DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON

|CHAPTER 4|

Oh shit!

Gyarados's massive form twisted around, its blue scales gleaming under the lobby's fluorescent lights. For some reason, it was smaller than I remember it being in the lake. In my mind, Gyarados had been this massive sea monster as long and big as a semi-truck. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me last night, because in the light of day, while Gyarados was still big, it was only about the size of a large great white shark.

And now that I was face to face with Gyarados, I could see that I had been right and it was not happy about being captured.

Gyarados glared at me, its red eyes narrowed and filled with seething rage.

"Return!"

I lifted its Pokéball and recalled Gyarados in a burst of red light before it could attack. What am I going to do with you? I wondered looking down at the Pokéball. Having a Pokémon that wouldn't listen to you in the games wasn't a big deal. You just had to wait until you had enough badges. Now that Gyarados was its own person/Pokémon, I doubted it would be that easy.

Plus, in the games, I didn't have to worry about my Pokémon attacking me.

"Thank you!"

I grunted as Nurse Joy flung her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I could feel the softness of her body pressing against my own, her heartbeat racing against my chest. Normally, I would have enjoyed the closeness, but right now, all I felt was an overwhelming burning sensation.

The adrenaline that I hadn't even known was pumping through my veins had all but drained away, and I was starting to feel the effects of Koffing's Smokescreen attack. My eyes stung as if I'd rubbed them with sandpaper, and each breath I took felt like I was inhaling smoke.

I coughed violently, the burning sensation in my lungs intensifying.

Nurse Joy immediately snapped into doctor-mode, guiding me to a nearby chair. "Please, sit down," she urged gently, her hands grasping my shoulders. "I'll be right back."

Her skirt swished as she moved, offering tantalizing glimpses of her thighs to me. But I couldn't fully appreciate the view, too focused on the pain in my chest.

I shouldn't be so surprised, I thought, letting out another wheezing breath. Koffing was literally the Poison Gas Pokémon.

Obviously inhaling its fumes would have a negative impact on my body.

Still, even with my bloodshot eyes that stung with each blink, and the sharp bitter taste on my tongue making it difficult to swallow and breathe, I couldn't stop smiling.

I was only in pain because Pokémon were real.

After a few minutes, she returned, wheeling behind her a metal canister about the size of a fire extinguisher. Attached to the canister was a long tube with an oxygen mask at the end.

"Here," Nurse Joy held up the mask to my face. "Take slow deep breaths."

As I followed her orders, I felt instant relief as cool, clean air filled my lungs. The scent of antiseptic and medicine replaced the pungent, acrid smell of Koffing's Smokescreen

"You must have inhaled too much of Koffing's toxic gas," Nurse Joy explained softly as she sat down next to me. "This will help clear out your lungs and ease any discomfort."

Then the sudden roar of an engine caused Nurse Joy and I to jump in surprise. The blinding headlights of a blue and white motorcycle burst through the sliding glass doors, leaving behind a trail of shattered glass as it skidded to a stop just inches away from the front desk.

On the bike was Officer Jenny, her blue heel planted firmly against the tiled floor. My gaze tracked up Officer Jenny's long legs wrapped in a skintight pencil skirt hiked scandalously high by her straddling the motorcycle.

After a tense moment, Nurse Joy stepped forward, hands on her hips, clearly unimpressed with the dramatic entrance. "Officer Jenny!" she admonished sharply. "How many times have I told you not to ride that thing inside?" She gestured in exasperation to the shattered glass scattered across the tile floor. "Was that truly necessary?"

Officer Jenny killed the engine before swinging herself off the bike, her skirt riding even higher. Seriously, who designed these police uniforms?

"You reported a Team Rocket attack in progress," Officer Jenny met Nurse Joy's gaze unrepentantly. "Did you expect me to waste time parking?"

Nurse Joy opened her mouth to respond then hesitated, a look of reluctant acknowledgment passing over her features. Sighing in resignation, she shook her head. "No...I suppose the urgency was warranted."

Officer Jenny glanced around the lobby. "Where are these criminals then?" she demanded.

Clasping her hands, Nurse Joy offered an apologetic smile. "Regrettably Team Rocket got away But..." she amended with growing enthusiasm as she gestured toward me. "Thanks to this brave trainer, the Pokémon Center didn't lose a single Pokémon!"

Officer Jenny shifted her attention to me, her eyebrows rising in interest, if not skepticism at such high praise. "You're the 'brave trainer' who drove off a dangerous band of Pokémon thieves?"

Sensing her skepticism, if not outright suspicion, I frowned. What was wrong with me?

"That's right," I said, pulling the oxygen mask away from my face. "Team Rocket was trying to steal injured Pokémon. Me and my Elekid fought Ekans, one of their Pokémon, before I lied and said the Gym Leader was on his way. That sent them running."

"Is that so?" Officer Jenny leaned down and gripped my chin roughly, glaring into my eyes. It would probably annoy any normal person my age, but with her cleavage practically in my face, what was there to complain about?

I stared back at her, waiting to see if she was going to try and scold me. I'd done what I needed to do. Even though it was just Jessie and James, it had felt good sticking it to Team Rocket.

"Let's see some identification?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cracked and shattered phone. "I was coming to the Pokémon Center to register," I explained, looking at Nurse Joy. "Could you help me with that later?"

Nurse Joy smiled warmly and nodded. "Of course!"

"I'll need your trainer identification once you're registered," Officer Jenny let go of my chin and took out a notepad. "For now, we can start with your name and hometown."

Shit! I couldn't use my real hometown, not with Ash Ketchum in the same room. Pallet Town was a small place where everyone knew everyone. He'd know I was lying the second the word Pallet left my mouth.

So I lied, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

"I'm Samuel Oak, from Shelter Town."

Officer Jenny's brow furrowed in suspicion. "Is that supposed to be a joke, kid?" she snapped. "Or did your parents just happen to be big fans of the Pokémon professor? Is that it?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't know. My parents were trainers who abandoned me as a baby in Shelter Town, and I was raised by the villagers there."

"Oh!" Nurse Joy gasped, her hand flying to her chest in shock. "You poor thing! To be left all alone like that..."

Officer Jenny's tone softened slightly, but her interrogation continued. "And where exactly is this Shelter Town located?"

"Jenny, is this really necessary?" Nurse Joy interjected with concern. "Sam just saved our Pokémon Center, and clearly the last thing he needs right now is to be questioned for doing the right thing. Just look at him!"

Nurse Joy pointed at the mud-covered rags I was wearing. I felt a little guilty about how concerned Nurse Joy was for me, but I still wasn't sure what I was going to tell people. I'd been thinking about it the entire way to Viridian and still hadn't made up my mind yet.

Revealing you were from the future was a big decision. One that couldn't be made lightly.

And I definitely wasn't going to tell anyone I was from a completely different universe where they were all fictional characters. I wasn't sure how the government in this world would react to that, but the worst-case scenario was me in a dark room having my mind turned to mush by an Alakazam.

That wasn't a risk I was going to take.

Officer Jenny closed her notepad and glared at Nurse Joy. "I am looking at him," she said, "and what I see makes me curious. What happened to put him in such a state?"

"I got attacked a few hours outside the city by two other members of Team Rocket," I explained truthfully. I was attacked by Team Rocket after all.

Officer Jenny's eyes went wide, her posture stiffening in alarm. "You were ambushed by Team Rocket hours before they attacked the Pokémon center? Where? Why?" She fired off questions rapidly, demanding details.

I recounted the battle—how two different members of Team Rocket had ambushed me a few hours away from Viridian City, attacking my Elekid with their Rhyhorn and Houndoom. How I only escaped after jumping in the river and being pulled downstream.

Officer Jenny listened intently, looking for any information that could help track the criminals. I could see the concern flashing in her eyes shift to a stern, almost scolding look as I admitted to rushing to the Pokémon Center when I saw Team Rocket's balloon rather than staying away.

"As an officer sworn to protect citizens, I must advise trainers to report incidents immediately instead of confronting threats themselves," Officer Jenny said sternly before her expression softened. "However...that was still a very brave thing you did facing those dangerous criminals alone. Reckless, but brave."

Not really, I thought as Officer Jenny stood up. Battling two schmucks like Jessie and James wasn't what I would call brave.

Officer Jenny scribbled a few final notes into her small pad. Clicking her pen, she slipped it into her tightly-cinched utility belt along with the notebook. "I'll add your report to our ongoing investigation into Team Rocket's activities. Please come down to the police station if you remember any additional details that may aid our search." she smiled, although her brows remained knitted in disapproval and worry. "For now, get some rest. You've had quite the ordeal. If I have any further questions, I'll be sure to find you."

With that, Officer Jenny walked over to Ash and Misty. While she worked to gather everyone's statements, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the excessive and blatant display of fan service. Misty's petite figure was barely covered by a crop top and cut-off booty shorts, flaunting her toned ass and making it clear she was no underage cartoon character.

Standing at about the same height as Ash, a few inches shorter than myself, with curves that would make any fanboy drool, Misty looked less like her Indigo league design, and more similar to her appearance in the uncensored Electric Tales of Pikachu Manga. I refused to believe she was supposed to be the same age as her character in the anime.

The sight of her, Nurse Joy in her revealing nurse uniform, and Officer Jenny in a hiked-up pencil skirt made it nearly impossible for me to focus. I cursed the hormones raging through my body, reminding me why puberty was such a pain in the ass. At my age, a stiff breeze was enough to get me going and here I was, surrounded by beautiful women.

But I knew I had more important things to focus on, like figuring out what I was going to do about my time-traveling situation. I'd had a plan in the future, but that plan wouldn't work now. Mostly because I no longer had access to the Oak Ranch, the Oak family prestige, or even my bank account.

What am I going to do now? I wondered. As far as anyone at this time was concerned. I was a no-name orphan without a dollar to his name.

Nurse Joy's gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take your pokéballs to give your team a checkup while you get cleaned up. I noticed some electric burns on your Gyarados' scales that looked quite painful."

I blinked in surprise, impressed she'd noticed something like that through all the commotion. I hadn't noticed a thing.

"Was Gyarados injured when Team Rocket attacked you?"

"Uh, no," I shook my head.

She offered her hand. I took it, grunting as she helped pull me to my feet. The world spun for a moment before my balance steadied.

Nurse Joy kept a grip on my arm as she led me across the lobby floor strewn with glass shards. My ruined shoes and her pristine high heels crunched over the pieces.

We stopped at the front counter and I sagged against it. Nurse Joy swept behind to her workstation, placing my pokéballs into separate slots. She tapped a few buttons and the machine whirred to life.

"Just need to run a quick diagnostic cycle." She flashed a comforting smile over her shoulder. "Should only take thirty minutes or so."

The machine whirred, glowing tubes along its top lighting up one by one. I managed a weak smile in return. "Thanks, Nurse Joy. I really appreciate it."

Nurse Joy stepped back around, taking my arm again. "Of course! Now, let's get you to one of our open rooms so you can rest."

"Joy?" Officer Jenny said, looking over from where she was still talking to Ash and Misty. "I'd like to take your statement now."

Nurse Joy sighed. She pressed a key card into my hand. "Room 204, end of the hall on the second floor."

I nodded and headed up the stairs.

When I made it to room 204, my room for the night, I went straight for the bathroom and turned the shower's hot water faucet to its hottest temperature. I peeled off my filthy clothes, dumping them in a pile on the floor, and stepped under the steaming shower, letting out a long sigh as the water soothed my sore muscles and washed away the layers of grime covering my body.

Without my shirt, I could see the fresh pink scars that traced their way across my body, permanent reminders of Team Rocket's brutal attack. The worst and largest of them all was a fatal puncture wound from Rhyhorn's horn that left an angry line of raised and puckered skin cutting right over my heart.

I scrubbed vigorously at my hair and skin with a bar of soap, watching as murky water swirled down the drain, dragging away bits of dirt and blood along with it.

While in the shower, I used the time to think about my next moves. For some reason, I did a lot of my best thinking in the shower, so it worked out.

First, I needed to decide whether I was going to tell people I was from the future. There were a lot of pros and cons for each choice, but there were two that I kept circling back to.

As a member of the Oak family, I had access to the Oak Ranch and an almost endless supply of money.

Having access to the Oak Ranch in Pallet Town meant that I could catch all the Pokémon I wanted and know they would be well taken care of while I traveled.

And I was definitely going to need money if I wanted to shock the world and win the Indigo League as a rookie trainer. I had about eleven months to collect eight gym badges if I wanted to qualify to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference.

Eleven months was more than enough for that, but once I qualified I'd be battling trainers who'd probably had years to train their Pokémon. Battle experience and natural growth weren't something I had to worry about in the games, but now it was going to be a big problem.

I thought about the Charicific Valley in Johoto and how Ash's powerhouse of a Charizard had been nothing but a runt.

If I wanted to shock the world and place 1st as a rookie trainer, then I needed a plan and money.

Money for what?

Technical Machines!

They were also a thing despite not being in the main anime and apparently, they worked by "downloading" the knowledge of a Pokémon onto a disc that could then be "uploaded" to another Pokémon. The technology to do that was amazing, but it wasn't without a cost. When a TM was created, the Pokémon being used forgot the move that was "downloaded" from their brain.

Which is probably why they cost so much!

Even the cheapest TM cost several thousand Pokémon Dollars and while I didn't plan to go crazy, it would be nice to have the money to buy them if I needed.

Professor Oak knew about time travel. He had that picture of Pikachu and Celebi in his desk, which spawned the fan-theory that meeting Ash in the future had been why Professor Oak helped him so much.

I knew that wasn't the case, and the theory about Oak and Delia was the truth, but it didn't take away the fact that if I told Professor Oak who I was, I would have all the money I needed.

The only thing stopping was a massive, massive con. Which was that as a member of the Oak family, I would have to deal with the Oak family and that was just so weird. Because the sad truth was, I wasn't Daisy Oak's son. I was a stranger wearing the poor kid's face.

I had resigned myself to the fact I would have to keep up that lie, but now I was in the past, I had a choice. As tempting as the Oak fortune was, I didn't want to be stuck dealing with that.

And it wasn't like I was going to be some flat-broke bum. This world I found myself in had a money system like in the games so I could win and lose money during battles.

Using a Pokédex, or a Pokédex app, an item all trainers were required by law to carry, two trainers would accept a League Sanctioned Battle (LSB for short), and the amount of money would be decided depending on the age, experience level, and rank of the defeated trainer.

Of course, not all battles had to be for money, but only LSB wins and losses would be shown on your trainer profile. Everything else was considered to be an exhibition.

The question was, did I have enough confidence in my skills as a Pokémon trainer to risk it?

And the answer was abso-fucking-lutely.

SAM'S POKÉMON TEAM!

Elekid: Quick Attack, Focus Punch, Thunder Shock

Gyarados: ? ? ?