Red's eyes stayed fixed on the high grass as he trekked along the forest path, searching for the slightest movement, but he was quickly losing hope. If the mysterious creature he saw was even real, it was long gone by now. As he continued north, he replayed the events of the afternoon in his mind. He thought of the battle with Blue, how time seemed to slow to a crawl as shreds of Oak's research were sent fluttering through the air. How for a second, he could feel everything in the room pulsing with his heartbeat. Between his chance encounter with that unknown Pokémon and his first taste of battle, the day had been filled with more sensation than Red had felt in a lifetime, and he was hungry for more. He was never a big believer in destiny or anything like that, but in the moment it seemed an intoxicating thought. Maybe this could be his destiny. Maybe this could be what he was made for.

All of this pondering was put to a halt by a rustling sound straight ahead. A Rattata burst from the grass, hissing as it advanced. A wild Pokémon! Wasting no time, Red grabbed the sole Poké Ball from his belt and threw it into the air. Instantly, Lighter materialized between him and the wild Pokémon and assumed a battle stance. Red found himself almost smiling at his partner Pokémon's eagerness. "Ready, Lighter? Let's get 'em!" With a hiss of acknowledgement, the Charmander readied his claws before launching himself at the rodent.

The Scratch was even more well-aimed than Red could have hoped, landing right at the rat Pokémon's neck. There was a cry and a few droplets of blood sent into the air before the Rattata flew back into the brush with a thump. There was no more rustling, just a tense, thick silence. Lighter turned to face his trainer, waiting for the order to stand down.

Five seconds passed. Then ten, fifteen. Red's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. That felt… good. Amazing, even. Sure, he'd seen the battle between the starter Pokémon in the lab, but that was a much fairer fight. Lighter had just assassinated that thing. Red knew some Pokémon grew faster than others, but he didn't think they grew that fast. He knelt down, causing Lighter to approach. Red patted the Charmander on the head gingerly. "Good job, buddy," he said. Lighter chittered in appreciation.

He looked up through the foliage at the now-orange sky. Shit, he realized. It's getting dark. Red pulled out his map and began to scan it in the fading light. Maybe if he tried to– no, the cliffs were too steep to try and climb. How about– his stomach growled. Ugh, just great. Well, he supposed this spot would be as good as any to set up camp. The day's heat was quickly dissipating into the evening, leaving an unexpected chill in the air. Quickly, he got to work, and soon enough, he had a lean-to in the brush that protected his sleeping bag. All that was left was…

"The fire. That's where you come in." The Charmander looked at him blankly. Red frowned. What, you're able to tear wild Pokémon to pieces but you're too good to help your trainer start a lousy fire? "You're a Charmander. Don't you know a fire-type move or something?"

Maybe he just didn't understand. Red scrambled to grab some tinder and piled it next to the lizard. "Here, see? Fire." He mimed breath from his mouth. " Haaah, haah. Get it?" Lighter tilted his head, causing Red to groan in frustration. "Fire! Like on your–" He reached his arm out toward the flame on the end of the Lizard Pokémon's tail.

Startled by the boy's sudden invasion of his personal space, Lighter was quick to react. Before Red could finish, the fire-type suddenly released a flame from its mouth, small in size but white-hot in temperature. The boy howled in pain as his right hand was promptly set alight by the Ember. Seeing his chance, the Charmander scrambled away into the shelter, leaving Red reeling as he blinked through tears and rummaged feverishly through his rucksack with his unscorched hand for the first aid kit. Gritting his teeth, he hastily bandaged the injury and waited for the initial wave of pain to subside. Breathe, he kept repeating to himself, breathe.

As soon as he could manage, he approached the edge of the shelter and knelt down. From his bag he produced a strip of Tauros jerky. Charmanders were mostly carnivores, weren't they?

Red held the dried meat out, offering it. "I'm sorry I scared you," he said carefully. "I wasn't trying to hurt you."

To his relief, Lighter peeked his little orange head out from inside the structure. The Pokémon sniffed the jerky cautiously before snapping it up and gnawing on it. Red felt himself smile a bit. "Guess that means you accept my apology, huh?" He pulled out a piece for himself and took a bite, relishing in the savory, salty flavor.

Trainer and Pokémon sat in tranquil silence, enjoying their meager dinner. The orange sky gradated into a deep indigo, freckled with stars just barely visible through the trees. Soon, feeling the warmth of his new partner Pokémon curled up next to him, Red rolled over, sinking into a deep and dreamless sleep.

At long last, their northbound journey up Route 1 was complete. Red eyed the large sign at the end of the trail: Now entering Viridian City: The Evergreen Paradise. The description was pretty apt; even from the city's entrance, green was all he could see. The sidewalks were lined with trees and flowers of all kinds, and he passed several parks as he walked along. The residential buildings all shared the same emerald-colored roofs. He took a deep breath; even the air was floral and sweet, no doubt due to the massive gardens all around– and was that coffee? There must have been a café or something nearby. More important than that, though, was his destination; While not a terribly large building, it was instantly recognizable by its distinct blue roof and the neon sign in the front window.

Red had been to the market in Pallet a hundred times before– he was used to seeing the handful of friendly vendors in the harbor on a Sunday morning, the sun on his back as he watched for Butterfree overhead. But the Viridian City Pokémart was more like Oak's lab– all chrome and tile and fluorescent light and the whir of air conditioning. Muzak crackled through the speakers, tinny and just a scosche louder than he could handle. And never before had he seen so many strangers in an enclosed space. It was a little more nerve-wracking than Red cared to admit– so he didn't. He did his best to ignore the looming claustrophobia and held his breath as he approached the counter.

The cashier, middle-aged and heavily rouged, looked down at him over the rim of her glasses. "What can I do for ya, kiddo?" she drawled.

His throat had suddenly never been so dry. "Uh."

Much to his surprise, the woman was quite patient. Or at least she was feeling merciful that day. "Your trainer card, sweetie." Red reached for his ID, shakily handing it over. The cashier studied it briefly. "Hm. You came from Pallet, huh? We don't get a lot of folks from there. You here to pick something up for Professor Oak?"

Red nodded. The clerk chuckled. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" She disappeared behind the counter for a moment before emerging with a sealed cardboard box. Red accepted the parcel, as well as his trainer card. "There you are. Take care now, sweetheart. And tell the ol' Professor I said hello."

As the automatic doors closed behind him, he clutched the package to his chest and quickly located a nearby bench in order to sit and catch his breath. What just happened? Whatever it was, he surmised, it was no matter. The important thing was that he had what he came for.

The journey back to Pallet was much faster than the trip out– Red chalked it up to the southbound trail being in much better condition than the northbound forest path (not to mention all downhill). Before he knew it, the edge of Pallet was within view.

When Red entered the laboratory, Professor Oak was seated at his desk. At the sound of the door, he looked up from the stack of papers in front of him. "Ah, Radley! Good to see you again, son. How's that Pokémon of yours?" As if he had been listening, Lighter emerged from his Poké Ball in a red flash and bounded towards the old man, startling Red, who almost dropped the package. Didn't know they could do that, he thought. The orange lizard scaled the leg of the desk, perching on the corner to bask in the warm light of Oak's desk lamp.

The creak of the door and a very familiar voice cut through the ambient humming of the lab. "Hey, Grandpa, I came back with some–" Blue stopped upon noticing Red. He cleared his throat. "I almost forgot. What did you call me for?"

"How thoughtful of you to join us, Gary. I have a small request for you two." Oak took the box and produced a box cutter from his labcoat's pocket, using it to neatly slice open the parcel. From it he pulled out two palm-size rectangular devices, passing them to Red and Blue. "These are an invention of mine, boys. It's called a Pokédex, a digital Pokémon encyclopedia. It provides information at a glance, and automatically collects data from Pokémon you've caught." He gave Red a knowing look. "Based on our little meeting the other day, I figured you'd seem to really enjoy the idea of exploring the world and searching for new Pokémon." Embarrassed, Red suddenly found himself unable to meet the Professor's gaze. Oak turned to Blue. "I want both of you to work on these Pokédexes. With your experience helping me in the lab and Radley's adventuring spirit, I think you boys could play an invaluable role in deepening our knowledge of Pokémon biology!"

Red studied the device in his hand. Beneath the durable red plastic of the outer casing, the inside of the Pokédex housed a screen interface and small keyboard. Curious, he pointed the Pokédex toward Lighter, who remained curled up on the Professor's desk. After a few seconds of scanning, a small thumbnail image of a Charmander appeared on the screen, along with some text. #004 - Charmander, it read, Lizard Pokémon. From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if the flame were to go out. Well, that was certainly a bit morbid. But good to know, he supposed. He made a mental note to keep his partner Pokémon out of the rain.

Blue sucked his teeth in annoyance. "Leave it all to me, Gramps," he said. "Hate to say it, Red, but you won't exactly be necessary for this."

Before Red could piece together a satisfyingly witty retort, the Professor handed each of them a handful of Poké Balls. "I want you to take these with you as well. A researcher can't get detailed information about Pokémon just by seeing them– you've got to catch them. These should be enough to get you started." Red began attaching the empty balls to the belt around his waist. "Besides," he added, "having a full team would certainly help you in the League Challenge. You're thinking of participating, aren't you?"

"Of course, " Red said automatically. Who wouldn't want to be the Champion of the Indigo League? The idea was intoxicating. Fame, fortune, and the adoration of the whole nation; being crowned the most powerful trainer on the continent came with some serious perks. And the position was anyone's for the taking, having been effectively vacant for about a decade.

"Then I'm sure you know Viridian is home to the closest Pokémon Gym," said the Professor. "Not sure who's running it at the moment, though– it's been years since I've been involved with the League." Red tried to imagine the aging professor as a Gym Leader, ordering around some beast of a Pokémon, crushing unsuspecting challengers. It was a funny idea, he thought– Oak definitely seemed like more of the pacifistic type. Blue chuckled; he must have had the same thought. Well, either that, or he had found Red's response to be laughably enthusiastic. Jackass.

"Get going, you two," Oak instructed. He looked at Red. "Especially you, Radley. I'm sure your mother might like to know you're back in town."

Much to his shock, she was far from catatonic. Against seemingly impossible odds, a Good Day. Red held back a sigh of relief when he stepped through the doorway, Lighter toddling in behind him. Although the curtains remained closed as usual, the lights were on and there wasn't a single dish in the sink. A movie played on the television on mute; the image showed a group of four boys walking alongside railroad tracks. Most notably, there was a conspicuously mom-shaped dent on the unoccupied sofa. It might have even been a Really Good Day, he thought. His mother's voice called out from the other room, a bit muffled. "Radley, is that you, sweetheart?"

"Hi, Mom," Red answered.

Scarlet entered the living room. It was like she was a completely different person from the humanoid pile of blankets Red left huddled up on the couch yesterday. Her hair was freshly washed and tied back neatly, and she had on a clean pair of pajamas. Perhaps a bit selfishly, he wondered if his absence had caused this stark change in mood– if things were actually better for her without him around. "You're back already?" she asked.

"Just stopping by," Red clarified. "There's somebody I thought you might like to meet." On his signal, Lighter approached. The Pokémon greeted Scarlet with a series of clicks and seemed to reach out to her with his little arms. "This is Lighter. I met him at Professor Oak's lab."

His mother seemed to be at a complete loss for words. She didn't seem afraid, exactly, but there was a certain hesitance to her response. "He's… really something," she managed. Her eyes traveled to his shoddily bandaged wrist. "What happened to your hand?"

"S'nothing mom, really."

She refused to take no for an answer. "Please, sweetheart? Just show me."

Reluctantly, he peeled away the bandage. Scarlet gasped. While Red had done the best to treat his injuries in the field, there was only so much he could do; despite his amateur attempt at first aid, the skin on his hands was blistering. He supposed he would've gotten some help at a Pokemon Center or something, if it ever got that bad. He frowned. Was it that bad?

"It was my fault, Mom, I scared him. He didn't mean to, it was just his instincts."

"Of course," she reassured him. "Of course." She scurried off in the direction of the closet, returning moments later with a cardboard box.

Red had sat down on the floor and was gently scratching under the Charmander's chin. "You can go up to my room," he said to the lizard, "if you wanna look around." Lighter took off, eager to explore.

Scarlet placed the box on the kitchen table and motioned Red over, who took a seat next to her. The silence between them was peaceful as she unwrapped Red's hand and pulled a small spray bottle of green-tinted liquid from the box marked Burn Heal. Said peace was then quickly interrupted by a pained hiss from Red as she sprayed the medicine. It stung– a sharp jolt that was completely different from the dull pain of the burn. This didn't alarm Scarlet; she simply rebandaged his hand and returned the near-empty bottle to its cardboard home. "Breathe,"she said softly. "Just breathe." Then, after a moment: "I found this stuff after you left. Couldn't bring myself to toss any of it. I guess it was for the best."

She fished around in the box for a moment before handing him a small framed photograph: a vaguely familiar-looking man in a green uniform, posing with a Charizard. The longer Red looked, the more he realized how much the man in the picture looked like him. They shared the same sandy brown hair, the same dark eyes. He was puzzled, then momentarily ashamed– how did he not immediately recognize his own father? But it wasn't as if he had an extensive frame of reference; after all, the man passed before Red was old enough to remember and his mother wasn't exactly keen on bringing him up in everyday conversation.

Scarlet's voice was colored with nostalgia: "It's not a very good picture. He looks so serious here. He wasn't. Serious, I mean. He was almost always happy. Always cracking jokes. He left all the worrying to me." Her eyes turned glassy. "And Scorch was his best friend. His starter Pokémon, actually. It's frightening how much you take after him."

Red set the frame down gently, suddenly worried that it would shatter into a thousand pieces if he dared breathe wrong. Scarlet took his hands, careful not to put undue pressure on his injury. "Radley, I worry about you out there. I worry about you so much and my heart can hardly take it, honey. It kills me. I could never lose you. Please, please promise me this kind of thing won't happen to you again."

"...But I can't promise that," he said. "I can't know everything that'll happen out there." But upon seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, he hastily added: "I can promise to be careful, though."

And just like that, her willowy arms were wrapped around him. She sniffled. "You remind me more of him every day."

When they broke, Scarlet wiped her face with her sleeve. She cleared her throat. "Now, I can't have my baby and his new friend going hungry. You wanna get some takeout? I'll call in an order at that ramen shop you like."

"Really?"

The ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Sure. Wasn't really in the mood for cooking anyway. And since you're already here, you might as well stay for dinner."

"And maybe even spend the night?" he offered.

"Of course. It's still your home, you know. Always will be."