of his jacket and released a bolt of lightning in that direction which collided with a barrage of rocks resulting in an explosion. The teen's scarlet eyes darted around the forest, trying to find for any form of movement, shadow or shape. 'What was that?' He asked, still keeping watch. After what seem to be a few minutes, Pikachu's ears twitched as it heard footsteps and turned towards the source of the sound, Red mimicking its actions and bracing himself for any surprise attacks. As he looked on, his widened as he heard clapping from the distance.
"Well if it isn't the Crimson Menace himself?" the voice said, making the scarlet eyed teen flinch at the name. Out of the woods came a boy who looked to be the same age as Red with curly blue hair and hazel eyes, wearing a long sleeved, zipped up black sweater with a skull on the back and grey jeans along with black sneakers. He walked up until he paused a few feet from Red, a smirk on his face as two Pokemon, a Rockruff and an Alolan Vulpix, walked alongside him. 'Devin.' Red thought darkly as he gave the hazel eyed teen, whose name was Devin, an annoyed glare.
"Never thought you would still be alive after your mom kicked you out and that rainstorm that happened days ago. It's sad, really but I can put a fix to that." The boy said as the two teens locked in an intense stare in the snow storm. Pikachu started to shiver causing Red to break from the silent stare down, he then picked it up before walking away. 'This isn't worth it, I need to get Pikachu out of here and find Shinx.' He thought as he continued down the road before he was attacked again, sidestepping out of the way of the rocks.
"Don't think you're getting away, you freak." He spat, frustration and disgust oozing from his mouth as he spoke, his Rockruff baring his fangs and the Vulpix gave a cold glare at red eyed teen who was more worried about his other companion. Walking away again, Red started to search around the snow covered forest for Shinx, looking for any trace of its blue fur, causing the hazel eyed boy grit his teeth in frustration.
"Don't you dare ignore me, you red eyed freak." Devin said, his tone getting darker which unnerved Pikachu as he continued. "Rockruff, Rock Tomb!"
Rockruff barked and stomped on the ground, which blasted several rocks at Red and Pikachu. The rodent jumped off Red's arms to the ground, letting out a blast of lightning that destroyed the stone projectiles. "Do it again!" Devin ordered as the Pokemon repeated the process again, this time sending more rocks. Exchanging looks to each other, Red and Pikachu turned their attention to the ensuing attack, waiting for the attack to come close. As it reached them, Red put his hands in his pocket, before opening his mouth. "Double Team."
Obeying the teen's orders, Pikachu dodged the falling rocks by creating several mirages of itself that dart throughout the field, confusing Rockruff. "Dammit." Devin said as his fists start to clench before he turned to his Vulpix, a mischievous smirk appearing on his face. As he turned around, he witnessed Rockruff getting hit with a powerful Thunderbolt from Pikachu.
'When did he have such a strong starter? That attack alone did too much damage.' The curly haired teen thought, appalled at the strength of the mouse Pokemon. Rockruff struggled to get up from the attack, standing up with its legs shaking as it let out a weak bark. Devin looked at his opponent, noticing a look of confidence on Red's face. He clenched his fists again, 'How is it that this freak got such a strong Pokemon? What the hell was Professor Oak thinking, helping this criminal?' His thoughts were interrupted by a pained yelp from his Pokemon as it was hit with yet another Thunderbolt, knocking it unconscious. Red sighed in relief while Pikachu made a victory pose before they both turned around and eyed Devin and Vulpix. The raven haired teen then heard mutterings before his eyes widen by a quiet but threatening command from Devin.
"Vulpix, Powder Snow." He ordered, which made the blast a gust of cold wind at the two, causing Red to lose sight of Pikachu. As the attack subsided, the black haired teen opened his eyes to a fist that connected to his jaw which send him to the snow covered ground. Caught by surprise and holding his jaw in pain, he tried to get up but was interrupted as another punch collided with his face. Red opened his eyes to see the curly haired teen looming over him, having a crazed smile on his face as he started to crack his knuckles. Devin then started to ruthlessly pummel the trainer, binding the raven haired teen's arms with his feet. Pikachu cried in shock, sprinting to intervene until a gust of wind hit it, obscuring its path. As it searched for its trainer, its ears twitched as it heard the sound of footsteps, seeing the Alolan Vulpix appearing from the darkness, an evil smirk on its face. The two Pokemon locked eyes before the ice-type sprinted towards Pikachu in an attempt to attack it.
"I missed doing this, Red." He said as he threw a punch.
"Punching your stupid face." Another strike came after, his smile widening.
"We had such an amazing relationship, you know…Just you, me and the gang. Going on trips, talking about our dreams." Three more punches connected to Red face who was barely conscious as one of them struck his temple.
"Remember the trip to the toilet, Red? Hahaha! What about the one to the garbage heap? Good times. My favorite was the trip we had to river. Didn't know you could swim, Red. You really surprised especially since you almost drowned." Red looked at his attacker with a hardened expression, remaining silent. His hands clenching into fists from the pain, becoming irritated as he tasted blood in his mouth and felt it slide down to the side of his face.
'It's no use, isn't it? No matter how much I try." Red thought, surprised that he found himself silently chuckling which was unnoticed by Devin. The curly haired teen continued smiling wickedly as he resumed his assault as blood started to splatter onto the snow.
"What's wrong, you freak?! Meowth's got your tongue?!" Devin taunted as he resume pummeling the raven haired teen almost to the point of unconsciousness. Suddenly, a loud cry from the distance filled the air which surprised both teenagers, Red's eyes widening as he recognized the voice. Another scream was heard, confirming the raven haired teen's suspicions as it resonated through the area.
'Pikachu!' Red thought as Devin smirked proudly, landing another punch on the injured teen.
"That's music to my ears." Devin said, smiling at the accomplishment of his Pokemon. Red, however, was wide-eyed once more as another cry announced itself, ringing through his ears.
'What am I doing?' Red thought, clenching his teeth and growling silently. At a sudden burst of adrenaline, he started to use all the strength that his body could afford to get Devin off of him. The curly haired boy realized, using his weight to restrain the silent teen.
"So you can actually fight? Sad that your wittle Pikachu is getting hurt?" Devin grinned, causing Red to angrily glare at him as he struggled in pushing off his attacker with all his might with a singular goal in his mind.
'I need to get to her.' The raven haired teen thought as he exerted more force to overtake Devin who was having issues keeping his target in place. With his fist raised, he was about to strike Red once until he felt a hit on his back which caused his grip on the boy's arm to lessen. The red-eyed boy kicked once more which made Devin lose his grip on him. Being freed, Red yelled out in rage as he unleashed a headbutt the curly haired teen. This staggered the curly haired male as he started to swear, clutching his head. "Owwwww! Damn it! That fucking hurts!"
Taking advantage of the situation, Red winded his right hand into a fist and slamming it into Devin's face, knocking him back. Frustrated and clutching his bleeding nose, the curly haired teen tried to go on the offense which was futile as his red eyed adversary drove his feet into his stomach, knocking him into a tree.
"Damn it, Red! You fucking freak!" Devin screamed as he held his stomach. Slowly getting up, Red immediately sprinting into the direction of the voice looking for Pikachu, ignoring his injuries.
"Pikachu!" He called, ignoring the pain of his jaw as he opened it. He received no response before rushing to another part of the forest and calling again. Red then noticed a change in temperature which immediately caused him to shiver. 'Man why does it have to be cold?' Red thought as he got to a clearing, seeing Pikachu on the floor barely unconscious as Alolan Vulpix and Rockruff ruthlessly attack the Pokemon. Moving on emotion and adrenaline, the scarlet eyed teen tackled the Ice type into the rock type Pokemon before picking up his partner and sprinting quickly out of sight.
"It'll be alright, Pikachu. Stay strong." Red whispered, cradling the yellow mouse. Feeling exhausted, he stopped and hid behind a tree, taking out a Potion vial and feeding it to his comrade. Barely conscious, Piakchu weakly drank the medicine as Red heard noises and a flurry of insults and expletives in the distance.
"Shit! That red eyed freak got away!" Devin angrily yelled, holding his nose. Extremely frustrated, he send his fist into a tree which made him wince slightly in pain by the recoil. The curly haired teen then started to kick the tree, screaming, "When I get my hands on him, he won't be able to walk again!"
Sniffing the air, Rockruff then barked at him, interrupting his rant. It motioned to the ground, which the young trainer did, finding a set of footprints going down the snowy path. Devin smirked devilishly, patting the Pokemon's head for the discovery. "Good boy!" Grinning evilly, the curly haired then eagerly followed the trail. As Red rested by the tree, he tried to get Pikachu better with the medicine he had in his bag. As he finished giving it the medications, he sighed in relief as he heard the rodent breathing easily, sleeping soundly in his arms.
'Thank goodness. You're alright.' Red thought before leaning back on the tree, feeling the bruises across his face, which made him wince in pain, looking at the snowy ground that was starting to melt. 'Dude did a number on me.'
After a few minutes of rest, Red shakily got up and ready to pick up his bag before he was attacked, knocking him a few feet from his initial position. Red looked up, seeing Devin chuckling with his arms folded, his two Pokemon alongside him. The teen then noticed that his bag with Pikachu inside it a couple feet from the curly haired teen.
'Déjà vu.' Red thought. Ignoring the pain that circulated through his body, the raven haired teen got up and sprinted towards his backpack. Before he was able to reach his bag, a rock collided with his arm causing him to yell in pain, he tried again only to get hit in the chest by a blast of white energy which made him collapse on the ground. Red struggled to get up, hacking and coughing up blood as he did so and feeling pain course through his left arm. As he continued to ascend off the ground, he was once again intervened by a blast to his stomach which made more blood expel from his mouth as he coughed.
"Whoops! My bad. Vulpix's aim was a little off. No hard feeling, ok?" Devin said with a wide smile on his face, having delight at Red's pain. "Rock Tomb." He commanded another attack to hit the black haired teen, this time on his head which made him collapsed on the ground.
"Man! I really need to work on their aim! Sorry, bro." Devin said with a wide smile on his face, starting to laugh as he ruthlessly tortured Red until he fell to his knees, panting as he tries to gain some form of movement. Devin walked up to the raven haired trainer and stood over him, before pulling his hair, coldly muttering from his mouth, "Sorry, Red. It's just natural selection." The curly haired trainer then proceeded to knee Red in the stomach, knocking the air out of him.
"Now. You seem real proud of that Pikachu. It is powerful, I'll give you that. However…" He paused, laying his eyes on the bag before resuming. "…I wanna know how tough it is." Locking eyes with his eyes, he nodded to them, both of them preparing their attacks at the yellow mouse. Red's eyes widen as he saw this, he looked at Pikachu who was still sleeping peacefully, its fur slightly ruffled and dirty due to its recent encounters and battles.
"…don't hurt…her…" The teen muttered darkly, his tone causing Devin to flinch, thinking it was a ghost. "…don't you…DARE…touch…her…" Red said with more malice in his voice, shaking him out of Devin grip and going in front of Pikachu in a protective position. The curly haired teen smirked, ordering his Pokemon to attack as the raven haired withstood the attacks, not moving from his spot.
"Again." Devin ordered bitterly. His Pokemon followed his command and let out a barrage of attacks at the red eyed teenager, who only stood his ground and endured the attacks. Red screams of pain resonated through the air, making Pikachu's ears twitched at the sound. Opening its eyes and turning to the direction of the noise, its eyes widen as it saw the beaten and bloody state of its trainer. It gasped in surprise as another barrage of attacks hit the trainer, making him fall to his knees as he started to cough out blood. Ceasing the ongoing attack from his Pokemon, Devin smirked as he saw the condition Red was in.
"C'mon, Red. Does it hurt?"
"…" Red remained silent, barely conscious as he couldn't even move his head to up to see their faces.
"You gotta talk if you want me to stop, bro."
"…"
"I hope it hurts. That's how they felt, you freak!"
"…"
"Those people. This is how they felt but worse. Sad how you never were punished for their deaths." As Devin said bitterly, Red visibly flinched, feeling guilt consume him as the words that were spat, suddenly opening his bruised mouth.
"…I…d-"
"What? You didn't do it?! Ha!" Devin interrupted, laughing hysterically before stopping and looking at Red with a sinister glare. "You expect us to believe that! It seems even the head police believe that, saying they're still looking for the murderer when they know it's you! They may have concealed the truth but we all know you caused it, you bastard!" He continued, his voice getting louder as he spoke. "People like you don't deserve to live! How do you sleep with their blood on your hands?!" The curly haired teen shouted, looking at Red with eyes of disgust. As the raven haired teen finally found the strength to lift his head to glance at his face, the black haired teen flinched as he saw Devin glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred.
"You know, I never liked the look of those eyes of yours. The color. The hue. Nothing. I thought you were some Pokemon that somehow infiltrated our school. However…" Devin paused, trembling and clenching his fists as he looked at Red with pure rage oozing from his hazel eyes.
"…after that…night, your eyes with so much intensity. I will never forget that look on your face. You took my cousin away from me! YOU TOOK THEM AWAY FROM US!" The curly haired teen spoke, each word more intense as tears formed in his eyes, trying to escape. Upon seeing this, Red simply slumped his shoulders as he gazes at the ground with a melancholic expression on his face.
"…I…d-didn't…mean…t-to…" Red barely worded before being interrupted by Devin.
"Do it?! Too late, Fires! Damage already done! EVERYONE IS GONE! AND YOU NEED TO DIE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Devin yelled before taking a minute to calm down and catch his breath, rubbing his temples then starting again, commanding his Pokemon to attack. "It's only right. A monster like you cannot be unleashed into this world. Now do us a solid and die, freak."
"Good riddance, crimson menace." He deadpanned. As they did so, Red looked forward as his life started to see his life flash before his eyes, every event in his life played until this point. He felt many things: happiness, sadness, despair, agony, rage and depression. As he snapped from his trance, he then quickly positioned himself in front of Pikachu who was crying and pulling him away. "I can't…move, Pikachu…but I need…you to run away, ok? Run away…and don't look…back." He said with a smile on his face and a tear falling from his face as he found himself some solace.
'At least, I was able to save someone before it ends.' He thought as another tear descended.
"Thanks, Pikachu…for accompanying…me. And…make sure…you take…care of Shinx, ok?" He said, taking one last glance at Pikachu before facing forward and then closing his eyes.
'Goodbye, friend.' Was the last words he thought before he was engulfed by the series of attacks from Rockruff and Alolan Vulpix. The shockwave of the blasts causing vibrations throughout the area as the wild Pokemon in the area to scurry and run away. Devin smiled, admiring the result of the assault. Feeling bliss, his smile enlarged as he let out a sigh of relief.
"It's over." He muttered as he went and petted his Pokemon, looking back at the smoke oozing from the spot that the attack hit with a happy expression. Devin's face became content as he sighed once more.
"It's finally over."
A/N: I am sorry for the long wait. Faced a writer's block at this point and had to break. But don't worry, I'm back and raring to go. Here is Chapter 3. The next chapter is coming soon as well. Thanks for the reviews and your story so far. Also, the wildlife of the routes is based of Heart Gold/ Soul Silver games with some slight changes from the Let's Go games. Enough talking from me. Hope y'all enjoy the chapter and the story so far.