Leo Oak wasn't someone who considered his father scary. Not in a long time, at least.

"HE WHAT!?"

It was times like these, where his son was doing the same stupid shit he used to do, that he reconsidered. Leo sat, vials waiting patiently as Samuel Oak paced around one of the spare rooms in Blaine's lab with his Pokédex in hand, jaw clenched like no other and face red. Leo didn't have many clues about what was going on, but he'd bet money on his son.

I wonder if I should be proud my son is carrying on the family tradition.

Leo laughed silently at himself as he watched his father nearly have a stroke. He might have taken a picture of it wasn't so hauntingly familiar. Although not nearly as bad as when Leo snuck off west as a kid to see all the supposed violence brewing in his early childhood—a mistake he made once and only once.

"Your son must've done something pretty big this time. Consider me impressed." A man's joking laugh caught Leo off guard. Leo clicked his tongue as he turned to the door, and a man with a lab coat, long black hair, tan skin, and red eyes walked in. The man fell in a nearby chair, papers and new data readings in his hand as he sipped on a mug of coffee.

"Glad to see you got my message." Leo huffed, "I don't see what you're so smug about, Alexei. If my son's up to something, I doubt yours is far behind."

"Yeah, but Red could use more spontaneity in his life. It'll be good for him." Alexei shrugged. "Plus, we know if anyone's gonna cause trouble, it's Cyan."

"Rude." Leo huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Accurate, but rude."

"All in good faith," Alexei smirked, holding his hands innocently. "Besides, we've been so swamped as of late that we might as well make the most of it."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Wanna make bets on what they did?"

"Appealing to the gambler in me, Alexei? Clever. Alright, I'll bite." Leo grinned lazily. "I'll bet my next lab report that they caused trouble at the ranch."

"I'll bet this lab report they borrowed one of Oak's old Pokeballs."

"You think they're trying to catch a Pokémon already?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they already did."

"Fair. Alright, you got yourself a deal." Leo held out his hand as Alexei walked over and shook it. The two return to their work. They read a few here and there pages before Samuel finished his call and closed his Pokédex. They tried not to look too curious.

"So... pops."

Leo, for the most part, did not succeed.

"Rough call?" Leo tried to lighten the mood as Alexei offered the old professor a mug of coffee. Samuel took it instantly, downing the liquid like he wished it was alcohol before setting the empty mug on the counter. "Your sons left town yesterday."

"They left?" Leo asked, his tone dipping into a bit more seriousness. He heard Alexei straighten up at the news. They had expected something big, but not that big. They figured it'd be contained in Pallet Town or in its immediate vicinity, at least.

"I thought Al was watching them."

"He was," Samuel elaborated, "but Cyan apparently told Al that he was going to sleep over at Red's while Delia was away." Samuel pinched his nose. "Al didn't see a problem with it, but they were gone when he checked in this morning. Al couldn't find them."

"Dammit, Cyan. Your mom's going to kill me." Leo grumbled, "I don't suppose they left a trail?"

"Unless you count the supplies they took then, no." Samuel pinched his nose. "I don't know what they're thinking, but I have a few guesses."

"Victory Road?"

"No," Samuel's eyes twitched at the reminder of his son's idiotic escapade. "Unlike you, Cyan has Red to keep him out of too much trouble."

"They could just be camping in the forest." Alexei offered, finishing his coffee as he kept himself busy. "Did Alakazam check their fort?"

"Yes, and the ranch. Nothing. They're not in Pallet."

"That's... not ideal." Alexei frowned as he gave up on his lab report and hummed. "Well, if they didn't go towards Victory Road like a certain dumbass-"

"Fuck off."

"And they aren't in the ranch or the fort, so they either went north or south," Alexei mumbled as he visualized Kanto's map. "Route 1 or Route 21."

"My money's on Route 21. Cyan's been trying to look to the ocean lately." Leo said as he started putting his things away. He'd have to go to his wife soon.

"This couldn't have come at a worse time."

Alexei sounded just as thrilled about the idea as him.

"We can't leave that thing alone. It's dangerous." Alexei frowned as he glanced at Samuel. "You know our presence is necessary. Blaine can't do this alone."

"Blaine should've thought about that before he tried recreating that travesty of a being." Samuel snarled, his expression scathingly angry. "I'm not going to sit here while my grandson is out there doing who knows what. He can clean up his mess!"

"But it's not his mess anymore, Oak. It's all of ours." Alexei countered coolly. His eyes settled as he added logically, "Look, whether you like it or not, he'll need our help. Do you think I want to stay here? Away for months at a time. No. But I did, and I will for as long as I need to because it'll be a disaster if he fails."

"He's right, pops," Leo added, resigning, clearing up his equipment and packing his notes. We can't rush off now. You already know what'll happen if we do."

"Of course I do." Samuel snapped. "I also know ten is far too young to run off to who knows where. Blaine might be fine ignoring his grandson, but-"

"I happen to love my grandson very much, Samuel." An irritated voice cut through the lab. The three men, turned as a man in a red dress shirt, lab coat, brown pants, and dress shoes, walked in. He had a balding head and a whisker-like white mustache. It twitched to reflect the man's irritation at the comment.

"Now, my lovely family aside, what's this all about?"

"None of your concern, Blaine," Samuel growled, obviously still angry at what he'd considered an old friend. Leo and Alexei looked away uncomfortably, even Blaine flinching at the venom directed his way. He collected himself quickly enough.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Blaine sighed, "You know I've apologized Oak. I know I was wrong."

"Wrong doesn't begin to cover it." Oak narrowed his eyes, the anger still simmering, but at the very least, his lips were looser. Oak crossed his arms. "That aside, this doesn't concern the project you were responsible for. It involves my grandson."

"Victory Road?"

"One time! It was one time!" Leo shouted as he finished putting his things away and stomped out. Alexei laughed as he followed along. They were likely heading to break the news to their wives and ruin their scheduled shopping day.

Meanwhile, Blaine looked imploringly at Oak.

Oak eventually caved, albeit begrudgingly. "Cyan and Red left Pallet Town. I need to look for them, so don't even think of trying to stop me."

"I won't."

"Good." Oak frowned. His eyes twitched before he grumbled, "Alright, I'll bite. What's your deal?"

"There is no deal, Oak." Blaine stuffed his hands in his pockets. "As I said, I was wrong. I won't keep you from going after your grandson or going home, for that matter. You've already done enough by stabilizing it during the storm."

Samuel's lips thinned as his eyes narrowed. Blaine met the accusing glare and sighed, "That being said, I do need your son and daughter-in-law to stay."

"Why?" Samuel hissed. Blaine elaborated. "They're the best geneticist and breeder in Indigo, Samuel. I need them here, just as I need Alexei."

"For how long, Blaine?" Samuel clenched his jaw. "How long is this going to last? They can't stay here forever. They have children to care for."

"I know, Samuel," Blaine admitted tiredly. His eyes were resigned. "I'm hoping it will only take a few months, but at most, it could be a year."

"And what will Delia do when she realizes she won't see her husband for another year? What will Cyan and Red do?" Samuel frowned. "They need their parents, Blaine, and I can't bring them here."

"This place isn't as dangerous as you make it seem, Samuel," Blaine grumbled. "My family lives here."

Samuel frowned, "I'm sure it was perfectly harmless before your experiment started."

"That isn't." Blaine sputtered before thinking better of it. "Okay, I deserve that."

"You deserve worse."

"I get it, Samuel, just," Blaine huffed as he shook his head and relented. "Look, we can settle our disputes later. Your situation is more important."

"Debatable."

"It always is with you." Blaine chuckled as he spoke. "Look, we should discuss this with them first, but I was going to suggest you take Delia back to Pallet."

"To stop distracting your prized scientist?"

"To have someone to help Al." Blaine frowned, irritated at the mere suggestion that he'd send her away for something so minor. "You're right, they need their parents, but I need them here. That's why I thought it best for you and Delia to return to Pallet. Take care of them for however long it takes to finish everything."

"And you will finish everything this time?" Samuel asked, his tone accusing as Blaine bore it. Blaine's eyes were downcast as he nodded solemnly. "I will."

The two stood silently, Samuel eventually nodding and taking out a Pokeball. "Okay, then. Charizard and I will fly to Route 21 to look for Cyan and Red. When I get back, we can discuss your idea with The Ketchums and my family. If they agree to it, I'll take Delia to Pallet, and we'll take care of the kids until you fix your mess. I'll expect emails on the progress."

"You'll have them, Samuel. You have my word." Blaine said. Samuel nodded, tilting his head at the Pokeball before he frowned and put it back in his lab coat. Blaine watched curiously as Samuel took out his patented Pokedex and dialed a number.

"Who are you calling Samuel?"

"Someone annoyingly useful," Samuel grumbled as the line rang twice, picking up on the third one. A surprised chuckle echoed as Samuel braced himself for the conversation ahead. He hated dealing with this colleague in particular. Nothing against the man, but he was too cunning for Samuel's tastes.

"Well, if it isn't the great Samuel Oak?"

Unfortunately, Samuel had few options for searching for his grandson. He had a lot of ground to cover to try to find Cyan.

"To what do I owe the honor?"

But once he did, that boy was in a world of trouble.


In the woods of Route 1, amidst the waking forest and the rising sun, the traditional sound is peaceful. There were pokemon sparsely spread around, Caterpie and Butterfree waking up to the morning rays. A few Rattattas scurrying around trying to get the morning munch. A few spared a glance at two children, ten years of age, who stood on opposite ends of a tiny clearing. Two aspiring trainers stood apart, one with a pidgey on his shoulder and an excited grin, while the other stood silently with a red and white cap, hiding the growing excitement in his crimson eyes. He stood stoically, but the twitch of his lips betrayed his anticipation.

The only sign of change from the day prior was the Nidoran beside him.

"You ready Red!" Cyan grinned from across the small clearing they had chosen for their battle. Red frowned before moving his foot in the dirt, carving a new message that Cyan could read: "I don't know if we should do this. I don't have a Pokémon."

"What are you talking about?" Cyan grinned, pointing at the Nidoran, who refused to leave Red's side. "You have one right there. So let's battle."

Cyan considered it Red's first Pokémon, even if the Red was slightly anxious about the idea.

"Just because it won't leave doesn't mean it'll affect to be my Pokémon. It's not that simple."

"It totally is that simple."

"Agree to disagree." Red wrote, his frown lessened as the Nidoran rubbed its head affectionately against Red's leg. Red sighed, "I'm not even sure if it wants to battle. What if it refuses."

"Only one way to find out." Cyan cupped his hands to get the Nidoran's attention. "Hey, Nidoran! You want to battle my Pidgey! It'll be fun!"

"Nido?"

"Uh... sure?"

"Nido!" The Nidoran nodded, either uncaring or unaware that Cyan hadn't understood anything it said. Cyan laughed nervously at Red's glare as the Nidoran instantly walked out with an excited step. Meanwhile, Red seemed to debate with himself before Cyan said with a knowing grin, "Oh, come on, Red. You know you're just as excited about this as I am."

Red stared flatly before relenting and nodding. A grin grew on his face as Andromeda flew across from the Nidoran, the two Pokemon staring at each other. Andromeda was confident. The Nidoran looked eager for a fight. Red and Cyan were brimming with adrenaline.

"Andromeda!"

Cyan made the first move.

"Fly higher!" Cyan grinned as his pidgey seemed to stall for a second, glancing back as if she wasn't used to taking orders before relenting and flapping her wings harder. She shot upwards, startling some nearby Combee before soaring above the treetops. Cyan grinned as he glanced down to see what Red would do.

Only to see him staring at the Pidgey, blinking as if coming to some profound realization.

Cyan blinked, stunned as the Nidoran opened its mouth and a toxic hue built up around it. Cyan cursed as poison needles shot out from its mouth, spiraling towards his Pidgey. Cyan shouted, "Dodge!" a second too late, letting a few of the needles stab through her right wing.

"Pidgey!" His pidgey cried in pain and what looked to be irritation. Cyan cursed as he saw the purple liquid begin to erode the feathers' edges; the faint sound of sizzling told him that the corrosive liquid would leave a mark. Cyan wasn't sure if Andromeda was poisoned, but the damage was already done. Cyan saw Andromeda begin to falter in her flight.

She's not going to be able to fly for long.

Cyan clicked his tongue as the realization hit him. He watched as his Pidgey began to falter in the air, veering desperately to avoid the continued onslaught of poison needles. Cyan felt sweat trickle down his skin, his eyes wide, and his smile growing as he yelled, "Dive! Straight down!"

Cyan wasn't thinking anymore, but it felt like the right move. He relied on instinct, and it felt incredible. He was enjoying this.

His pidgey, now barely able to keep flight, seemed to disagree.

"Pidge!" His pidgey cried in irritation, almost glaring at him, before committing to an aerial dive straight down. The needles trailed behind it, a few scraping past its body, nicking feathers, before Cyan yelled, "Spread your wings out!" as it got dangerously close to the ground.

Andromeda complied. Its wings unfurled as the wind beneath it carried it upright, horizontally to the ground. Cyan winced as one of its feet scraped against the ground due to his bad timing, but Andromeda slammed her beak and bore it. Cyan grinned as Andromeda caught on and rocketed straight toward the Nidoran a few meters away. The momentum of her aerial dive carried her faster than the Nidoran could adjust its aim. She glided swiftly across the ground.

Cyan saw his chance and shouted the first move of his career—the most basic one in the book.

"Tackle!" Cyan roared, smiling as his pidgey barreled into the stunned Nidoran. The collision echoed through their section of the forest and knocked the Nidoran back. It tumbled across the field, eventually stopping before it stumbled to its feet. Wincing as bruises began to form on its skin, the worst being the shoulder that Andromeda hit with her tackle.

Pokemon were durable. Even with all the speed she built up, Andromeda couldn't knock out the Nidoran. It was already building up more poison in its mouth, albeit slower than before.

"Keep on it, Andromeda!"

Cyan refused to let Red's Pokemon build up its attack.

"Keep close and attack it! Make sure it doesn't have time to hit you!" Cyan shouted, eagerly watching Andromeda cry out in agreement and flapping its wings quickly. Its flight pattern was sporadic, and she couldn't fly more than a meter or two off the ground, but she was swift enough to carry herself straight above the Nidoran. Instantly letting gravity take her down. She fell, and her talons scraped across Nidoran's horn, drawing blood as it yelped. The poison in its mouth sputtered out, and the attack it built up failed to complete.

The Nidoran shook its head, shaking Andromeda away as she flapped her wings to fly out of range before falling again, scratching the Nidoran's back. It yelped and tried to lunge at her before Andromeda jumped out of range again. What followed was a repetition of Andromeda falling, scratching Nidoran, and flying out of range before it could retaliate. She used gravity to help keep herself from using her wing too much, only having to fly a meter to avoid the Nidoran before going down again. Cyan realized then she was pretty clever.

She may have also been a little twisted.

Considering the taunting "Pidgey~", she gave the Nidoran on her sixth loop around, making the Nidoran growl in a fury before lunging at her again. She flew out of the way, and before the Nidoran could realize what happened, it crashed into a nearby tree. Andromeda laughed as the Nidoran slumped over and passed out.

The silence stretched as Cyan watched Red walk over to it and gently shake it awake.

After this, Cyan realized the battle was over.

"We won, girl!" Cyan yelled, smiling as he watched Andromeda turn to him and chirp happily. Cyan ran up and gently held out his hands so she could land. Cyan grinned as he held her and quickly checked her injuries, breathing out in relief as he realized she wasn't poisoned. Toxins only got the feathers and burned some of the skin underneath, but there wasn't enough of it in her bloodstream to poison her. She would lose a couple of feathers, but they'd come back.

"Good job, girl; I'll buy you the best fish when we get to Viridian!"

"Pidgey!"

"Oi, don't be greedy," Cyan frowned as he shot down Andromeda's wish for a shiny Magikarp. Those things were so expensive he was pretty sure Gramps would have difficulty affording it. "I don't have that kind of cash. You can have regular Magikarp if I find it."

"Pidge, Pidge."

"Cheap my butt, you greedy bird," Cyan muttered as Andromeda nipped at his ear. Cyan yelped as his Pokemon laughed and moved to his shoulder, preening as she plucked some of her seared feathers. Cyan shook his head and walked over to Red, finally having finished waking up Nidoran and checking its injuries.

Once again, Cyan was reminded that Pokemon were durable. The Nidoran was already up and walking again. There was no acknowledgment of the new bruises and red scratches it had except for a slight wince here and there.

"Nido."

"Pidgey, Pidge Pidge."

"Nidoran!" The two Pokemon exchanged words, or maybe insults, going off Andromeda's smug expression. Red caught Cyan's attention. Cyan tilted his head as Red mimicked wrapping bandages around his arm, and Cyan froze. "Oh... shoot."

Well, that was an issue.

"We might've overlooked that part."

It's kind of hard to treat their Pokemon without any potions on hand.


In the lush forests of Route 1, amongst the slumbering Nidorans, far from the swimming Goldeen and beneath the flying Pidgeys, two boys were learning a vital lesson. Besides, 'make sure to pack potions before you leave to drop your friend off at Viridian City.' No, they were learning a different lesson. One they wouldn't forget any time soon.

Yellow was scary.

Case in point: they were now sitting by the edge of their campsite, heads downturned and nervously glancing away from each other. Their clothes were scuffed, and their hair was ruffled after their first Pokemon battle. It had been awesome.

Returning to camp and waking up an angered Yellow was less so.

"What happened?" Yellow grumbled, sleep still in her eyes and her voice bordering on murderous. Her hair was a mess barely held together beneath her sunhat. The bags under her eyes were heavy.

Cyan and Red collectively shared a thought.

Yellow's not a morning person.

It was good to know, especially since this was only their second day traveling. Not much happened on the first day. They left Pallet Town and didn't get caught by Al. The Nidoran from Pallet Town followed them and hadn't left Red's side.

This meant Cyan had no option but to explain that they were going to Viridian City, days away from the Nidoran and its herd.

The Nidoran responded by walking over to Red and butting his leg. The universal sign of 'please' let me be your Pokémon. To this, Red tilted his head curiously and shrugged. He was gaining his first Pokémon not even a day after Cyan.

Which meant they both had Pokémon.

Which meant there was only one thing left to do.

They battled as soon as they woke up. Dawn wasn't even finished yet as they battled in a small clearing surrounded by Oak Trees, with the rays of sunlight creaking in through the treetops.

Cyan's Andromeda won.

Cyan felt that was worth reiterating.

Since Yellow was about to kill him and Red.

Why was she going to kill them?

Well...

Andromeda didn't exactly win cleanly. She had singed feathers from poison missiles that nearly poked through her wing. She was barely able to fly with corroded feathers and burned muscles.

Meanwhile, scratches now adorned Red's Nidoran. Blood is now trickling from its various wounds. New bruises highlighted where it had been hit.

Only after the battle did Red and Cyan realize they needed to heal their Pokémon. One girl came to mind: the surprise healer they encountered in the woods. So they gathered all the ingredients for her medicine, returned to camp, and woke her up no later than 8 a.m.

Hence, they were about to die.

"Someone start taking. Now." Yellow glared, her eyes lingering on Red as he lowered his finger to the dirt, seemingly debating with himself before he scratched in the dirt: "I can't talk."

"I will end you, Red!" Yellow roared as Red dashed behind Cyan. Meanwhile, Cyan jumped up and held Yellow back from strangling the life out of his friend. A task proving exceptionally difficult with all the elbows she was throwing, "Hey, Yellow, ow! Stop, you can't kill Red!"

"I'm just going to break his sarcastic, stupid face!"

"Ow! My nose! Yellow, calm down, you're overreacting!" Cyan yelped as the blonde demon slammed her heel into his shin. Cyan dropped her as he cradled his injury before she turned around with fire in her eyes and venom in her voice.

"Overreacting? You're the ones that did that," She pointed at the wounds on Andromeda and Red's Nidoran, "Without thinking."

"We were thinking," Cyan rebutted softly, "It would be cool to battle after all this time, finally."

Cyan wilted as Yellow's judgment became palpable. "Stupid," Yellow said, flicking her head to Red as he tried to slip away unnoticed. "Both of you. You don't just make your Pokemon battle whenever. There are rules for a reason, idiots. Otherwise, they get hurt. What would you have done if I wasn't here!"

"We would have..."

Cyan's words stuck in his throat, and shame built up in his chest. In hindsight, they hadn't been thinking about it. They were excited.

"We..."

Andromeda and Nidoran could've paid the price.

"We're sorry." Cyan apologized.

Red did the same with a remorseful nod. The two waited in silence as Yellow seemed to stew, internally debating between strangling them and going back to sleep. Eventually, she settled on walking over to the two Pokémon watching the free tongue lashing and picking them up, so obviously irritated that even Andromeda only took it with a light squawk in protest.

"Oh, shut up, dumb bird. When I'm done, I'll send you to the idiot, and then I'll go back to sleep. Don't wake me."

Yellow returned to her tent, snatched the ingredients from their hands, dragged the injured Pokemon inside, and closed the flap behind her.

"I think that went well." Cyan half joked as Red half scoffed. Red shook his head and carved his message in the dirt: "It'll take Yellow a while to heal them. We have thirty minutes. Reconvene later."

Cyan tilted his head in thought before grinning and nodding. They were finally going to do the thing that all great trainers did. Reflect on the battle. What they did right and what they did wrong. All of it.
"Smell ya later, Red."

It was what any good trainer would do.