DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON
|CHAPTER 3|
The rough scrape of a sandpaper-like tongue against my cheek woke me up.
It wasn't like those dramatic scenes in movies, where the protagonist suddenly jolts awake from a deep sleep. I was actually semi-conscious of my situation a couple of minutes before I fully decided to wake up. It was similar to those mornings when you're extremely tired and try to delay getting out of bed for as long as possible.
The persistent licking continued until I opened my eyes. I squinted against the bright morning sun.
Elekid was sitting in front of me, its yellow and black fur stood matted with mud.
I pushed myself up with a wet sucking sound, my hands sinking into the ground as I pulled my face from the cloying mud. My tattered clothes clung to me, a patchwork of rags that barely resembled the outfit I had been wearing when I left Pallet Town. What little fabric remained was caked with mud and blood, weighing me down like a sodden blanket.
"I guess yesterday really did happen," I sighed, wiping mud from my face as best I could with my muddy hands.
But if that was true…
The events of yesterday came flooding back to me, each scene replaying in my brain like a movie reel. Houndoom's relentless attack, its demonic appearance only magnifying the sheer terror of its assault as fangs and claws tore into my flesh. Rhyhorn had been no less savage, its powerful horn goring me without mercy.
Now that I was looking back, and seeing the attack through clear eyes, I was amazed that I had survived long enough to almost drown and battle a Gyarados. It was no wonder I'd collapsed after the flock of Spearow knocked me off my feet, by then the only thing keeping my body moving must have been pure adrenaline.
Team Rocket and their pokémon hadn't just done serious damage.
They had killed me.
I should be dead...
The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I had really died!
So how was I alive?
And where was Celebi?
I looked around for the Mythical Pokémon. I couldn't see the little green fairy anywhere. Didn't a bunch of Celebi show up at the end of the movie and heal Professor Oak's Celebi?
It had been a few years since I'd last seen that Pokémon movie, but I was almost positive that had happened. I looked down at Elekid who was licking its paw, cleaning the mud from its fur.
"C'mon, Elekid. We need to find Celebi," I said and picked the Pokémon up in my arms.
As I stepped forward, my foot sank into the wet mud, and a slight squelching noise echoed in the air. I jerked to keep my balance and felt something fall out of my hair.
Floating down past my face was a vibrant feather with iridescent hues of purple, blue, and green. I caught the delicate feather inches from the mud. A strange warmth spread through my chest as I held it up in awe.
I studied the feather closely, twirling it back and forth between my fingers. I knew from my memories of the anime that Ho-Oh had been around Pallet Town when Ash started his Pokémon journey.
And if Celebi had sent me back in time...
I looked up at the sky. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw it.
What I saw was nothing short of breathtaking.
A radiant figure glided through the air, majestic wings spread wide and shimmering with a dazzling display of golden, red, and yellow feathers that seemed to change and dance in the sunlight, creating an otherworldly glow.
"Ho-Oh," I whispered in awe.
I watched dumbstruck as the Legendary Pokémon soared gracefully into the rising sun, leaving behind two rainbows trailing its wings like stardust across the sky.
As the magnificent Ho-Oh got closer to the horizon, I patted my soaked clothes, searching through my pockets for my phone. The Pokedex app on my phone would be useless. Ash's Pokedex at the beginning of the anime didn't have any information on Ho-Oh so I doubted my Pokedex app would have any information on the legendary bird.
But I can at least try to get a photo or video!
It would be one of the few authentic images of Ho-Oh in existence.
However, when I finally pulled out my phone, I might as well have been holding a brick. The once sleek device had been reduced to a pathetic lump of shattered screen held together by jagged cracks and bits of broken plastic. I stared at the shattered screen and mangled case, disappointment washing over me as I realized I wasn't going to be able to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Despite my disappointment, a bittersweet smile formed on my face as I watched the mythical bird begin to disappear in the distance. Suddenly, before Ho-Oh vanished over the horizon, a small dark figure broke away from the legendary Pokémon, and a bright green light illuminated the sky.
I blinked, and the little black dot was gone.
"I think Celebi just left us in the past," I said, looking down at Elekid. My adorable little friend was too busy licking mud from its fur to realize the significance of what just happened.
I shook my head, looking back down at the Ho-Oh feather still in my hand. I had a feeling that it was Celebi who saved me. The forest fairy could heal, but I couldn't remember a single instance where Celebi brought someone back to life.
Ho-Oh was famous for its ability to bring the dead back to life. I knew the tragic tale of the Three Legendary Beasts well. How they were once just three nameless Pokémon that lived in Ecruteak City. During a fierce lightning storm, the three Pokémon were sheltering inside the Brass Tower when it was struck by a bolt of electricity. The tower erupted in flames, and the three Pokémon perished in the inferno. However, after the fire went out, Ho-Oh appeared from the sky and revived the three Pokémon.
The Pokémon gained new life, emerging from the ashes as Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.
I've been reborn twice now, I thought as I cradled the feather in my palm. I wanted to tuck it away for safekeeping, but with my clothes in the state they were in, I was worried I'd lose it.
And with my bag lost somewhere twenty-something years in the future, all I had were the clothes on my back, Ho-Oh's feather, and five empty Pokéballs.
No, four empty balls! I corrected myself with a laugh. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten I'd caught a Gyarados, even with all the crazy stuff that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
"What am I going to do with you?" I muttered, tapping Gyarados' Pokéball with my finger.
Without my Pokedex, I didn't know a thing about it. And while Pokémon wasn't a game anymore, so I wouldn't see a level, if I knew its size and move set, I was sure I'd be able to semi-accurately gauge how strong Gyarados was.
No, how much stronger was the actual question. And it was a question that posed a big problem for me.
In the games, if you had the right number of badges, your pokémon listened to you. Now that I was here, in a world where pokémon were more than just lines of code, I had to consider the personality of the pokémon I caught.
Some pokémon might not want me to be their trainer. Some might not want to battle. Others might want to battle too much and not listen to my commands.
Every pokémon I encountered would have a unique personality, and I would have to decide if they fit on my team.
Gyarados were infamous for their fierce temper and wanton destructive tendencies.
What if the Gyarados I caught didn't want to listen to me? I couldn't exactly put the water-type Pokémon in its place. Elekid had gotten extremely lucky last night that Mother Nature decided to assist with its own lightning.
I was sure that without that natural bolt of lighting lending a helping hand, Gyarados would have tanked Elekid's Thunder Shock and swallowed us both whole.
"I can worry about that later," I muttered as I started off toward Viridian City.
Right now the first thing I needed was new clothes. The mud on mine was starting to dry and it was scratching me in all the wrong places.
|POKÉMON|
After hours of walking, I finally emerged from the woods onto a hill crest overlooking Viridian City.
Spread out before me was a sight that was familiar, yet thrilling in its realism. With Highway Route 2 passing through it, Viridian City was a reasonably large city, and while the city was nowhere near the scale of massive metropolises like New York or Chicago, the suburban sprawl of neighborhoods, industrial sectors, and high-rise buildings still dwarfed anything I had seen in the Pokémon games.
Stationed right beside Viridian's main gates stood a lone police box, likely placed to monitor incoming travelers. As the daylight faded, I made my way down the forested hillside toward Viridian. By the time I passed through the city gates, dusk had shifted fully into night.
The police box at the gates was lit from within, but I didn't see any sign of Officer Jenny. I frowned as I got closer to the police box to look through the window. I didn't think it had been mentioned in the anime, but I was pretty sure one of the manga had explained gender dynamics at play in the Pokémon world. Why most of the important fields of work in the Pokémon world were dominated by women—from Officer Jennys in every town to Nurse Joys staffing every Pokémon Center.
It was because most men were like Brock's father, Flint. They tended to try and pursue riches and glory by becoming great and famous Pokémon trainers. But similar to aspiring Hollywood actors, the vast majority failed to achieve such lofty goals. The harsh truth was...not everyone had what it took to be a Pokémon trainer and more people failed than succeeded. Some men realize this early enough and are able to make a change of career, but others (like Flint) chase their dreams until the bitter end, becoming poor wanderers chasing battles and badges unable to integrate back into society. And when injuries or defeat piled up, those broken former trainers often had little to fall back on, having become adults with no skills other than the ability to throw a pokéball, leaving them unproductive drains on society.
They were nothing but talk.
Unreliable.
Always dreaming of getting rich quick.
If people like that were allowed to be police, bankers, or doctors, cities would be filled with thieves, and hospitals would create casualties rather than cure them.
As such, the most important, serious jobs in this country were handled by women.
I shook my head. Who was I to judge though? Here I was, just another teenager wearing ragged clothes, stumbling into a city late at night to chase the very same dream. Hypocritical as it was, I didn't bother to think about the fact that I was just like those unreliable men, trying to become the one-in-a-million Pokémon trainer who would rise above the rest. I was going to be the exception, the one who succeeded where so many others failed.
As I trudged up Viridian's main street toward the Pokémon Center, my disheveled state drew little attention from the locals. Business owners closed up their stores for the night while restaurants bustled with families and young couples enjoying evening meals. My messy clothing didn't even earn me a second glance. I realized how strange I must appear sopping wet and covered in mud, but no one seemed to care as I made my way through the quiet streets. Such ragged appearances were clearly not unusual around here.
Which actually made sense when I thought about it. In a world like Pokémon, seeing dirty and tired travelers was probably a common occurrence in most cities.
"YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!"
A female voice announced through intercoms places all around the city. Being right under a street light with one such speaker attached to it, I caught every bit of the high frequency that allowed Officer Jenny's voice to be heard throughout Viridian.
I clapped my hands over my ears, wincing at the shrill ringing.
Officer Jenny's timing sucked!
"Our Viridian City radar sensors have detected an aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokémon thieves!" Officer Jenny's amplified voice announced. "If you have a Pokémon in your possession, exercise extreme caution and report any suspicious individuals to the authorities."
I froze mid-step at the unexpected warning. I looked up to the sky, every exhausted muscle in my body tensing. Viridian City was the site of the first clash between Ash Ketchum and Team Rocket.
There! I spotted it— an absurdly oversized Meowth balloon disappearing behind a skyscraper currently under construction.
I broke into a run toward the Pokémon Center.
Team Rocket was trying to steal injured Pokémon and despite my legs feeling dead tired from walking all day, I really wanted to help stop them!
Now that I was here, in this world, where Pokémon were real and physical, I couldn't stand the thought of an organization like Team Rocket existing.
And even if it was just Jessie and James, I owed all of Team Rocket an ass-kicking for literally killing me!
I won't hurt them...much, I decided as Pokémon Center came into view, shining like a beacon, its iconic red roof vibrant against the grey concrete structures around it.
As I reached the Pokémon Center front steps and was about to sprint straight into the lobby the glass entrance doors slid open and a pink blur suddenly collided into my midsection.
I stumbled back with a surprised "Oof!" but caught myself on the Pokémon Center's doors to keep from falling on my over.
I looked down to see that had hit me. A pink, ovoid pokémon lay sprawled at my feet. I knew it was a Chansey right away, and she looked terrified. Her tiny eyes were wide with fear and the three hair-like outgrowths on each side of her head stuck out in every direction, standing on end.
"Hey, you okay?" I asked, resting a gentle hand on Chansey's head. Inside, I could hear shouts and crashes. Team Rocket must already be ransacking the place.
Chansey's eyes blinked open. Its gaze darted around warily before settling on my face. I gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile. After a tense moment, some of the tension left Chansey's body. It wasn't fully relaxed, but no longer on the verge of panic at least.
"Don't worry," I patted the pink Pokémon's head. "Me and Elekid are going to take care of Team Rocket, okay? You just wait here."
I looked down at Elekid. "Start charging up a Focus Punch," I said, with a grin. "We've got the element of surprise, so let's use it."
Even if Jessie and James didn't have their Pokémon out, I knew Meowth wouldn't be in a Pokéball. That gave Elekid a target because I couldn't have him punch Jessie or James.
The past few months I'd spent most of my time training or reading up on laws. One of the worst crimes a trainer could commit was ordering their Pokémon to attack other humans. The only crimes worse than that were murder and rape.
Elekid's fist started to glow light blue and
"Hey! Stop right—"
The rest of my shout died on my lips at the sight of the most perfectly sculpted rear end I'd ever seen. The two perfectly round cheeks belonged to Jessie from Team Rocket. She stood with her back turned to me, striking a pose that stretched her tight white mini-skirt to the limit.
I had grown up seeing Jessie on-screen, but no animation or cosplayer could compare to seeing her in person. 2D does not do her justice! I pinched myself, to stop from getting lost in the sight. I had always found her attractive in the show, but now, in person, she was pure temptation. She could've made a eunuch stand at attention.
James must have seen me out of the corner of his eye because the blue-haired man turned around and whined, "Another twerp?"
I ignored him completely as Jessie turned around too. I couldn't take my eyes off Jessie. My eyes couldn't seem to decide what to focus on. Her barely-there mini-skirt rode low on her hips, revealing every inch of her toned stomach, but it was her crop top that truly caught my attention. Just like her tiny skirt, the poor slip of fabric she was wearing was being stretched to the breaking point, only just managing to keep her full, perky breasts contained.
"Hey!" Jessie snapped her fingers. "Stop staring, twerp!"
"Then stop looking so damn good!" I retorted, rolling my eyes. What did she expect, walking around in an outfit like that?
Of course, people were going to stare!
James frowned. "Is the twerp hitting on you?"
"I think he is," Jessie said with a smile, glancing down at the Pokémon. curled near her feet. "Ekans, why don't you teach him some manners?"
I yanked my attention away from Jessie's body. What was I doing getting distracted by Jessie of all people?
She was a member of Team Rocket!
I glared at the large snake-like Pokémon. Ekans wasn't very long, a little shy of maybe six feet, but it was thick. And not pool-noodle thick, either. More like, couldn't slither through a car tire without a rim thick.
Huh, I guess Pokémon really do take after their trainers, I glanced back at Jessie. Ekans wasn't the only thing that was thick around here.
Jessie sneered as she caught me ogling her body again and gave a disdainful scoff. "Ekans, squeeze that little twerp until he breaks!"
Ekans sprang into action, slithering across the pristine lobby of the Pokémon Center. But I was ready.
"Elekid, Focus Punch!"
With no need for a "turn" to concentrate its energy, Elekid's glowing fist smashed into Ekans' head. The snake-like Pokémon let out a pained hiss as it was sent flying back. As Ekans crash-landed at Jessie's feet, its yellow eyes narrowed into angry slits.
Jessie's furious eyes fixed on me, her voice dripping with venom. "You little brat!" she hissed.
"Ekans, use Poison Sting now!"
Ekans reared up and launched a barrage of poison-tipped glowing purple needles from its mouth.
I reacted quickly, throwing up my arms to create a shimmering blue shield. Elekid and Chansey stood behind me, protected from the attack. I wasn't a master of Aura, my Aura Sphere hadn't affected Rhyhonr at all, but Jessie's Ekans wasn't Rhyhorn so its Poison Sting attacks bounced harmlessly off my Aura Shield.
Jessie, James, and Meowth stood dumbstruck, their eyes wide with shock.
"Did you see that? That…that twerp just pulled off a Pokémon move!" Meowth sputtered incredulously.
I wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. "Thunder Shock, Elekid!"
With a flash of sparks along its horns, Elekid unleashed a crackling bolt of electricity. Ekans had no chance to dodge the attack, convulsing wildly as the Thunder Shock hit it with full force.
"Don't just stand there!" Jessie shouted at James.
"Right!" James said. "Koffing use Sludge attack!"
The floating repugnant Pokémon belched out a foul stream of vile brown goo, filling the air with its nauseating stench.
I dry heaved as the noxious spray of slime invaded my senses and left a repulsive taste in my mouth, like rotten eggs mixed with sewage. My stomach churned as resisted the urge to vomit.
Before the battle could continue, shouting down the hall caught my attention.
"I'm sure Chansey went this way! We can't let Team Rocket get her!"
Looking past Team Rocket I caught sight of a familiar red hat. Ash looked tired and run ragged, still dressed in his muddy jeans and blue jacket. Now that it wasn't raining and Ash wasn't flying by on a bike, I noticed something different about him.
Ash looked taller than he did in the anime, and his face wasn't as round. But there was no mistaking that messy black hair and zig-zag marks under familiar brown eyes.
Running behind Ash was nothing but blatant fan service.
Nurse Joy positively bounced in her nurse habit. She practically bounced along with each step. The dangerously short skirt she wore barely covered her thighs, revealing shapely legs and teasing it seemed like with one wrong sudden move she'd be giving everyone a show.
"Hey! Two against one?" Ash shouted looking between me and Team Rocket. "That's cheating!"
Misty rolled her eyes. "Obviously they won't fight fair, genius." The redheaded girl swatted the back of Ash's head. "They steal Pokémon!"
"Chansey!" Nurse Joy cried, rushing past me to kneel next to Chansey who was still huddled fearfully by the entrance.
Things are starting to get out of hand, I looked around the lobby. Between Nurse Joy, Ash, and Misty, Team Rocket now had three more targets instead of just me.
Fuck it!
I reached down to my belt and grabbed Gyarados Pokéball. It was risky, but I was muddy, tired, and really wanted a shower. And if Gyarados doesn't listen, I'll just recall him.
"Go, Gyarados!"
The massive serpentine beast erupted from its Pokéball. Gyarados' towering aquatic form filled the lobby. Six hundred pounds of scale, muscle, and primal fury filled the lobby. Its mammoth jaws opened with a room-shaking roar that rattled lobby windows.
I heard a high-pitched shriek and saw Misty jump behind Ash. Right, she used to be terrified of Gyarados.
Across the lobby, all the color drained from Team Rocket's faces at the sight of my massive Pokémon.
I looked behind me at Nurse Joy and Chansey. Nurse Joy looked so worried for the Pokémon, I wanted to do something to calm her down. Despite my clear power superiority against Team Rocket, releasing a Gyarados in the lobby of her Pokémon Center wasn't calming.
Thinking fast, I shouted, "Don't worry, Nurse Joy! I already called Viridian's Gym Leader for backup! Gyarados will keep Team Rocket busy until he gets here!"
Jessie and James went even paler at the threat. "G-g-gym leader?" James stuttered. He looked at Jessie who had already made up her mind.
She pulled a pokéball from between her tits (where else would she have kept it in that outfit?) and tapped Ekans on the head, recalling the snake Pokémon in a beam of red light.
"James, I think it's time for us to go."
"I agree! Koffing, use Smokescreen!" James ordered, looking absolutely relieved that we weren't going to try and battle a Gyarados and a gym leader.
Koffing unleashed a thick Smokescreen of poison gasses from the pores on its body. I coughed as the toxic smog filled the lobby.
By the time it cleared, Team Rocket was gone.
I wasn't happy about letting any members of Team Rocket go, but it was just Jessie and James, so I wasn't too worried. "Is everyone okay?" I asked, looking at Ash, Misty, and Nurse Joy.
Mostly Nurse Joy.
"The Viridian City gym has been closed for weeks," Nurse Joy said, still shell-shocked at the attack on her Pokémon Center.
Yeah, because Giovanni is out being the leader of Team Rocket, I growled at the thought.
I was going to enjoy messing up that guy's life.
Of course, no one but me knew that the Viridian City gym leader was also the leader of Team Rocket, but I kept that thought to myself. Giovanni had been running Team Rocket for years, and I didn't think I'd be able to take down the organization with an anonymous tip.
Besides, telling the authority wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as fucking up Giovanni's operation myself.
So instead of saying anything, I just smiled at Nurse Joy and shrugged. "Team Rocket didn't know that."
SAM'S POKÉMON TEAM!
Elekid: Quick Attack, Focus Punch, Thunder Shock
Gyarados: ? ? ?