Chapter 2

In The Field

Adjusting his pack to a more comfortable angle, Patrick glanced around the empty room that had served as his bedroom for the past week to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Seeing his reflection in the mirror mounted on the wall, he paused to take a look at his new outfit.

Most of the clothes he had worn from Sinnoh weren't deemed durable enough for the open road and he was forced to shop around Pallet for replacements. He still sported his baggy blue hoodie, which now easily hid the body armor protecting his torso and forearms. Around his waist was a new Pokéball belt which magnetically held six red and white Pokéballs. A dark pair of tough, hiking pants covered his legs and ended with a pair of rugged, stiff black combat boots. Confirming all his belongings were accounted for he closed the door and left the building.

Over the past six days, Patrick had been staying at a small guest house near professor Oak's lab. The house, a quaint stone-and-wood two-story building was owned by an elderly lady who often rented to trainers passing through. The room Patrick had been staying in had a small, comfortable bed for him but also a large cushion on the floor near the foot of the bed meant for any Pokémon who wished to sleep outside of their Pokéball.

The walk from the house back to the lab only took a few minutes along the cobblestone road and Patrick waved and nodded to people as he passed, having been acquainted with many of the neighbors during the stay.

Barely slowing down, he passed through the sliding glass front doors of the lab and into the air-conditioned space he had become used to. Greeting Dave, the security guard, and giving his Growlithe a quick scratch behind the ears Patrick headed towards the back door where he was to meet Professor Oak.

Weaving through the books and machines and dodging assistants as they rushed back and forth performing various experiments and research projects. Absentmindedly he noted the similarities and differences between this lab and the one he had been working in with professor Rowan in Sandgem Town. While both professors were experts in their respective fields, professor Oak took a much more laid-back, hands-off approach to his research aids work and assignments, who were free to research whatever they may have found interesting. The piles of notes, books, and diagrams would also have been unacceptable in Rowan's Lab. In Sandgem, every aide had his or her research assigned to them and they were to give morning briefings on any progress or breakthroughs. If Rowan disapproved of the methodology or if their thesis wasn't strong enough, then the project had to be re-proposed from scratch.

Finally reaching the back door and opening it to the bright morning sunshine on the other side, Patrick stepped into the pasture. Oak was already outside refilling some feed barrels with grains, fruits, and vegetables that Pokémon could eat at their leisure. An old Taurus, whose shaggy brown mane on its neck and shoulders had streaks of grey in it, and one of its large, curved horns was broken off at the base, waited patiently for the professor to move aside.

Seeing Oak was temporarily occupied Patrick brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle that pierced the morning air. In response, a patch of tall grass started rustling on the fair side of the enclosure and a small pink blur shot out from the foliage. Covering the ground between them quickly, it launched itself into the air and was expertly caught by Patrick.

Nuzzling its cheek into Patrick's chest and keeping the venomous spike away from Patrick's skin, Nidoran happily said hello to the trainer it had been working with for almost a week. The two of them had grown close over the past few days as Oak had instructed them on various bonding exercises and battle tactics. Ashley had also helped when she was available. She had a powerful Ivysaur that Patrick and Nidoran had been unable to best despite how many different strategies they came up with.

Oak, having finished filling the feed barrels, was slowly walking towards them. A large orange rodent with a long tail waded through the tall grass behind him. The soft crackle of static could be heard every time its fur moved.

Before either human could say a greeting. The yellow puffball named Bug crawled out of Patrick's hood and launched itself towards the Raichu, attaching itself to the fur and happily absorbing the residual electricity Raichu's body produced. Raichu, who had met Bug several days prior barely acknowledged the little yellow parasite and instead opted to lick its fur near where Bug had landed.

"Good morning Patrick and Nidoran." The professor said cheerfully, "And good morning Bug." Turning to great the small fuzzball that hadn't moved since attaching itself to its host's fur.

"Sorry about that, Bug can be a bit of a glutton when near electric Pokémon," Patrick said sheepishly as his Pokémon attempted to absorb as much electricity as possible before they departed.

"Not a problem, Raichu doesn't mind and I don't think there will be many electrical outlets between Pallet and Viridian for Bug to recharge," Oak said. "Have you fully packed? I have a few places on the map to point out to you before you head out so let's head to my office."

Confirming that he was indeed packed he followed the old professor back into the building. Nidoran and Raichu followed the pair inside.

0000

"- and another of Viridian's gym leaders has disappeared. So, you will most likely not be able to get your first badge certification there. Instead, you should continue heading north to Pewter" Oak said, tapping each town on the map respectively. "Now this change does take you through Viridian forest sooner than I would have liked. It can be very dangerous. So, I recommend waiting in Viridian until a more experienced trainer or a caravan passes through and tag along with them through the forest. You can use the downtime to scour the town for any existence of new Pokémon." His finger now resting on the dark green patch of the map between the two cities.

"I have already looked at the Dex entries. Mostly Weedle and Caterpie evolutionary lines. But other Apex bug types have been sighted. A Scyther, Pinsir, several Parasect… Oh and an Ariados!" Patrick said, scanning his new Pokédex for the information it had on the forest.

"Let's hope you don't run into any of them. The Pokémon you listed are not to be taken lightly." The usually light-hearted professor growing serious.

"Yes, sir," Patrick responded, the excitement of seeing a rare and powerful Pokémon was subdued slightly by the fact that such an encounter would likely be fatal.

"The trek to Viridian from Pallet is an easy one although it is mostly uphill. Any Pokémon you encounter will be relatively weak. Nidoran will be able to protect you well enough. You should get there by tomorrow evening and you have more than enough rations to get you there. Any questions?" Oak said, finishing up Patrick's final briefing.

"No Sir, I'm ready to go. I'll contact you along the way when I find any Extrinsic Evolutions." Patrick said, folding up the map and putting it into his pack. "And thank you. I appreciate being chosen for this assignment." Reaching out his hand.

"You are more than welcome, and please be careful," Oak said, grasping it in a firm handshake. "Last time I sent out trainers to collect data for me, they ended up toppling a criminal empire."

0000

Waving goodbye to Ashley, who had accompanied him to Pallet's northern gate, Patrick set his eyes out to the sea of tall green grass and the well-worn dirt trail that wound its way north. His feet felt light as he walked along the trail, excitement at finally getting out of a lab and being able to work with Pokémon made the first few hours pass by quickly.

The trail he followed grew wider and narrower in different parts. Occasionally branching off to small homesteads that could be seen in the distance. Nidoran dutifully kept pace next to his trainer, giant ears twitching back and forth in search of any sign of danger. Even Bug, who usually preferred the dark of Patrick's hood was perched on his shoulder. Curiously watching the rolling hills and waving stalks of grass as the group slowly moved north.

The uneventful hours had taken the edge off of Patrick's attention and he didn't notice the rustling grass further up the road until Nidoran hissed and jumped in front of Patrick. Putting itself between the threat and its clueless trainer.

The entire party froze and waited as the patch of moving grass slowly moved closer and closer to the road. A small purple snout emerged from the grass, followed by a rodent's head and ears. Fully stepping out from the grass, a large purple and tan rat appeared in the road in front of them. A long purple tail waved casually behind it in the air, the end of which was curled over slightly. The rat, not expecting to run into a trainer had walked almost halfway across the path before spotting the group out of the corner of its eye.

Startled, it spun around to face the new threats. Crouching low it barred its sharp chisel-like front teeth and hissed, the fur along its back standing up and its small red eyes glared at the two challengers. Nidoran rose to its challenge and responded with a hiss of its own. Spikes along its back trembled and its horn dripped with venom. The two small Pokémon squared off against each other, purple versus pink, each trying to appear larger than the other.

"Okay buddy," Patrick said, whispering to his Pokémon. "When he starts to advance-

With a battle cry, Nidoran charged toward the rat. All semblance of a strategy was lost as the Pokémon succumbed to its instincts and battle lust. Dropping its head and aiming its sharp horn at the Rattata, it was unable to see the nimble opponent dart to the side at the last moment, clearing the deadly horn and venom by a comfortable margin. Quick as lightning the rat lashed out at its opponent's exposed side with its small sharp claws. Drawing three small lines of blood and a startled squeak from the wounded Pokémon.

Turning quickly to face the Rattata, Nidoran stretched out its front leg to make sure the scratches were only superficial. Satisfied that it hadn't lost any use of its limbs, it leveled its glare back at the rat, a new fury flashed behind its eyes. Charging again, Nidoran kept its head up and instead spun in the air to deliver a powerful kick to the Rattata's side as it tried to dodge a second time. The successful blow caused the rat Pokémon to skid and roll several times along the dirt road before stopping next to Patrick.

Rat and human blinked at each other for a moment. Both were surprised to suddenly be in such close proximity to the other. With a curse, Patrick stumbled backward trying to make some distance between the two, and instead fell backward, landing heavily on his back.

Seeing the vulnerable position Patrick was in, Rattata forgot about his previous opponent who was now further up the path, and instead set its eyes on the downed trainer in front of it, specifically the exposed neck. With a hiss, it lunged through the air towards the trainer.

Nidoran, who realized too late that it wasn't the focus of the battle anymore, threw itself forward as well. Desperately trying to close the distance and intercept the rat before it could reach its trainer.

Seeing the lunging rat, Patrick thrust his left arm out in front of him to protect his face and neck while the right hand fumbled with the clip on his belt to release the collapsible baton secured there. With a small impact, the rat collided with Patrick's forearm, its razor-sharp teeth cutting through the sleeve of his hoodie like paper. However, instead of cutting into the warm, soft skin beneath, the chisel-shaped teeth were stopped by a layer of hardened plastic secured along Patrick's forearm. The armor that he had been given by Oak days earlier.

While the Rattata's jaw was clamped onto the armor like a vice, Patrick finally released the baton from its clip and with a flick of his wrist extended it to its full length. With a battle cry, Patrick brought the heavy rod of black metal down onto the Rattata's head and snout. Dazed, the Pokémon fell away and the pressure on his arm eased. Throwing the limp Pokémon to the side and scrambling back onto his feet, Patrick brought the baton back up. The Rattata shakily got to its feet and rather than face the trainer a second time, darted off into tall grass and disappeared.

With the realization his first battle was over, all the tension flowed from Patrick's body and he collapsed onto the ground. Kneeling on the ground and still staring at the spot where Rattata disappeared, he reached into his back pocket and brought out his gleaming red Pokédex, no worse for wear despite being landed on during the fight. Flipping it open, Patrick quickly scrolled through the menu before finding Rattata's profile.

"Rattata can live wherever it can find food, which it searches for most of the day. Thanks to its sharp fangs, it is able to eat nearly anything. When it is threatened, Rattata can deliver a powerful bite. Its large teeth are also useful when using its former signature moves, Hyper Fang and Super Fang. Its hardiness lets it live in many environments, although it mainly lives on plains and savannas. Because it reproduces so quickly, a pair of Rattata can quickly colonize an area." The small robotic voice read out. Patrick scrolled down and read the trainer notes and assessments underneath.

"Threat level Minor!? A minor threat level almost turned my arm into ground beef!" Patrick shouted, incredulous that such a Pokémon wasn't considered a bigger threat. Looking up to Nidoran to see if he felt the same way, Patrick noticed that Nidoran was standing further away than usual and not making eye contact with Patrick choosing instead to look guiltily down at the ground.

"Hey Nidoran, it's alright. It was our first battle, of course, we were going to make some mistakes." Patrick said softly, reassuring the Pokémon and slowly reaching his arm out to scratch Nidoran behind its large ears. "Remember professor Oak said that I should have my baton out as soon as a fight begins. Next time we'll both do better."

Rummaging in his pack, Patrick pulled out a small bottle of antiseptic spray. "Now hold still as I take a look at your cuts."

0000

The injury taken from the Rattata had proved to be only superficial and no real damage had been done. Patrick had cleaned and sprayed the area down, which earned him several glares from the disgruntled pink Pokémon, and was about to start wrapping the area in protective gauze when Nidoran had decided he had had enough and bounded out of arms reach.

The rest of the day passed without another attack and soon the sun was starting to sink toward the western horizon. As the shadows began growing longer the party started looking for a suitable place to find set up camp. This proved harder than expected and by the time Patrick had selected his campsite the sun was already touching the western horizon and the sky was a wash of reds and oranges. The campsite was a protected grove of trees that shielded the party from anyone walking along the road as well as from the wind that occasionally swept through the rolling hills south of Viridian. The sun had fully set by the time Patrick had set up his sleeping mat and he had opted to eat his rations cold rather than start a fire to warm them up.

While Patrick was busy preparing the campsite, Bug had also been busy. He had quietly encircled the entire grove of trees with thin lines of electrically charged web. The strands were barely visible and had enough charge in them to stun an intruder and alert the group to its presence.

Feeling safe surrounded by webbing Patrick quickly fell asleep, giving Nidoran the job of the first watch with orders to wake up Bug and then him for their respective watches.

0000

"My neck!" Patrick complained to no one in particular as he packed away his sleeping bag and put it back into his pack. The previous night's sleep on the hard ground had left Patrick with a kink in his neck and he was gingerly rotating his head back and forth to loosen up the aggravated ball of muscle.

The first rays of sun were barely over the horizon by the time Patrick was packed and back on the road. The webbing that had protected the campsite during the night had degraded and now hung in wispy strands that blew gently in the wind around them.

Breakfast was eaten on the road, this time an unsatisfying mixture of dried jerky and nuts. Although it was boring, the items were calorically dense and nonperishable, making them ideal for travel between the major cities. Nidoran happily hopped from patch of grass to patch of grass, sampling a few blades as they went and pausing at certain plants that must have tasted better than others. Bug was also content with his breakfast which consisted of several batteries that Patrick gave him to suck on, draining each of them of power within minutes.

The trio had no other problems with wild Pokémon throughout the trek, although a few Spearow circled them above for almost an hour before deciding no one in the group was close to death and flew off in search of more sickly prey. The landscape the group had traveled through was slowly changing as the rolling hills gave way to a more level landscape and the foliage around them grew more numerous. Shrubs, bushes, and trees now covered grassy fields on either side of the trail.

As predicted, Patrick reached the outskirts of Viridian by late afternoon. The road slowly became wider and the dirt road transformed into stone. Low stone walls grew from either side of the road to frame their path into the city.

This far from the city, only farms, and homesteads dotted the countryside. These hardy people worked the land and supplied Viridian with much of the crops the residents of the larger city enjoyed. Although it was already late into the growing season, many fields still lay barren and some houses looked long abandoned. The folks Patrick did pass working in the fields eyed the trainer suspiciously, usually accompanied by several Pokémon who also watched the group pass.

Houses, shops, and inns took the place of farms and fields and Nidoran took this time to curiously sniff and poke at the structures. Despite the obvious presence of civilization, very few people were moving about the street and those who did quickly hurried about their business. The buildings also looked more dilapidated than they should in such a big city, many of which looked like they had been abandoned. The city wall that divided the outer city and the inner city sprung up quickly. The wall was made of light grey stone and stood nearly a dozen feet tall and several feet thick. Hanging menacingly over the road was a raised portcullis, its spiked iron bars ready to be dropped at a moment's notice. Unconcerned with the obvious threat hanging above his head, a middle-aged man in a dark green uniform stood in the road, checking the papers or ID of the occasional people who walked into the inner city.

Patrick took his place at the back of the short line and quickly it was his turn to enter. Walking up to the older man, Patrick noticed the sturdy black baton fastened to his left hip and the 3 pokéballs, glittering on his right hip.

"What's your business in Viridian." The man asked gruffly, eyeing the pokéballs on Patrick's belt and the pink rodent that was nervously glued to Patrick's right ankle.

"I'd… um… like to visit the Viridian Gym for a Badge Certification," Patrick responded. Peering past the guard at the inner city, sheltered by the walls.

"Well you're out of luck, Gym leader went missing last week." The guard responded gruffly. "We won't be able to certify anyone until Indigo sends us a replacement, which could take months. You can still head to the gym to train and sharpen your skills. Our class schedule is a little light right now but there is plenty to keep you and your Pokémon busy."

"Okay, uh… thanks. I'll do that." Patrick said, unsure what class schedule the guard was referring to. Taking a step forward to move into the city, but a green-clothed arm quickly blocked his way.

"Kid, I still need to check your ID."

"My what?"

"Your trainer ID, you'd have to be registered to buy those Pokéballs. It's the same piece of paper you used when you bought 'em." The Guard said, beginning to lose patience with the long interaction and eyeing the growing line behind the disorganized trainer.

"I didn't buy them; they were given to me when I started my job. I'm working for Professor Oak in Pallet." Patrick responded, desperately trying to remember if he had been given a 'trainer ID' at any point during his orientation at the lab.

"Oak, Eh? Do you have a Pokédex then?" The guard responded, glancing at Patrick's pockets. "It'll be on that."

"Yeah, it's right here." Pulling the small red device out of his pocket and flipped it open. The screen automatically lit up, showing the menu screen with various Icons.

"Find the icon that says 'Profile' or 'ID' and click it for me." The man said, looking down at the screen of the Pokédex as well.

Following the man's instructions, Patrick found his Trainer ID on a page he hadn't been on before. Lighting up the right side of the screen was a picture of Patrick's face, taken at Oak's lab a week earlier. A six-digit 'ID No' was directly beneath it. On the left side of the screen had information such as Patrick's full name, registered Pokémon (2), Badge level (0), and job history (N/A).

"No Badges? Well sorry, but you won't get your first here. Viridian is infamous for having leaders go missing ever since Red drove our old one out of town years ago. Bastard…" The guard said, trailing off at the end. "Anyways I'd say train up here and head through the forest to Pewter. You can backtrack and get Viridian as your second badge if we have a leader by then." Jotting down Patrick's ID number, he was ushered through the gates.

0000

The Viridian gym had once been one of the most respected gyms in Kanto, rumored to have the hardest certification standards, many trainers chose to put off that test until they have gotten badges from the 7 other cities first. Only the strongest and most talented trainers even bothered to get an 8th badge, as 6 was considered competent for almost any job offer. The viridian gym thus had very few challengers for most of its existence.

However, its reputation drew many trainers from all over Kanto to the city, with intentions of training at the world-class facilities and top-tier instructors the gym offered. The trainers would pay membership fees that helped pay for the gym's upkeep and the salaries of the employees that worked there.

The trainers, who'd train anywhere from days to months with the gym, would also bring money into the city by buying supplies, housing, and food. Viridian flourished for years thanks to the draw the gym had on the rest of the world and the citizens were protected from the dangers of the wild thanks to the high concentration of trainers willing to scare off any Pokémon that became too bold around humans.

That all changed 6 years ago when 'the Prodigies', Red and Blue, came to Viridian, aced the certification, and crushed the gym leader in battle. After the back-to-back defeats the gym leader at the time, Giovanni, allegedly abandoned his post in shame and took many of the high-level trainers with him. No one had seen or heard from him since. Thus, started the long string of bad luck and misfortune that befell the gym. New gym leaders would be appointed to fill the void however they would barely last more than a few months before abruptly resigning or disappearing altogether. Rumors spread that Red and Blue had a personal vendetta against the city and would take turns coming to Viridian in the middle of the night to intimidate or 'dispose of' the new gym leader.

The instability of the gym's leadership brought instability to the city as a whole. With the fall of the gym, trainers stopped coming to train and the revenue stream the gym had enjoyed for years dried up to barely a trickle. Without the presence of so many trainers, the local Pokémon became emboldened and started breaking into houses and gardens looking for food. With no protection, many citizens had to either move to safer, more protected cities or train Pokémon of their own as protection. Most chose the former, a few the latter.

This led to a partially abandoned outer city where only the toughest or poorest citizens still lived. Derelict houses and run-down farms were common there and explained the level of disrepair Patrick saw when entering the city.

The inner city was protected from wild Pokémon thanks to the wall that had been erected in the days before the Gym was created. The sturdy wall was 2-3 feet thick and made of solid stone. It wouldn't stand up to an Onix or Snorlax, for example, but Pokémon of that strength were rare and kept to the depths of the wilderness, seeing humanity as too much of a nuisance to interact with. The regions Rattata, Mankey, Tangela, and weaker Pokémon were adequately stopped from entering the city.

The inner city was significantly more developed, apartment buildings five stories tall lined the streets, and various shops, businesses, and restaurants were wedged between the taller structures. The sun was low on the horizon but the streets were still bustling as people went about their errands or bought food for dinner. However, the inner city had not escaped the recession unscathed. Between the gaps of normal life, the homeless and unlucky could be seen living in the alleys or in shanty towns that had grown in all unoccupied land. Lean-tos were propped up against the inner side of the wall and alleys and back streets became labyrinths of homelessness, lawlessness, and filth.

Asking some locals for directions, Patrick wound his way through the streets toward the city's Pokémon center. To aid traveling trainers, all Pokémon centers had a bright red roof and were made especially visible. Typically located in the center of a city, they were equidistance from the city's multiple gates, allowing trainers whose Pokémon may be critically injured a straight run to the emergency room. Some of the larger cities even had landing platforms on the roof to allow airborne trainers space to land.

During the short walk, Patrick couldn't shake the feeling that eyes were following him from the shadows of the darkened alleys. A feline shape slinked in and out of hiding, keeping a safe distance from the trainer.