20 YEARS AGO

The mood was damp, and the air was heavy. In the Kanto region, finding those who were happy was hard. Seeing those who were oblivious would have been easier. Recent news with their neighbors jn Johto had sparked discontent. There was a bloody history between the neighboring countries, Johto to the west and Kanto to the east, separated by an unnamed route that most people called Route Red, given its moniker for the long, lush mountain range that housed the strongest Pokemon on either side of the continent.

A recent announcement was delivered to the public that Johto and Kanto would merge under a new combined regional government: Indigo. The new arrangement, under the leadership of Johto Champion Pryce, no less, made it seem like Kanto had come out as the loser of that long and bloody feud spanning centuries.

"It's been a while, Sird."

If only the common people of Kanto could imagine how bloody that feud actually was. How recent it spanned. How much it cost so many people that would never be remembered for it. One such person, a ten-year-old boy with white skin caked with mud, buzz-cut black hair, and sharp black eyes, sat atop a cliff facing the edge of Viridian Forest, looking towards the nameless mountain range in the distance. The sun was setting over the horizon like the closing of a curtain.

"Surprised to see you here." The boy chuckled. It was funny. It had been the sight of so much bloodshed for the last decade, but only a fraction of Kanto knew. Those closest to the mountain range. Those in Viridian, having listened to the distant echo of the battle for the last ten years as the rest of the world seemed to sleep peacefully—were the first to suffer when things went south and first to volunteer for it. They knew the conflict intimately.

"You hear the news, Sird?"

Then there were the elites. The Pokemon trainers would do articles about their 'foreign training journeys' or 'desire to step out of the circuit scene.' They were the ones chosen to participate, and they knew of the conflict the best. They knew about it, and when they didn't return, their families learned about it from a nice little letter and apology money.

"Those pricks are naming it 'Victory Road' now."

Giovanni was lucky enough only to be a part of the first two groups.

"Johto has a sense of humor." Giovanni chuckled as he turned back to his friend, the only one in their year to survive. She was quite the firecracker at the beginning, but after... well after everything it wasn't exactly hard to see that anger dwindle. Now, it was just bubbling, uselessly, with nothing to direct itself at. Giovanni wondered if he'd be the target this time.

"Gio," Sirdia whispered, proving his guess wrong as her gaze remained low and her voice remained lifeless. She had white skin bloodied with bandages wrapped around her arms, her platinum grey hair tied up in four cowlicks at the back. Her purple eyes were dull as she looked at the distant mountain range. There was despondence in her voice.

"What was the point?"

Giovanni glanced away, his head lowered as he tried and failed to come up with an answer. His silence was enough of a reason for Sirdia, the unfortunate prodigy from Cerulean City. Giovanni could practically hear her thoughts as she spoke.

"I think..."

I know.

"I think I hate this country."

I despise the ones who made us fight for nothing.

"I'm leaving Kanto," Sirdia said, and Giovanni wasn't even surprised. His eyes were downcast as he hummed, "Okay... yes. Okay. Good luck to you, Sird."

"You're not joining me?" Sird asked, never showing any indication of wanting him to join. Her tone was mildly curious at best. Giovanni didn't take it personally, "No. I have friends here."

"You had friends there."

"Yes, and they're gone." Giovanni snapped, unwilling to look at Sirdia's reaction. He kept his eyes on the mountain range as he continued. "But Vermillion, Xavier, and Wilton are still here. I can't leave them alone. I was already gone for early a year."

"I doubt they even noticed." Sirdia jabbed venomously, sitting down next to Giovanni as she rested her knee against her chest and grumbled, "They weren't even selected. Those weaklings got to stay here while we did all the fighting. They all did. What's so great about that?"

"They would've gone if they had been asked; in a few years, they would've been strong enough to be selected," Giovanni murmured, his gaze dark. "I'm grateful they didn't go."

Sirdia scoffed, "Why, because they would've been dead weight? I still don't see what's so good about that."

"It's good because they're alive," Giovanni said, his eyes hardened, "We're alive. Kanto is alive. That's all that matters."

"Kanto kicked over and heeled, like a fucking joke." Sirdia hissed venomously. Her anger finally pointed at him as she growled, "What was the fucking point! If you're so handy dandy with all this, please tell me! What was the point? Why! What part of our worthless fucking champion keeling over and surrendering seems good!"

"It's good because he protected Kanto." Giovanni said, clenching his fists as he turned to his friend and tried to be diplomatic, "Blaine isn't a grand champion, but he did what he had to. We were losing that war, Sird! It wouldn't have been long before Viridan was burned to the ground, and that fire would've spread to the rest of Kanto."

"Good," Sirdia spit, "Maybe then all those oblivious cowards would've got off their asses and helped."

"People would've died."

"People died anyway!" Sirdia yelled, a vein bulging in her head as she stood up and dragged him up by his collar, her nose a few inches from his as she growled, "Everyone in our squadron died, hell everyone in our fucking age bracket that got selected is gone! We're the only ones, Gio! Fuck, no one else besides that fucking Surge douche survived the early selections! It's just us!"

"Good," Giovanni said, his eyes cold as he watched Sirdia flinch as if struck. He whispered, "I'm glad it's just us. Kanto didn't need to face what we faced. If it's just us, then that's all I need."

Giovanni didn't even blink as a fist struck his cheek, his feet leaving him as he fell flat on his ass. He grunted, wiping away the blood from his lip as he looked up and saw Sird visibly shaking with fury, "There you go with that fucking bullshit again! What was your little mantra," Sird scoffed, "For the good of Kanto, we were doing this for the good of Kanto. That's all you used to say back there. Trying to convince yourself we were actually doing something. Pathetic."

Sirdia clenched her fists until blood trickled down her palm, her eyes bulging with red-hot rage as she yelled, "News flash, Gio! We didn't do anything! We died, over and over and over, and for what? So everyone else could forget about it! So Pryce could rule over us and laugh with the rest of those Johtoans! Tell me, what did we do? What did you do, Gio!"

Sirdia heaved in breaths of air, her eyes glinting with pure hatred as the sun dipped under the horizon. Darkness rose slowly as she watched Giovanni stand up, dusting himself off as he met her glare with a cold conviction.

"I protected my home."

Sirdia laughed.

"You protected fuck all." Sirdia cackled, her eyes watering as he shook her head and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Standing tall, she looked back up and collected herself with a cruel smile. She let her hand reach the bracelet hidden among the many bandages on her wrist. It had three Pokeballs on it, and she reached for the most worn and torn one.

"Let me prove how little you actually did." She taunted leisurely as Giovanni narrowed his eyes and mirrored her actions. Grabbing one of the three Pokeballs at his waist, the one with the most wear and tear on it. He sounded curious but not scared. No, he'd never been scared of her.

"You sure you want to do this, Sird?" Giovanni asked, a flash of red light by his side indicating he already knew her answer. A bulky Pokemon with scarred rocky skin and a horn atop its angled head. Its four feet landed on the ground, the pure weight of the beast crunching the ground as the Ryhorn huffed, waiting for its next order.

"Last I checked, scores still in my favor."

"Oh, I'm plenty sure that'll change." Sird chuckled, cruelty mixed with hidden fondness. There was a flash of red light as she, a Pokemon, a small, skinny cat with a coin atop its head and multiple scars hidden along its pelt, jumped out and stood on two legs. It raised an eyebrow as its lethal claws shone through the growing night, "Meowth?" she asked.

"Of course, Victoria," Sirdia responded, her grin turning feral as she watched Giovanni prepare himself. She did the same, tensing her feet as she looked Giovanni in the eyes and spoke from the deepest part of her psyche.

"Just wait, Gio."

She had been a notorious liar when they first met, but right now, she spoke truthfully: "One day, you're gonna wake up and realize everything you've ever done. All you ever sacrifice for this stupid country you love so much."

The buzz of nearby Pokémon scattering filled the air.

"All it will ever be repaid with..."

Sirdia grinned. Giovanni frowned.

"Is pity."

And no more words were said.

PRESENT DAY

The night sky lingered over Route 1 as a group of children stood in a forest, absent of wild Pokemon that had run from the heat and air of battle. Cyan held his Pokemon, the unconscious Rattatta, as he watched the two adults stare silently at each other. He knew one of them was Giovanni, from Viridian Gym. The other was the woman Yellow was scared of, but if he went off the idle greetings the two adults shared, her name was Sird. Cyan watched quietly, his eyes lingering on the giant Pokemon between them and the terrifyingly fast Persian.

It's huge...

Cyan gulped as he watched the behemoth's purple spines loom venomously. Its barbed tail smacked against the ground almost excitedly, leaving holes in the dirt with every whip. Cyan looked at it, then glanced at Red's Nidoran resting quietly in Red's arms. Red was watching the Nidoking with wide eyes and agape jaw, his red eyes locked on the Nidoking's every move.

Cyan couldn't even blame him.

He'd be staring to if he saw his Pokemon's final evolution, its full potential, standing just a few feet ahead.

Is King really going to become like that thing?

Cyan somehow doubted it. Even if he hadn't studied it seriously, much to his Gramps' chagrin, he felt that Giovanni's Nidoking was elite. Every move it took felt taunting and larger than life, like it was mocking the slender Persian, begging it to try and challenge him. Both Pokemon felt like the pinnacle, the highest ceiling one could reach with either species.

I can't...

Cyan felt it in his bones.

I can't look away.

Cyan couldn't miss a second of this battle. A battle between the elites. His breath left his lungs as he waited for the fight to start, refusing to blink. He didn't dare look over, but he could tell Red's reaction was similar. The two watched quietly, intently. Their view consisted of Giovanni's broad back and the woman standing across the clearing.

They were conversing, the last part being something Giovanni said, "Don't you remember what happened the last time you challenged me." to which the woman's snarky smirk fell and was replaced by a scowl, quickly replaced with a confident smile, "Oh, don't worry, I've been busy since then."

Their passing words barely registered in Cyan's ears as he watched. He had to watch. He'd never believed so much. It was like his entire body wanted it. It was like his blood was telling him.

"This time won't be the same as last time, Gio."

He had to see what it was like at the top.

"I can assure you of that."

Cyan, unaware of himself, felt his vision become sharper. His mouth hung open ever so slightly as a hint of drool slipped down the corner of his lips. He could see the two adults' every movement lingering in his head, playing so crystal clear he thought he was watching it in HD.

The cover of the night didn't seem to matter. He saw them suddenly glance in his direction. Giovanni raised an eyebrow and scoffed. The woman smirked and laughed: "Oh, my! Look at that, Gio. He's not even realizing what he's doing. Remind you of anyone?"

"You're as tactless as ever, Sird," Giovanni said, unimpressed. Cyan's clear view of the following words was broken as someone grabbed his arm, dragging him away. His eyes widened as the abrupt acuity in his vision faded, and he heard Yellow yelling, "Hurry up! We have to get out of here!"

"Why!?" Cyan cried, and if Red could speak, he knew the silent boy would've said the same. They were both gearing up to watch the fight, but one sharp look from Yellow stopped them, "He can't fight freely with us there! We'll get in the way!"

Her words echoed with the harshness that made them both snap out of their trances.

"I can't be the reason he gets hurt, okay!" Yellow pleaded, and Cyan and Red blinked in surprise. The two looked at her, frustrated for a second, before sighing and nodding painfully. They momentarily moved out of her grip, hastily grabbing the other injured Pokemon. Cyan carried Rattatta and Pidgey, Red holding Nidoran and Charmander, before running away from the battle of a lifetime, away from the full power of a gym leader.

"Oi, Yellow! Why didn't you tell us freaking Giovanni's your Godfather!"

The one most considered the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto after Blaine.

Giovanni kept his attention on Sird as he felt the three children run away, his lip twitching upwards as he sensed Yellow guide the two runaways toward Viridian. She was making sure to put as much distance between themselves and the battle as possible. Yellow always did have a good head on her.

She's more like Xavier than Vermillion in that regard.

Giovanni hummed, constantly keeping the bulk of his attention on Sird before extending his senses briefly. He confirmed Yellow's path was clear of any dangers and turned back to Sird, watching her tilt her head coyly. He frowned.

"Gio, Gio, look at you."

She smiled.

"I'm hurt you never told me you had a daughter, " she purred. "I would've sent a gift had I known."

"She's my Goddaughter," Giovanni corrected as he heard Tyrant cackle, his Nidoking taunting Sirdia's Persian, Victoria. The regal panther growled softly. The two Pokemon were obviously impatient to begin the fight, to prove which one was superior.

"Nido!" / "Persia..."

Their trainers were of a similar mindset.

"Regardless," Giovanni said, his hands in his pocket. "I think that's enough pleasantries for today, Sird. Time is money, and this night has been rather unpleasant."

"Tut, tut, Gio. I thought you would've loosened up by now," Sirdia smirked, tapping her lips lightly, "You're never gonna have a 'daughter' daughter with that attitude."

Giovanni scowled as the Persian's feet crunched against the ground. The Persian moved with a gust of wind, blurring so fast that it nearly looked like it had blurred out of existence, even to Giovanni's eyes. He tilted his head coolly, feeling the ground as he listened to Sird's sultry command: "The neck, Victoria."

"To my left, Tyrant," Giovanni said, composed as the spiny tail of his Nidoking flicked back, snapping against the fangs aimed at Giovanni's neck. Sparks flew as Giovanni looked calmly at the giant panther Pokémon. "You've gotten rather bold, Victoria."

"Persian." Victoria smiled, her fangs scratching against Tyrant's armored tail. The panther twisted its body in the air to avoid the punch that Nidoking threw. Tyrant's roar scared off nearby Pokémon as Persian landed on his outstretched arm. Giovanni called out his move, "Horn Attack." The exact moment Sirdia called hers, "Slash."

The jagged horn atop Tyrant's grew, glowing faint white as it roared. Persian claws elongated, glowing a similar hue as the two attacks clashed. Sparks flashed in the night as Tyrant threw its head to the side and the Persian along with it. Victoria was sent barreling towards a nearby tree, her ears flicking to its owner as Sirdia ordered. "Quick attack."

Victoria twisted mid-air, landing perfectly on a tree trunk, muscles across her body flexing as she leaped between the surrounding trees. Her image blurred through the air as she traversed the battlefield like a ricocheting pinball, scratching Tryant's tough hide with every passing leap. Giovanni clicked his tongue, "Toxic Spi-"

"Taunt."

"Stomp, Tyrant." Giovanni adjusted immediately. His Tyrant was baited into attacking by the Persian's smug grin. He watched as the spikes about to launch from his hide stopped and sucked back into the rivets in his armor. Tyrant's eyes turned red as he stomped on the ground and sent tremors through the forest.

"NIDO!" Tyrant roared as his stomping shook the trees the Persian had used as a foothold. This caused her to slip one of her landings, falling to the ground where she was subject to the constant threat of harsh tremors shaking the very ground beneath her feet. She adjusted with a wince as Sirdia yelled hurriedly, already knowing his next move: "Agility!"

Giovanni expected that. She'd seen him use it against enemies in the past. Those who were skilled at using the terrain, whenever those types of trainers appeared, he never panicked. He simply chose the most effective method.

"Earth Power."

He destroyed their terrain.

A group of fleeing children, stumbling hurriedly through the cover of night and forest shrubbery, fell to their knees as the ground shook violently, and an explosive boom echoed not too far behind. They turned around, their eyes wide as a giant hail of debris bloomed above the trees, staining the sky in rubble and dust. Shockwaves whipped at their clothes and rattled their bones as they shielded their eyes, stray pebbles showering around them.

"What the hell, Yellow," Cyan huffed, struggling to catch his breath and barely able to get his voice over the sound of falling rock. He'd never seen anything like it—such a grand display of power. The shower was still going, and even when the last pebbles in their vicinity fell to the ground or bounced sharply off their skin, the dust cloud still lingered in the sky. Falling slowly, like a gentle reminder of what happened. What a single gym leader could do.

"Your Godfather's insane!" Cyan laughed as his adrenaline plummeted, turning his bones to jelly as he plopped down on his back. He felt like the earth was still shaking, but he couldn't tell if it was his imagination or the aftershocks. He let out a shaky laugh as he looked at the stars and breathlessly whispered, "No wonder Daisy lost to him."

Cyan was probably coming off as crazy, but he couldn't help it. His nerves for the day were shot. He struggled to get up to his feet. His body refused as the Pokémon was still in his arms, and gravity's embrace kept him glued to the ground. He groaned as his leg muscles twitched in warning. He had been running for what felt like hours, and he collapsed.

"I don't think I can move, guys," Cyan said as he heard Yellow pulling herself to her feet, searching frantically for her hat that had flown off her head. Meanwhile, Red was in a similar position to him, stuck doing imaginary crunches without any sign of success. Eventually, he joined Cyan on the floor as the two looked up at the dust-tinted sky.

"Hey Red... it's different, isn't it."

Cyan felt like the world was opening up.

"That looked nothing like those TV matches." Cyan smiled, remembering the tournaments he and Red would watch on their couch. The battles were spectacular and intense, never-ending awesomeness, but it was different. It was on a screen, and Cyan hadn't ever realized how much that mattered. Cyan never would've known if he hadn't experienced it.

"That's the top, isn't it..."

The otherworldly power elite trainers possessed.

"That's what it'll be like at the top of Indigo," Cyan murmured breathlessly, his starry-eyed statement receiving a nod from Red. The two held their injured Pokémon closer to their chests, still feeling the remnants of battle. Their eyes widened as they looked up and realized something., simultaneously, without recognition of each other's thoughts.

"Hey Red..."

To a display of power that bright.

"Giovanni's eighth right..."

The two couldn't help but try to grasp it.

"I need to beat him," Cyan said, no longer holding any doubt in his voice. His goal had always been to win, to make it to the league, to beat Daisy's record, but that wasn't a need. It was a want, a desire to win if for no other reason than because he was Cyan Oak and he hated losing. That had been his want.

"Whatever it takes."

Now, beating Giovanni was his need. A need as great as leaving Pallet. The need to see the world he hadn't been prepared to see. He needed to beat Giovanni.

"You in?"

The weak thumbs up from Red showed the silent boy felt the same.

"Of course." Red mouthed, his raised thumb weakly falling as he looked up at the sky. He needed a win against that man and his Nidoking. The memory of it still left Red in awe, and every tiny breath Nidoran took in his arms served to field it. It was incredible. King and the Pokémon he'd seen, Giovanni's Nidoking, were the same species. King could become something like that one day. He could become stronger. It was possible.

Giovanni's Nidoking... that has to be it.

Red would make it possible.

The level King could reach someday.

Red felt King softly snore, and he clutched the purple Pokémon more tightly. His roaring thoughts, and Cyan's for the most part, halted as a frantic girl with blond hair messily stuffed under a hat appeared. She stood over them and grabbed their arms. Her voice was fast and apologetic as she yanked them to their feet.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late!" she said as Red and Cyan groaned from the jarring movement. They stumbled, struggling to keep their footing, until Yellow grabbed some of their luggage, Rattatta and Charmander, and carried the two Pokémon. She slid between Cyan and Red and quickly said, "Come on." She nudged their sides with her unoccupied elbows, "Use me for support, but come on. We have to go. Please."

"You're impossible," Cyan said tiredly as he looped an arm around Yellow's shoulders for support. Red did the same as the girl somehow managed to assist both of their weights while carrying the two unconscious Pokémon. Her face dripped in sweat and soot she didn't seem to care about.

"Come on," Yellow huffed, her eyes still straight ahead as she walked with them one step at a time. "Once we're at Viridian, we'll be safe. I promise."

Cyan and Red nodded dazedly. The trio moved at a snail's pace away from the now silent battlefield, every step hurting and every stray noise startling. They made it about a minute before they heard rustles from the nearby bushes and stopped.

Please don't-

They tensed as they watched a Houndour walk out.

"Houndour?" It tilted its head curiously, and the trio froze. Their faces were pale with horror. Their minds turned back to the man's partner back at camp, the girl who had tracked them down with a Houndour. The momentary horror locked their legs, and before they could recuperate, a figure seemed to emerge from the nearby bushes, a flashlight in hand.

"Who's there?" someone said as Yellow shifted the Rattatta to her left arm and reached for her hat on instinct. Yellow was panicking. Her eyes were wide, and her breath was frantic as she saw the figure with the flashlight walk into sight. Her fingers were ready to remove her sun hat before she realized that the voice was definitely male.

"Are you-"

And the man was definitely a police officer.

"What? Kids are, what?" the wide-eyed officer stammered, scratching his teal hair. His face epitomized confusion before Houndour yipped happily at his feet.

"Hound!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Good job. You found the," the officer said, his confusion replaced by a hint of irritation. He sighed and shook his head, muttering something about 'right, I'm supposed to be looking for dumb kids', and then walked over and held out his hand. "Sorry. I'll get the full details later. For now, you should come with me. I'll carry some of your injured Pokémon if you want, but we should go."

Yellow had never felt so relieved in her life. Her legs wobbled, and silent tears threatened to fall as the two boys by her side seemed to do the same. She could feel their entire frames relax, breathing in relief while their bodies trembled after such a long day. She wouldn't be surprised if they collapsed at any moment. The officer said it best.

"You guys look like you've had a long day."

It had been the longest day.