Before the men in uniform could even reach her door, Scarlet was keenly aware that something was very wrong. She heard the crackling of the wet gravel, saw the sleek black vehicle slowly rolling down the street from her front window. It was a sickeningly familiar sight; the very same vehicle made an appearance in Pallet just a few weeks ago in front of the Oak residence next door. Her stomach churned. This couldn't be happening. He made a promise to her. He promised he'd be back soon, that the conflict in Orre would be swift and he would be back with her and the baby and everything would be just fine and–

The doorbell rang, cutting through the silence of the house. Wasting no time, Scarlet scooped up her son Radley from the carpet and balanced him on her hip. The boy made no noise of protest. Though almost two years old, he wasn't much of a talker, usually preferring to communicate through the means of either frenetic hand gestures or wide-eyed stares. At the moment, he seemed to be choosing the latter.

Upon opening the door, Scarlett was greeted by the sight of two men in military uniforms, one of them young and lanky and the other middle-aged and sturdy. A Flareon stood obediently at their heels, which Radley spotted immediately and began squirming in her grip so he might be able to pet it. The older man cleared his throat. "Are you Mrs. Scarlet Redwood?" Mouth too dry to form a verbal response, she found herself dumbly nodding an affirmative. "I'm Captain Gregory, from the Southern Division of-"

"I know who you are." The words left her mouth in a rather undignified gulp. Well, so much for a dry mouth being her excuse. "And I know what you're going to say to me, so you might as well say it." The younger officer offered up an uncomfortable pity-smile at her sudden outburst, some half-hearted attempt at sympathy. Captain Gregory sighed. His voice was deep and barely audible above the sound of the rain as he recited:

"The Kanto Secretary of Defense has asked me to express to you her deep regret that your husband, Private Ross Redwood, was killed in action yesterday at approximately oh-nine-hundred hours at the base of Mount Batoru, in the Orre region. The Secretary extends her deepest condolences to you and your family."

It was like she had been sucker punched. Scarlet's whole body began to feel like it was vibrating. She gripped the doorframe with her free hand in an effort to remain upright. Deep regret? What a sick joke. No one could lead thousands off to war in a distant land for who knows what reason, if any at all, and feel so-called "deep regret." Did the Secretary feel that same regret last month? Did she offer the same condolences to Samuel Oak, who lost a son and a daughter-in-law? To those two little Oak kids next door, who lost both parents before they were even old enough to understand why?

Of course she did. That's just protocol.

Captain Gregory continued, handing her a crisp white envelope and a single Poké Ball. But Scarlet wasn't listening anymore. It took all her focus just to stay standing and not collapse in a heap on the doorstep. As the men continued to drone on, the edges of her vision began to blur and she couldn't register a thing they were saying– everything sounded like it had been submerged underwater. Radley began to babble and continued to squirm like a Caterpie in her arms. It was just too much. Amidst their protests and their knocking, Scarlet wordlessly shut the door and set Radley back down on the carpet. She sat down on the sofa and lasted for all of ten seconds before breaking down in sobs.

From the minute Red descended the staircase, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. At the bottom of the steps, he took in the scene that awaited him: the dusty curtains drawn, the lights dim except for the blue glow of the television, and his mother sitting on the couch, huddled under far too many blankets. Of all the days he could have done this, of course it had to be on one of his mother's Bad Days. She never left the house, but at least on better days there was the chance of her speaking to him, of telling him a joke or giving him a hug. Just for a second, he could pretend that everything was normal. On Bad Days it was like he shared a house with someone who was only half alive, or worse– downright volatile. Red cleared his throat anxiously. As he was anticipating, no response came from the direction of the sofa. Desperately fighting the urge to run back up the stairs, he tried again, reciting the words he'd practiced in front of the mirror dozens of times.

"I'm going, Mom." No response. "I'm fourteen. I've been fourteen for months now. Most other kids left Pallet years ago. I can't… I can't take it anymore. There's so much more out there for me. I can't just sit around here and do nothing." Not like you, he couldn't help but add in his head, but he felt a twinge of guilt for thinking it.

His valiant attempt was rewarded with a feeble sniffle, which Red counted as a small success. Tentatively, he approached the couch and sat down next to the lump of fabric. Slowly, like a Butterfree emerging from its Metapod shell, his mother pulled back the blankets obscuring her face. Throughout his childhood, Red had often thought that his mother was beautiful, with her long dark hair and large brown eyes. Looking at her now though, curled up and wasting away watching daytime soaps, he found himself struggling to recognize the cheerful woman depicted in old family photographs. Her hair was tangled from neglect, her eyes glazed over and almost lifeless. How long has she been on that couch? he wondered. It had to have been days, at least. He wished he could do more for her. To help her instead of running away. But he had spent all week preparing for this moment– no, more like all his life. He couldn't just give up before he even started. His mother faced him with a thousand-yard stare, exhaling shakily before attempting to speak.

"Right. All boys must leave home someday," she croaked, "It said so on TV." Though quiet, her words came with a heaviness Red couldn't even attempt to place.

"I won't be leaving forever, Mom, I'll just be away for–"

"Just go, Radley," she interrupted. "Please. Go on before I change my mind." Red nodded a silent assent. On the way out, he took care to close the door softly behind him.

It wasn't Professor Oak's face that greeted Red in front of the laboratory, but the face of his neighbor, Blue. The boy was leaning against the white siding of the building casually, cocking his head in a way Red found indescribably irritating and running a hand through his unruly auburn hair. While it was certainly far from a rare occurrence to see Blue around the lab (after all, not only was he the Professor's grandson but also frequently his assistant), his presence wasn't exactly comforting. Though they had known practically everything about each other since birth, somewhere along the way Blue seemed to have made it his personal goal to make Red miserable. The two were constantly at one another's throats, never passing up an opportunity to get in a blow to the other's ego. "What, it's only you?" Blue sneered, eyeing Red with a uniquely infuriating look on his face.

Red really didn't have the patience for this right now. "I have just as much a right to be here as you do," he said. "Just tell me where the Professor is and I won't bother you anymore."

Blue approached him, puffing his chest and standing taller in an attempt to use the couple of inches he had on Red to their full advantage. "Gramps isn't around, loser. If you're waiting around for the old man to hand you a Pokémon, get in line."

So Blue was getting a Pokémon too. Interesting. "I had no idea you were such a copycat, Blue." To his amusement, Blue's agitation was immediately visible on his face. His neighbor could be such a hothead. "I mean, why else would you wait so long to become a trainer?"

"As if I'd actually care about waiting for a jerk like you ," Blue snapped, before quickly shifting his focus to kick at a pebble on the pathway. It skittered by, landing near Red's foot. "It just seemed like the right time, okay? And besides, it's not like I won't beat the snot out of anyone who challenges me anyway. Since I know I'm gonna be the best, I might as well give the rest of you poor saps a little bit of a head start. Otherwise it would be way too easy."

Red scoffed. You keep telling yourself that, he thought, before taking off to look for the Professor elsewhere. Maybe Oak was taking care of some last-minute field research and lost track of time. With that in mind, Red headed towards the edge of the town. As he continued on his walk, the pavement turned to dirt paths before eventually giving way to an expanse of grassland and the mouth of Route 1's woods. While the midday sun beat down on Red's back, the September breeze provided a nice reprieve from the heat. There was a sort of nostalgia and gentle warmth to the scene, reminding him of picnics and days spent running through the meadow with friends. Rather than indulge in the fuzzy feeling, though, he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of a particular elderly professor. But despite his diligent search, his efforts were absolutely fruitless. He sat down for a second, frustrated.

The frustration was short-lived, however, interrupted by a glimpse of something moving in the corner of his eye. It was pale in color, too small and too fast to be a human. Intrigued, Red quickly scanned his surroundings. To his delight, he was able to see the mysterious creature again, just for a split second– a small patch of pink in the green of the grass. He clambered to his feet immediately, giving chase. Maybe he didn't have to find the Professor to get his first Pokémon. Maybe he could just catch one here!

Red's mind began to race. What was this thing? He couldn't recall any kind of pink Pokémon native to the area– maybe a Clefairy, but that would be crazy improbable. Which begged the question: what if it was something entirely different? He could feel the adrenaline surging. A new Pokémon! Red followed the rustling of the grass to the opening of the forest, just barely able to keep up. But despite his effort, he still wasn't fast enough; much to his irritation, the pink blur disappeared into the brush.

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed behind Red: "What on Earth do you think you're doing?!" Red stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to face an elderly man with a very stern expression on his face.

"P-Professor Oak?" The boy squeaked out. The old man unknit his bushy brow, his stony expression morphing into one of concern.

"Oh, goodness! You're the Redwood boy from next door. The one who called last week asking about the Pokémon. I thought you, of all people, would be a little smarter than this." Red opened his mouth to explain, but in his startled state he found himself unable to form a coherent response. The Professor approached him, taking him by the arm. "You know it's not safe out there without a Pokémon. You have no idea what can jump out at you from the grass."

"I was only–"

"It's alright, son. Come back with me to the lab. I've got exactly what you need."

The inside of Oak Laboratories was unlike anything Red had ever seen– a haven of chrome and pristine tile. Books and pamphlets of all kinds lined the walls and numerous bookshelves, and the air was humming with the bleeps and bloops of mysterious machinery.

Blue, who was draped over a desk chair, looked up as Red entered with the Professor. "Gramps! Finally. I'm fed up with waiting!"

The Professor looked confused. "Gary? What brings you to the lab today, boy?"

"Seriously? You told me to come. I can't believe you'd forget." He stood and approached his grandfather. "And please don't call me that," he added, lowering his voice a bit. "It's so embarrassing."

"We're both here for Pokémon, sir," Red piped up.

Oak stood there for a moment, clearly doing some sort of mental math regarding the situation. "Pokémon…? Oh, yes! Right here." The Professor walked up to a table with 3 Poké Balls sitting on top of it. "Each of these balls contains a Pokémon you may choose from." A faint smile crossed his face. "You know, when I was your age, I was a pretty serious Pokémon trainer. But now, in my old age, I get to help youngsters like you get started. Feels like passing the torch, in a way."

Blue scoffed. "You can go first, Red. I don't need to be greedy like you. I'm a little more mature than that. Go ahead and choose one."

Red made his way over to the table. Upon further inspection, each of the Poké Balls was painted with a small emblem of some sort. His eye was drawn to the leftmost ball, which was decorated with the image of a little flame. Picking the Poké Ball up, he felt that it fit perfectly within his palm and had an unexpected weight to it. Red pressed the button on the center of the ball. A flash of red light filled his field of vision before outlining the bipedal form of a Pokémon, about knee-high. As the light faded, Red was able to see more clearly. The Pokémon's smooth orange scales, big blue eyes, and the flame encircling the tip of its tail were instantly recognizable– it was a Charmander! Red's eyes lit up with excitement. He had seen videos and photographs of the Lizard Pokémon before, but this was the closest he'd ever been to one in real life! He crouched down, extending a hand towards Charmander. The creature snorted, expelling a small cloud of white smoke from its nostrils.

"So, you've taken a liking to Charmander, eh?" Professor Oak inferred. "It can be quite a handful– you should raise it patiently."

"He's perfect! I'll choose him," Red said gleefully. The Charmander tilted its head, curious.

"Hah! Alright. So you're claiming Charmander, then?" Professor Oak confirmed. Red nodded. Charmander approached his hand, which was still outstretched, and sniffed it briefly before nibbling on it. Caught off guard at this strange display of affection, Red let out a small laugh.

If he hadn't known any better, Red would have thought Blue was almost disappointed by this. In a huff, his neighbor approached the table to examine the two remaining Poké Balls. "Hmph. I'll take this one, then!" He grabbed the ball in the center of the table, one decorated with a small teardrop symbol, and tossed it in the air. As the light faded, the new trainers were greeted with the sight of a small, bipedal blue turtle with a curled tail. The reptilian Pokémon looked up at Blue, burbling a greeting of some sort.

"Ah, yes! Squirtle is a fine choice as well. Well worth raising," Oak said.

Blue smirked. "Well, you know what this means, don't you, Red? We've both got Pokémon, so now we've gotta battle 'em. Come on, I challenge you!" He quirked an eyebrow. "Unless you're too much of a coward to accept, of course."

"Of course I accept. You're on!" Red said, nodding to Charmander. "Let's show this guy who's boss, okay?" The orange reptile responded with a series of clicking noises and skittered in front of Red, ready for action. Blue snapped his fingers, causing the Squirtle to scamper forward as well and assume a fighting stance.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," said the Professor, before taking shelter behind one of the machines in the lab. "Take cover, everyone!" Two of the aides in the room, rather bemusedly, moved the books they were studying from and set up shop beneath the table they were sitting at.

"Alright, Squirtle! Tackle that thing!" At Blue's command, Squirtle launched itself at Charmander, causing the two Pokémon to tumble into one another and skid along the laboratory floor.

"Scratch him, Charmander!" Red ordered. Clambering to its feet, Charmander braced its claws and took a swipe at Squirtle. The hit connected, causing the turtle Pokémon to hiss in pain as Charmander's claws raked the side of its face. Red winced, but Blue was not intimidated.

"Don't back down! Keep attacking!" With a growl, Squirtle sprang back up and threw its weight into Charmander. The force knocked both Pokémon into a shelf, causing papers to rain down onto them. Charmander kept swiping its claws at Squirtle in an attempt to land repeat Scratches. The struggle continued, obscured by shreds of paper flying through the air like confetti. Though neither seemed to have much fighting experience, the two monsters were locked in combat, beating and clawing at one another fervently in the wreckage of the bookshelf. A few seconds later, the growling finally stopped. Through the clearing dust, Red could see a single flame, flickering a bit but still going strong. Charmander was still standing.

He did it.

Oak stepped out from behind the machine to assess the battle's aftermath. "I knew I should have asked you two to move the battle outside…" he sighed. The two aides in the room began to clear the mess, sweeping up the paper in an attempt to salvage what they could. "It appears that Squirtle is no longer able to fight. That means Charmander is the winner!"

Blue was left frozen in place, mouth agape. "... What?! Unbelievable…" He held out Squirtle's Poké Ball, causing the Tiny Turtle Pokemon to return inside of it in a flash of red light. "I must have picked the wrong Pokémon!" Red was also in disbelief, his heart pounding out of his chest. He… won? He won! It all happened so fast, but he had just won his first battle ever– and against Blue, too!

Red beamed with pride at his new Pokémon. "Good job, Charmander! That was amazing!" The fiery lizard chirped with delight as Red recalled it back into its Poké Ball. Oak retrieved both Charmander and Squirtle's Poké Balls from the boys, placing them into one of the lab's humming, blinking machines. Once it chimed out a little jingle a moment later, Oak handed back the balls, as well as two plastic cards.

"Well," the old Professor said, "I suppose that's all I can do for the two of you. Under my endorsement, the two of you are now officially-licensed Pokémon trainers."

Red could barely breathe. The adrenaline from the previous battle was still surging through his body. "Thank you, sir…"

Blue eyed the license in his hand briefly before tucking both it and the Poké Ball in his bag. "Well, as much as I'd love to stand around and chat, I've got some business to take care of. Thanks for the Pokémon, Gramps. And Redwood?" He turned to face Red, but Red quickly noticed that Blue wouldn't look him in the eye. His newly-minted rival was absolutely seething with anger, but plastered an insincere smile across his face. "Smell you later." Before Red could even respond, Blue had turned on his heel and stormed out.

Before Red could make any attempt to follow him, Professor Oak's voice echoed from behind him, "Oh, Radley! Before you go, son…"

He turned to face the Professor. "Yes, sir?"

"I was wondering if you could do me a bit of a favor. You see, my back has been giving me quite a bit of trouble recently, so traveling has been much more difficult. Since you're headed to Viridian City, I was wondering if you could pick up a package for me while you're there. Normally for an errand like this I'd ask Gary, but…" He made a vague sort of gesture to the door. "... well. You saw. He's probably just excited to hit the road."

Red fought the urge to roll his eyes. Just like when they were kids, Blue had marched off to go throw a tantrum someplace else. What a sore loser. "Sure, Professor," he said, "I'll come back here as soon as I can."

Before he could officially leave, though, there was someone else he had to see. After what felt like eons, his frantic knocking at the Oak residence's door was rewarded by the appearance of a young woman at the entrance. She smoothed out a crease in her green skirt and beamed at him. "Red! Come on in, have a seat. I was just about to have tea."

Red was inexplicably fond of Daisy Oak. She was the kind of girl that all the boys in Pallet Town fell head over heels for. Or most of them, at least. He didn't really get what all the fuss was about. Probably since he'd known her his whole life– after all, as his neighbor she was one of his few friends growing up. The two were bound by proximity. But she definitely seemed to be the type of girl a boy should have a crush on. After all, by only 18, she had already received several marriage proposals from her peers, all of which she had respectfully declined. While she shared her brother's reddish hair and sharp features, that was where the similarities ended. Where Blue was cocky and borderline obnoxious, Daisy was softspoken and had a considerably more even temper.

Red seated himself at the kitchen table. Though Professor Oak was one of the most respected figures in the Kanto region, you wouldn't know it from his living situation– he and his grandchildren lived quite humbly. The house was well-kept, if noticeably old. Various pieces of furniture in the living room were covered in brightly colored, half-finished crochet projects. Daisy's pet Clefairy napped in the armchair, curled up and snoring gently.

Daisy handed him a teacup. "So, I heard you had a battle against Blue."

He took the cup gratefully and served himself. "I did. And I assume you also heard I kicked his butt?"

She giggled and took her place at the table, eager to share in the gossip. "I wish I'd seen that. He came home totally pissed off, it's like you could see the steam coming out of his ears. Told me not to even let you in the door." Sounds like Blue, all right, he thought. She looked at him expectantly. "Well…?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you gonna let me see your Pokémon?"

"Oh!" He removed the Poké Ball from his belt and pressed the button, causing Charmander to materialize on the floor. The bumps and bruises it had sustained in the lab battle had disappeared completely. It hissed a peculiar greeting.

Immediately, Daisy began to fawn over the fire-type. "Oh my goodness, he's adorable! Just look at how vibrant those scales are! What did you name him?"

Red was confused. Name? "Uh… just Charmander, I guess?"

Daisy gave him a knowing look. "You really haven't thought about it, have you?" She held out her arms to the lizard, who jumped into them. "C'mon, just look at this little guy! A special Pokémon like him deserves a special name, don't you think?"

Red sipped his tea. She was right, he really hadn't thought about giving Charmander a name. He watched as the Pokémon snorted happily and snuggled up to Daisy. "... What about Lighter?"

There was a pause as she thought for a moment. "Lighter, huh?" Daisy held out the Charmander, looking him in the eye. "What do you think, buddy? Do you like that name?" The Lizard Pokémon chirped in response. Daisy smiled and set him down on the table. "Well, I guess we're all in agreement, then. Lighter it is."

The two made idle chatter for a bit– mostly on Daisy's part. Red often found himself fumbling with small talk, even if it was with a friend. Eventually, though, something she said caught his attention: "You know, I'm a little surprised you picked a Charmander to be your first partner Pokémon."

"Why's that?"

"Remember when we were little and you guys made me play Pokémon with you? You would always pretend to be a Bulbasaur. It was Blue who was always Charmander, he insisted."

Red rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I put up with that."

Daisy shrugged. "That's just what friends do, I guess. You and him did use to be really close."

"Yeah, before he started acting like such an asshole all the time."

"And I'm not excusing that kind of behavior. But people don't just act out for no reason. I'm sure he just wants your attention."

His attention? What was she even talking about? Red returned Lighter into his Poké Ball and hastily made his way towards the door. "Thanks for the tea, but I should probably get going."

"So soon? Are you really that eager to go chasing after my brother?"

"Kind of. Gotta go to Viridian City to pick something up for the Professor."

Daisy wrinkled her nose. The expression faintly reminded Red of the way Blue's face looked during their battle– definitely stubborn, but there was something else about it he couldn't determine. Girls were just weird like that, he supposed. "Grandpa asked you to run an errand? Gosh, he can be so lazy sometimes. Let me guess, it's his back again, isn't it?" Before Red could confirm her suspicion, Daisy was on her feet. "Hang on just a second! Don't go anywhere." She disappeared upstairs for a moment before returning with a folded piece of paper. "Here, maybe this will help you. It's a map of Kanto. Blue ordered one the other week, but they must've made a mistake and sent two. I'm sure he won't mind if you have it."

"Daisy, I can't take this…"

"Sure you can! Just promise to do me a favor." Her face softened a bit. "Keep an eye on Blue, okay? I worry about him sometimes. He's a smart kid, but he's my baby brother, you know? I can't help but fuss over him a little. I'm sure your mom feels like that about you."

And there was that guilty feeling again, creeping up his spine like ice. "Sure," he said, and left without saying another word.