"Reporting for duty, sir!" I saluted my commanding officer, Red. His eyes glowing a deep crimson, he regarded me with a cold stare, pulling down slightly on the red cap hung on his head. A man of few words, he handed me the briefing rather than summarising it for me himself.
"..."
He stared at me expectantly. I unfolded the note and read it's contents. It was a briefing for the mission ahead of us. We were to engage in battle on the front lines of Sinnoh, where it was suspected that the champion Cynthia was currently located... I could feel a shiver down my spine.
"...Do you think we can beat her?" I asked cautiously. Red turned his head to the side, weighing my question carefully. Finally, he opened his mouth-
'I don't know.'
...
It had now been 42 days since I woke up in my room-The memories of my last life haunting me as I attempted to grow stronger.
I laid in bed, slowly drifting awake from my sleep as a familiar figure crouched down, poking me in my ribs. I blinked a few times as the figure of the young girl came into focus, her black hair dangling over her shoulders. She poked me a few more times to make sure I woke up.
Wakey wakey sleepyhead! We're not even halfway to Pewter City yet!
I groaned as I sat up in my sleeping bag. We were currently in Kanto Route 1, a path between Pallet Town and Viridian City. In order to get to Pewter City where our first Gym Challenge would be held, we first had to make our way through Route 1.
Route 1 was fairly easy to travel on-It was basically a bunch of flat grassy plains with the occasional taller patch of grass where you could encounter wild Pokemon, so finding a safe place to sleep overnight hadn't been too difficult.
The dangerous woods only extended around 30 minutes outside Pallet Town, so the rest of our journey so far had been pretty peaceful, and if it weren't for me we might have reached the next town already.
Come on! Stop spacing out and let's get moving! Chee puffed up her cheeks with exaggerated exasperation as she continued to repeatedly poke me in the chest. I gently grabbed her wrist to stop her from attacking my ribs and I finally spoke.
"Alright, alright, I'm up." I sighed, letting go of her. She pulled her arm back with a smile and stood up, dusting off her red skirt.
Are you ready to go to Viridian City? She asked with a smile.
I was thoughtful for a moment as I started to pack away our sleeping bags and other loose camping equipment, my gaze shifting to a pair of game-like window floating in the air nearby.
[Route 1 Completion:
- Defeat Wild Pokemon (20/30)
Reward: Spawn Area Boss
- Defeat Area Boss (UNAVAILABLE)
Reward: 1 PokeStatus Point, Type Proficiency: Normal +50 points]
[Viridian Completion:
- Route 1 (Incomplete)
- Viridian City (Incomplete)
- Viridian Forest (Incomplete)
Reward: 5 PokeStatus Points, Type Proficiency: Normal +500 points, Flying +160 points]
"...Sorry, if you don't mind I'd like to do a bit more training here." I answered finally. "Just a bit more."
The pair of windows had opened along with a quest once Chee and I had made our way into the proper depths of Route 1. I didn't want to delay the Gym Challenge too much, but I also was very interested to get points in proficiency-Particularly in flying, which I had no way for Yeller to obtain.
When Normal Type Proficiency had hit 100%, I'd gained the skill S.T.A.B., which had been passively boosting the damage of every attack that Yeller did ever since. It hadn't been as much of a power increase as I'd initially judged it to be, but I definitely felt that if it wasn't for that skill I still wouldn't be able to keep up with either Blue or Chee in battles.
And there was that quest as well...
[Tutorial 3: Completion
- Certain areas of the world can be 'Completed', which will gain you Type Proficiency and other bonuses as a reward. Completing every area in a collection of areas will give you an even bigger reward!
- Complete any single area by finishing the task related to it, and defeating the boss summoned by doing so.
- Summon an Area Boss (Incomplete)
Reward: PokeStatus Lv 2]
...I did have to wonder how long the so-called 'Tutorial' was going to last. It had been almost exactly a month since the last tutorial quest I had received, so I had actually assumed it was over until I got another quest.
I finished packing away all our camping supplies, turning to see that Chee had puffed out her cheeks even further in response. Battle Maniac! We're supposed to be adventuring, not beating up weak Pokemon!
"Ahh, just hear me out. I have a feeling something interesting might happen if we beat just a few more..." I answered, trying to reassure her. She narrowed her eyes at me, but in the end she just crossed her arms and snorted with a hint of indignation.
Fine! But we're going to go on my adventure once you're done!
I smiled at the young girl. "Alright, it's a deal."
...
The Pokemon on Route 1 were mostly Pidgey and Rattata, and not particularly strong ones either. Now that Yeller and I had trained at Professor Oak's lab for a month, the wild Pokemon near Pallet Town were weak enough that we could defeat most of them in one or two hits.
"Tackle!" I commanded, and my Rattata slammed into the bird-like Pokemon standing in front of it. With a thud, the Pidgey fell to the ground unconscious.
[Log:
Type Proficiency: Normal: +1%
You defeated a wild Pidgey!]
Ever since type proficiency had passed 100%, the rate at which it had increased had gone down. I was getting close to having 300% Normal proficiency now, but I still had a fair bit to go.
Are you done yet? Chee asked with a bored look on her face, resting her head on her palms as she sat on a boulder nearby. I wanna go explore. Or at least do some of the battling myself.
I'd quickly realised that any Pokemon Chee defeated didn't count towards my total, so I'd insisted she let me fight the wild Pokemon without her help for now. She was willing to oblige, but I could tell that just waiting patiently for me to finish was against her nature.
"Just one more." I reassured her. "If I'm right, we'll get to see something interesting after that."
I scanned my eyes across the field, looking for any remaining conscious Pokemon. I didn't find any, but after a few moments Chee snapped her fingers and pointed, directing my attention to a weak-looking Rattata not too far from us.
"Thanks Chee~" I called as Yeller and I made our way towards it. Chee just rolled her eyes in response. Whatever. Remember, it's my adventure after this. Her expression said as she pulled her knees to her chest.
I didn't respond, cautiously sneaking up on the Rattata as it preened itself. I met eyes with my partner, who similarly shot me a glance filled with meaning. Ready when you are! Just give the order!
"Tackle." I whispered, pointing at the wild Rattata. Yeller immediately burst out of the bushes, his yellow fur contrasting against the vibrant green field as he charged towards his fellow Rattata. The Rattata in question noticed and tried to get away, but was hit by the tackle before it had the chance to escape.
Unlike the others however, it endured the attack and began to glow with white energy, trying to escape. "Yeller! Cut it off with Quick Attack!"
Both Rattata began to glow with flowing white energy, and the wild Rattata ran as fast as it could to get away-Unfortunately, Yeller was faster even with the boost from Quick Attack, and it was mere moments before my partner landed the second attack, defeating the wild Rattata.
[Log:
Type Proficiency: Normal: +1%
Type Proficiency: Normal: +1%
You defeated a wild Rattata!
You've reached the requirements for 'Route 1'! The Boss will now spawn!]
I looked around somewhat nervously, I had expected it to be something I could choose when to do, but apparently the boss was spawning immediately. I nervously summoned my quest menu, and made sure to accept the rewards for the completion of the quest.
[Log:
PokeStatus has reached level 2! You can now use PokeStatus points!]
I was still on edge about where the boss could be coming from when I felt a warm body press against my back. Turning to look, I could see that Chee had run over and pressed her back against mine. Her gaze was serious as she met my own.
...I have a bad feeling. Her eyes said dangerously. Let me help.
As she did so, a game window appeared in the corner of my vision.
[Notice:
A trainer would like to join your party. Accept?]
I nodded quietly. The two of us stood back to back for a moment, and the tension in the air was palpable. We could both tell that something was wrong. I tried to check the window again, but it had closed already, so I didn't have time to consider what it meant.
...This might have been a bad idea. I thought, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise.
Suddenly, a big ball of brown and black fur appeared in front of me, slanted eyes with a pair of giant buck teeth slapped over a mouth that looked like it was stuffed with food. It's blood-red eyes met my own, and it let out a screech that felt like it rocked my soul.
[The Boss of Route 1, King Raticate has appeared!]
"That thing's a Raticate?!" I instinctively replied to the system. While I took the moment to comment on the species, Chee had already released her Bulbasaur into the field in front of us.
I was left with no time for thought as the Raticate leapt for my throat, it's mouth open menacingly. My combat instincts took over and I pivoted away, avoiding the powerful bite as it's teeth snapped together with a powerful force.
"Yeller! Quick Mode now!" I called desperately, hoping to get the monstrous Raticate off of my back. "Tail Whip it quickly!"
Yeller burst with a speeding flash of white, but to my astonishment the large black Raticate bounced deftly out of the way, dodging the Tail Whip by a hair. "Oi oi, you gotta be kidding." I could feel the sweat growing on my skin as I faced the wild creature.
The black monster let out a fearsome howl, and moments later a pair of Rattata ran in from the field nearby. They both assumed a position next to the Raticate, facing it with a sense of irreverence.
Chee seemed to stiffen. Did it just summon allies!? Is this a wild Pokemon that can train wild Pokemon?! Her eyes turned to me in surprise, then back to the wild Pokemon. I've never seen anything like that before...
I had never seen anything like this in person, but it did strongly remind me of an event from my past. Or perhaps more accurately, an event from my future.
The Tauros Stampede.
Pallet Town had been destroyed when it was overrun by a pack of more than 50 wild Tauros, led by an 'Alpha' Tauros. They disregarded the borders of the town and trampled the people, buildings, and Pokemon all to death. The only survivors had been a small group of kids led by Red, who happened to be back by then.
Along with the annihilation of Team Rocket, it was seen as the origin of 'Red the Hero' as he became known throughout the region. According to the eyewitness accounts the behaviour of the Tauros was unusual, as if they were targeting the citizens themselves. Supposedly Oak himself had been attacked simultaneously by a group of 20 or more Tauros...
The accounts claimed that after Red defeated a large black Tauros, the rest of them had become much more disorganised and the group was finally able to escape. As someone who was originally from Pallet Town I'd always wanted to know the truth behind the stories, but I'd never been able to verify the validity of these claims as every time I tried to find the person who'd made them, they would be either dead or missing-And Red himself was never very talkative, and especially unwilling to talk about anything about Pallet town.
But looking at the Raticate in front of me now, I could only believe that it was the truth after all.
Right. No time to hesitate.
I returned my mind to the present. "Chee! Yeller can't hit the Raticate! See if Bulba can do something while I distract the Rattata!"
I ran forward into the field without waiting for confirmation. "Yeller! Focus-1!"
I held my hands out palms-up, and the three-legged Rattata diligently leapt into my arms, a few seconds passed as blue energy formed around his body. I watched from the side as Chee's Bulbasaur launched Vine Whips at the Black Raticate to restrain it, but the creature was frustratingly agile.
With no time to waste, I threw all of my strength into throwing Yeller at the pair of wild Rattata. "Quick Attack!"
Like a bowling ball landing a strike on pins, the two wild Rattata were blown away with a single attack. Despite my concerns, it seemed the wild Pokemon themselves were no stronger than usual.
With the wild Pokemon detained, I returned my attention to the unusual Raticate, but it was still easily evading Chee's attempts at restraining it. Chee seemed to have some idea, and she reached into her bag-But the Raticate took advantage of that moment of distraction to strike, bypassing the Bulbasaur entirely and attempting to bite Chee just as it had with me earlier.
"Chee look out!" I called, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of the path of the attack. I unfortunately couldn't spare the time to help her recover her balance as the Raticate immediately redirected it's attack towards me, and it took all of my strength to hold it back as it's jaws gnashed inches from my face.
"Yeller!" I called, and the Raticate dashed back just as Yeller got to where it had been. "Damnit! How fast is this thing!?"
The object Chee had been digging through her bag for was the hat I'd seen her pull out at Professor Oak's lab. She met my gaze for a brief moment, her eyes filled with determination. Buy me time! I need to plan!
"For real...?" I responded aloud, but she didn't respond-Instead pulling the hat all the way down over her forehead until it covered her eyes. "Damnit!" I scrambled to my feet, placing myself between the Raticate and my friend.
The Raticate almost seemed to instinctively understand that we were planning something, and immediately made it's way towards Chee. I was concerned with keeping it at bay due to it's agility, but I realised something as I continued to pressure it with Yeller's attacks.
It's not actually faster than Quick Mode... It starts dodging before he moves.
Somehow the monster seemed to understand we were going to attack it before the hit itself actually landed-Which made sense, speed wouldn't be enough to dodge one of Chee's vine whip assaults.
Maybe it just has incredibly good instincts...? I mused. At the very least, the realisation that it was possible for Yeller to hit it left us at an impasse. It was much easier to defend against the Raticate than to defeat it-Though it was no less stressful.
Finally, I felt a tap on my arm. I turned over to see Chee, who was standing beside me, no longer hiding underneath the hat she quietly tucked back into her bag. Her eyes remained closed for a moment but she opened them and met my gaze.
I have a plan. When I tap your shoulder again, have Yeller use Quick Mode to dance around the Raticate as much as possible.
I nodded with understanding. "Yeller! On my mark, Quick Tail Whip Times 6! Ready..."
I waited for what felt like an eternity as the air was thick with tension. Yeller stood tense and ready in front of me, and Chee's Bulbasaur also stood with all attention on Chee, it's vines digging through the ground to places unknown.
I took deep breaths to keep my nerves calm, and I could feel Chee's gloved hand resting gripped around my arm, a single finger raised.
The Raticate seemingly had enough of watching us, it launched towards us with murderous intent, but as it flew through the air an entire maze of vines launched from the ground, restricting it's movements.
I stood with bewilderment as I watched every move the Raticate try to make be preemptively blocked by a new wave of vines sprouting from the ground, interweaving like a complicated knot.
I felt an urgent tap on my shoulder, and it took me a quarter-second longer than I'd like to realise I needed to respond. "Mark!"
In a brilliant streak of white with a thin strip of Green, Yeller charged into the jungle of vines, narrowly missing each tail swing against the Raticate by the thinest of margins. Even more impressive was the way that Bulbasaur would prop up a piece of land on the perfect angle for my Rattata to redirect off of, making his Quick Attack barrage far faster than normal.
...! I get it, with Quick Attack can only redirect if Yeller is in contact with the ground. By placing the ground everywhere, the number of angles he can use are multiplied massively!
Finally, the sixth tail whip landed a successful hit on the Raticate, and I realised the other piece of the puzzle I'd been missing as Yeller skidded to a halt, holding the end of a bright green vine in his mouth.
In shock I re-examined the Raticate, only now realising it was tangled in green vines that restrained it. The vines tightened and constricted, holding it tighter than a Honedge draining the life from one of it's victims.
Suddenly all of the vines that had formed a forest around the creature collapsed, the intense knot pulling taught around it's singular victim. In a single blast, the Bulbasaur fired a draining leech seed into the Raticate.
It was almost sad to watch now, as the Raticate was slowly drained of it's HP by the seed imbedded in itself, with no means to escape.
Although just to be doubly sure, I made Yeller use repeated Tackles to finish it off.
The Raticate fell unconscious, and the vines pulled away as it dropped to the ground. I wanted to run over and investigate, but it began to glow a faint silver... A few moments later, it faded into nothingness.
"What on earth...?" I wondered, wanting to walk over and investigate-But I was distracted by a tugging on my arm and a large thump. I looked down to see that Chee was resting with her knees spread on the ground, her legs had clearly given out and she was shaking slightly.
"Chee!? Are you okay?!" I leaned down, she looked to be fairly pale, but she nodded quietly, hiding her face with her free hand. Her right hand was still clamped firmly onto my arm, and it didn't show any signs of releasing it's grip any time soon.
I-I'm okay, just a bit shaken. I've never seen a Pokemon that violent before. Her gaze hardened. More importantly-You have a lot of explaining to do mister! Why did that thing attack us right when you said 'something interesting' would happen!? You could have died!
Ah. Right. I had said something like that right beforehand.
...Now, how was I going to talk my way out of this one...?