Pokemon Red

Well he actually owns one right now, named Rip.

Also, enjoy!
~
There, before me, stood the gym of Vermilion City. I was a little nervous, but I was ready to face off against the gym and the trainers inside. Using the technique Cut, Oddish was able to slice down the tree and let me inside.

Stepping inside led me to meet Jim yet again. “Yo! Champ in making! Lt. Surge has a nickname. People refer to him as the Lightning American!” Interesting, a foreigner running the gym, hopefully he’ll bring some interesting skills to the battle. “He’s an expert on Electric Pokémon! Birds and water Pokémon are at risk!” Luckily I won’t have that problem, especially with Diggy in the lead. “Beware of paralysis too! Lt. Surge is very cautious! You’ll have to break a code to get to him!”

“A code?” I asked. Jim seemed unwilling to answer; nevertheless, he did.

“The trash cans behind me have buttons inside. Press them and the door opens. But,” he said warily, “the buttons are at random.” I looked ahead and saw over a dozen trash cans.

“Oh my gosh,” was all I could say. I think Jim wished me luck, but the words passed by my ears; I marched to the daunting task ahead of me.

At first I made progress. The Gym Trainers weren’t too tough, and at least one of them knew the lieutenant from the army, but at last I found a glowing switch under some trash. “Hey! There’s a switch under the trash!” I turned it on, but when I pressed a switch in the next trash can, a warning beep expelled and the lights deactivated.

“Hey! The electric locks were reset!” I yelled in frustration.

“Sorry Red,” Jim said to me. “But that’s how the switches work. If you press the wrong button, they reset.”

Shoot shoot shoot! This went from an annoying task to a daunting one. But eventually I found the switch again and used it. “The first electric lock opened!” I said joyfully. I looked to the next can, and there was another glowing switch. I pressed it and an approving beep played out! The second electric lock opened! The motorized door opened and access to the gym leader was granted at last.

I walked up the leader, towering over me with his arms crossed. “Hey, kid! What do you think you’re doing here?”

I was intimidated, but I stood my ground and responded, “I’m here to challenge you!”

He could sense my fear. “You won’t live long in combat! That’s for sure!” Ouch.

“Hey, you may be a Gym Leader, but I’ve already proved my Pokémon are capable of taking you on!” My show of courage only made him smirk at me.

He pointed toward his belt where his Poké Balls sat. “I tell you kid, Electric Pokémon saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! The same as I’ll do to you!”

Oh, I remember now! That's right! Sorry, it's been a while. Will he ever evolve Magikarp, though?

Anyway, interesting chapter! This will definitely be an exciting battle between Red and Lt. Surge!

I'm so jealous of the seal of approval, but you deserve it.

Can't wait for the battle to begin. This is great, freedom, can't believe I didn't see this before.

I can't really say without risking spoilers.

Thanks for the compliments guys! The battle begins...today!
~
With our Poké Balls in hand, the battle was ready to begin! I sent out Diggy, and he sent out the mysterious Voltorb. “Hehehe, I see. A Ground type, eh?” I was feeling proud, and so was Diggy, until he said, “You’re so dead, kid.”

My anger didn’t hold back my command; “Diggy! Dig!” Diggy began to dig a hole, but Voltorb made a sharp piercing noise and created a giant boom! And yet, Surge didn’t order it to. “Hey, is it allowed to attack without a command?!”

“Oh, it got a command, alright. That was SonicBoom.” What? Whatever, Diggy was hurt by the blast, but he made his way underground. When Diggy surfaced, Voltorb was hit hard by my mole’s tackle and rolled away into the wall. Surge’s first Pokémon was down in one move!

I had to show pride to my newest team member; he did something incredibly amazing, after all. “I’d be impressed kid, but really, type advantage is nothing to be proud about. This game has just begun.” Surge was trying to anger me, but I was too happy with Diggy’s success to worry. I was going to win without a single loss at this rate!

“Pikachu, let’s finish this kid!” The ball that slammed on the floor released his electric mouse, and without a word, it attacked with a Quick Attack! Diggy tried to dodge, but he was stomped on the head critically, leaving my new Pokémon to faint.

“Shoot! You just got lucky; I’ve got a powerful team ready to take you down!” I knew there was no way I could scare someone as massive and experienced as him, but I had to prove I was ready for whatever he threw at me.

He wagged his finger and said, “Wrong as always, kid. Your power means nothing here. I have powerhouses too, and unlike you, I don’t shout every attack and give away my strategy.”

Stunned, I set aside the battle and interrogated him. I’m not sure why he was okay with it, but I’m glad he was. “What? Just because I said my strategy doesn’t mean I gave anything away! You don’t know what I’ve got planned!”

“True,” he replied. “Now that Diglett is gone, it’s a new round. But, shouting out Dig like that, I knew that you were just going to spam that. And I knew Voltorb would bite the big one. So I had my two Pokémon combine forces and take you out!”

It made sense; use Voltorb to go halfway, and Pikachu to go the rest. “Still, five to two, Surge! I don’t know how you’re using your team, but I can still beat you!”

“Perhaps you can,” he answered. “But perhaps you’ll just unveil your next strategy to me,” he said with a sneer. There was no question now; I had to beat Surge, to show him up, and to confirm I wasn’t just a kid with luck.

“Go! Nidorino!” I didn’t have type advantage, but at this point I didn’t need it. “Nidorino! Horn Attack!” Nidorino charged headlong, only slowing when the Pikachu cried out a Growl. It would take some time for Nidorino to end the fight, but not too long. I ordered another Horn Attack, but Pikachu must have done Quick Attack, slamming its body into my Pokémon.

“See, you’re showing me your strategy again!” Surge criticized. “You’re going to try and push forward again and again and hope you do more damage than I do. Think smarter!” Now he’s starting to bug me.

“It doesn’t matter! Finish Pikachu with a Poison Sting!” Pikachu did another Quick Attack to injure Nidorino, but it was too close to escape a Poison Sting. With that, Pikachu fell in defeat. “Look, I get it, you want to help me. But so far it looks like I’m doing better than you are!” I reached for Nidorino’s Poké Ball and returned him. “And besides, I’m willing to change up Pokémon at least.”

“Oh, kid,” he sighed. “I tried to warn you. Now you get to lose.” What? “Go, Raichu!” A giant mouse burst out of his last Poké Ball, and bore similarities to Pikachu.

I sent out Nidorina, letting my girl get the last bit of action. She wasn’t as strong as Nidorino, but I really wasn’t worried at all. “Attack with Scratch!”

He calmly made a strange signal with his hands. At that moment, Raichu squeezed itself and shot massive bolts of electricity from its cheeks! The lightning bolts traveled faster than sight could witness and hit Nidorina. She thrashed about in pain as the voltage coursed through her, and after a few seconds, she fainted. “That, boy, was the full power of Raichu.”

I stared at Nidorina for several moments, stunned at how easily she fainted, and how I had no way to prevent it in time. “This is why you shouldn’t announce things so easily. It’s like playing Poker and showing your hand.” I returned Nidorina to her ball and looked at Surge, fuming at his repetitive advice. “If I had said Thunderbolt, you’d have just enough time to order a dodge or block or something, and she’d still be a threat.”

I really wasn’t sure what to say. I was mad at the guy, but he was right. He made me mad at myself; that didn’t help the situation at all. “Fine, you’re right. Maybe I should be doing these hand signals you’re boasting with your team.” I reached for my next Pokémon. “But for now, I’ll show you the power we truly have, and I won’t stop until I’ve won!”

I threw my Poké Ball to the floor and sent out Nidorino. He knew Nidorina had just fainted, and he wasn’t happy either. “Hehe, good, I want a fun fight,” Surge said.

With no other way to command my Pokémon, I stuck to the vocal commands; Surge would take advantage of this, but there was still hope yet. “Horn Attack!” The Raichu growled in response, and each time Nidorino tried to get close, Raichu would growl at it.

The fourth time around, I almost expected another growl; instead, Raichu sent out sparks of lightning from its cheeks again! They were as devastating, but when Nidorino got hit, he was paralyzed! “Shoot!” I howled, my plans falling apart again. “Go ahead and Poison Sting!” Raichu still had plenty of health left, but Poison would buy me all the time I needed.

“Oh no, none of that!” was all Surge said as Raichu continued shooting sparks. Nidorino tried to sting the mouse, but the paralysis held him in place, making him a giant target. Fearing the worst, I ordered another Poison Sting, but Raichu fired off the same attack that ended Nidorina; Thunderbolt took down Nidorino as well.

“You’re trying kid, but I’m gonna beat the rest of your team now!” No, not a chance! I sent out Oddish to fight now. “Type advantage again?” he asked. “Fine, but this won’t end well, kid.”

Raichu fired off huge bolts of electricity: Thunderbolt; while Oddish charged with Cut. She left a little mark on the Pokémon’s belly, but Raichu wasn’t in the red zone yet. Oddish’s Grass type prevented death, but I was still worried she’d die to another Thunderbolt.

I immediately ordered an Absorb, but Raichu looked to his master for a split second, lowered its head, and Growled right in Oddish’s face.

Anyone facing someone double their height would have reason to be scared. And to be a little weed facing off against a monstrous mouse that just shrieked in your face would be downright terrifying.

But Oddish was different. She fought her fear and sucked all the critical nutrients out of Raichu as much as she could. Surge watched in shock as Raichu’s remaining health dwindled down to zero. Oddish jumped back as Raichu fell over and began to dance for joy. And as soon as my brain caught up to the victory, so did I.

This was a very fun battle! Awesome, Freedom! I enjoyed Lt. Surge's characterization, especially. I was also interested in the way he communicated with his Pokemon! I can't remember, though. Was it like that on the show?

Not that I recall. He only used Raichu and had Ash only use Pikachu so it was fair yet still overly challenging for Ash, but I wanted all of Surge's Pokemon shown so I gave him this concept, since I imagine that's common practice in military.

The Freedom Fighter wrote:Not that I recall. He only used Raichu and had Ash only use Pikachu so it was fair yet still overly challenging for Ash, but I wanted all of Surge's Pokemon shown so I gave him this concept, since I imagine that's common practice in military.

It was a really awesome idea, dude.

Why thank you! :D And now, the next part!
~

After we finished our embarrassing display, the gym leader returned his Raichu and said, “Whoa! You’re the real deal, kid! Fine then, take the Thunder Badge!” After checking out my winnings, the lieutenant added, “The Thunder Badge cranks up your Pokémon’s speed! It also lets your Pokémon Fly any time, kid!” Wait, they weren’t allowed to before? Oops.

“Well, thank you sir, it was an interesting experience challenging you,” I responded. I hope I was able to change your mind about me.

He looked at me with the approving eyes Oak would always flash. “You’re special, kid!” With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a TM. I’m sensing a trend. “Take this!” And so once again I received a TM! “TM24 contains Thunderbolt! Teach it to an Electric Pokémon!” I nodded in approval; I just got a seriously powerful attack thanks to him!

Once the TM was safe, I turned toward him and he said, “A little word of advice, kid! Electricity is sure powerful! But, it’s useless against Ground type Pokémon!”

“True,” I said, “but you really got around it using that crazy strategy of yours!” He nodded and crossed his arms again.

“Yup, you learn a lot of that when you do as much as me. Believe me, it’s a big advantage; surprises every trainers that walks through that door.” I took this to heart; this was my next mini-mission. If I could train my Pokémon like he trained his, I’d be so much better as a trainer.

“Thank you so much, Lt. Surge, I won’t forget your advice.” He nodded one last time, and I turned and left. As I passed by Jim, he was all big smiles as always.

“Whew! That match was electric!” You’re telling me. “Anyway, kid, I’ll see you at Celadon! That’s the next gym you should Tackle!”

Ignoring his pun, I asked, “Alright, what’s the best way there? Saffron’s closed, after all.”

He gazed at the wall, deep in thought, before saying, “Well, you’ll need to head west from Lavender Town. The long way is through Rock Tunnel, and the short way is to just go east from here and take the Silence Bridge.

“Alright, thanks!” With a new method to teach, a new badge earned, and a new direction to go, life was looking good!

Do you take lessons on writing stories? Your awesome at it.

Super S. Hushimo wrote:Do you take lessons on writing stories? Your awesome at it.

Nope, I just learn math. And thank you!

Math helps write stories? Surprising news.

Not really. It actually distracts from writing stories, but thankfully, I managed to write this!
~
With the morning hours still reigning supreme, I went to the Pokémon Center to heal up my team. As I was getting them healed, this Cool Trainer looked at me. “The urge to battle with someone you’ve tangled with before,” she said slowly, ominously. “Have you ever had that urge? I’m sure you have.”

“True,” I said, “but I never really stuck around to face off against them.” It never really crossed my mind, but there are some trainers I’d like to fight again, especially for more experience.

“I wanted to battle certain people again over and over, too. So, I’ve been giving these away. Please, take one!” She gave me this weird machine. On it, it said VS SEEKER. I guess I just obtained the VS Seeker. “Use that device and you’ll find trainers looking for a rematch. You have to charge its battery to use it, though.”

Oh cool! Not sure why I can’t just ask them, but okay. Still, I took it to be polite. “Well, what do I do with it?”

“How do you use the VS Seeker? There’s nothing to it.” She pulled out her own and showed me the button I need to press. “Use it like beep-beep-beep, and trainers around you will notice. If any trainer wants a rematch, it will let you know immediately.” If I understood her right, it would make a noise to attract trainers’ attention? Strange… “Charge its battery and use it while you’re on the road.”

“Well, thanks! Maybe I can find a use for it.” She said no problem. “Would you mind saying beep-beep-beep again?” I snickered. She gave me an irritated face, and that was enough to make me back off.

Before leaving Vermilion City, there was one last thing I wanted to do. I remember from my magazines that Vermilion City was the home of the Pokémon Fan Club. It was a little embarrassing to admit being a part of it, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to see inside.

However, the building was small and only a few members were inside. Thankfully, one of them was the leader himself! “I chair the Pokémon Fan Club! I have collected over 100 Pokémon!”

“Wow!” I said. “That’s amazing; I’m not even close to that yet!”

“Hehe, well, I’d be much higher,” he admitted. “However, I’m very fussy when it comes to Pokémon! So,” he paused, as if things were about to become even more epic. “Did you come visit to hear about my Pokémon?”

“Yes! I’m trying to complete a Pokédex, after all! Anything you say will be helpful!” I whipped out my Pokédex as proof and waited patiently.

“Good! Then listen up! My favorite Rapidash…” What proceeded was a long, long, long drawn out speech about his horse. “It…cute…lovely…smart…plus…amazing…you think so?” I nodded, but my eyes wished I’d just keep my head down. “...oh yes…it…stunning…kindly…love it! Hug it…when…sleeping…” No kidding… “warm and cuddly…spectacular…ravishing…” It took every inch of my power to keep my head up and my eyes opened. Normally talking about Pokémon would be fine, but he just would not stop talking about that horse.

“…Oops! Look at the time! I kept you too long!” I looked out the window and saw that the sun had set yet again. Another day wasted… “Thanks for hearing me out! I want you to have this!” He gave me a ticket, and I nearly just shoved it in my pocket due to being drowsy. But as I took a quick look, I saw exactly what he gave me. I received a Bike Voucher! “Exchange that for a Bicycle! Don’t worry, my Fearow will Fly me anywhere! So, I don’t need a bicycle! I hope you like cycling!”

I left the building as hurried as I could. I decided not to get a bike yet, but I definitely wanted to get one as soon as possible. But for now, I decided to do some training to the North and then get as far as I could east before nightfall. I managed to catch a Mankey along the way, but as the sun’s light began to fade, I tried to hurry through Vermilion and toward Route 11.

I reached Diglett’s Cave, but it was too dark to go further; I set up things for the night. The team noticed a lack of snuggling noises, and it was difficult to see their looks; during my return to Vermilion, I put away my two Poison types. Yes, they were great fighters, but if I wanted to get more Pokémon and raise them like the chairman, I needed to deposit team members. And the Nidos could never be separated, so now I gave them a place to love each other without worry.

The four Pokémon still got along together well. Oddish and Diglett were growing to be fast friends. Maybe it was because they canceled each other out, or maybe it was because their elements needed each other to survive, or maybe it was just friendship; the answer didn’t really matter to me. It was my other two that worried me for a minute.

Charmeleon and Beedrill began showing off moves, and I was afraid someone would land a blow, or it would go too far, but they were far too experienced to make a rookie mistake. I smiled at my buddies; they really showed why they’re my second and third in commands.

After my daily call to Mom, I told the team to prepare for a good night’s rest; there were no cities until Lavender Town. And even if Lavender has a Pokémon Center, it would take awhile to get there.

Diglett had fun digging a bunch of holes for Oddish to try for a bed. Charmeleon and Beedrill slept in their usual positions, and I missed hearing the lovers behind my head. Still, I had to move forward, and so I rested my eyes, waiting for the moment when the sun would peel them open.

Or at least that’s what I wanted. It’s not what I got, of course; instead, I got tripped over by an engineer. The worker, as tired as I was, apologized and went on his way, working on something I didn’t care about. I nursed my wound, and gathered my team up. Today was a big day, and we had a lot of ground to cover.

With several trainer battles won, and several Pokémon caught, including my new team member, Daydreamer the Drowzee, we at least made it to the lookout station of Route 11.

I ran into the worker, but rather than apologize, he acted like we never met. Maybe he was too tired to recognize me, but after Oddish took down his Magneton, Oddish stood still for a second. I was confused, but only for a second, as a bright light enveloped Oddish! I immediately recognized this from Charmeleon; Oddish was evolving! Her head leaves formed a giant flower and she grew arms! I was surprised she evolved so soon, but I was glad to have my new Gloom!

A man stood inside the station. He looked bored, but he talked about a guy in Lavender Town who rated nicknames. That seems kind of mean to rate someone’s name, but whatever. This guard station was bigger than the others, having a second floor with people inside.

There was a kid wanting a trade, and another one of Professor Oak’s aides! “Hi! Remember me? I’m Professor Oak’s aide!” They all must have egos then. “If you caught 30 kinds of Pokémon, I’m supposed to give you an Itemfinder!” Itemfinders were expensive variations of metal detectors, but they were definitely more effective. Mom rented one once, and it worked well.

“So, Red! Have you caught at least 30 kinds of Pokémon?” As nice as the device would be, I couldn’t lie, so I shook my head. “Oh. I see.” Sheesh, when you say it like that, you make it seem like I committed a crime… “When you get 30 kinds, come back for Itemfinder.”

Before I left, I looked through each set of binoculars. The first set showed me a giant Pokémon, and the second showed me a cave spanning between Cerulean and Lavender. To my knowledge, it was the Rock Tunnel. I’d rather not crawl around in another cave.

I stepped back downstairs and went through the other day. I waited so long already, and I was ready to hit Lavender Town.

The wait would be longer. Sitting in front of me was the giant Pokémon I saw from the binoculars. Strangely, it wasn’t threatened by my presence, so I wasn’t sure how to go about fighting it; it just kept sleeping on the path to the next route.

I didn’t want to cast the first stone, but I needed to get past the wannabe wall, so I sent out Gloom to attack with Absorb. But as soon as I did, the Snorlax just kept sleeping. I figured after several Absorbs, it should have fainted, but when it finally woke up, it just went right back to sleep and healed completely! Frustrated, I figured this must be a move that induces sleep, but heals too.

“Fine! Sleep for now, but you’ll run out of PP eventually!” After a barrage of Cuts and Absorbs, Snorlax finally ran out of PP and stared at me angrily. I was afraid, but ready for battle. He lifted his paw and I was ready to send out Charmeleon, when instead it reached down and picked up a berry. It tossed the berry in its mouth and went right back to sleep.

I wanted to fall over to celebrate my failure, but I saw an even worse sign: there was a huge pile of berries next to him on the other side. Yeah, I’m not going this way.

I stepped out to the west of the guard station; I saw the colors of the land shifting with the setting sun. If I couldn’t get to Lavender using Route 11, I’d have to use Rock Tunnel.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Caves were all over Kanto; it was only a matter of time before I’d go through another one. But as I passed by Diglett’s Cave, I wondered if I should go through it. After all, the Gym Leader of Viridian might be back, and I could even go visit Mom! I made up my mind and journeyed inside.

Diglett enjoyed being home, but I assured him he’d have a new home when we got back to Pallet Town, so he wasted no time beating down his old neighbors. Thankfully the cave wasn’t too long, which gave me some hope that Rock Tunnel would be the same way. But as we stepped outside, night had already fallen. I returned Diglett and ran as fast as I could.

Along the way I met with yet another aide of Oak’s! No idea how he knew I’d come this way, but he held just as big an ego as the other two. “If you caught 10 kinds of Pokémon, I’m supposed to give you an HM05!” Another Hidden Machine? Wow, very nice! I showed him my Pokédex, so he said, “Great! You have caught 25 kinds of Pokémon! Congratulations! Here you go!” With a new HM in hand, this day was looking better and better!

“The HM Flash lights even the darkest dungeons.” I thanked the man and went on my way. I guess he was happy to stick around, even if I wasn’t.

Within no time, I arrived in Pallet. Already I could smell Mom’s cooking, and the moment I walked in, she was stunned speechless. But words weren’t necessary, and she just wrapped her arms around me instead.

We talked about how my day went and my journey so far. She was impressed to see my Pokémon, especially at how much Charmeleon grew. She had less kindness to Diglett though, as he slammed himself through the floorboards to hide his feet. “Being embarrassed is one thing; ruining my floor is another!”

Nevertheless, she made extras for all of us and we all got to eat well. Diglett was a little stunned to see Gloom; he was expecting a midget like him. Nevertheless, they were friends, and they were having fun like friends should. Charmeleon introduced Beedrill to Mom; she normally hated bugs, but Beedrill acted like a true gentleman, so she was in a strange sort of awe. Daydreamer, my new Drowzee, examined all the decorations. Clearly he was in his own awe.

Mom finally made me go to bed, and the rest of us readied for bed as well. Since Gloom didn’t need a hole anymore (to Diglett’s disappoint), she slept next to Diglett, and Diglett just stayed in his hole the entire night. Charmeleon had to keep his tail safe from lighting anything on fire; it was quite a hassle, but we somehow did it by suspending his tail with ropes. Daydreamer took forever to get to lie down though; he kept sniffing the computer and the TV and anything else in his path, but Mom and I finally got him to sniff the bed and examine it. That was enough for him to get the message, and Mom tucked me in for the night.

As we ate breakfast, Mom was a little frazzled. Feeding seven mouths was hard enough, but having a tapir watch you cook must be stressful. As I sat eating with everyone around the table (Diglett was under the house digging), I asked Mom about Yellow and Green. Sure enough, they finally got their Trainer Cards and left together. It would be cool if I could catch up with them, and Mom confirmed they only left two days ago.

After a delicious load of omelets, we all said our goodbyes. Mom hated seeing us go, but I promised I’d be back soon. With that, I took off again and decided to see Oak for a quick visit. “Good to see you! How is your Pokédex coming? Here, let me take a look!”

I handed him my Pokédex with pride. “Pokédex completion is: 60 Pokémon seen, 25 Pokémon owned. My rating? You still need more Pokémon!” Gosh, you don’t need to put such attitude into it, I’m trying. “Try to catch other species!”

“Yes sir,” I said bleakly. He didn’t notice how I felt, so I just decided to leave. I did see one thing however: the last Poké Ball was gone.

At last I was back in Viridian City, and I immediately went to the gym. But to my dismay, the doors were still locked. “Shoot!” I looked to the guy still sitting by the door. “Still bored?”

“Yup. Still training?”

“Yup.” Still weird.

Thanks to Gloom, we hacked away with Cut and took Route 2 to Pewter City; there was no longer a need to travel through Viridian Forest. As I entered Pewter, an idea came to me. I withdrew Handlebar from the Pokémon Storage System and made her a part of my team. Since she needed to evolve and the journey through Mt. Moon would be kind of pointless anyway, it was a good chance to train up some of my backup Pokémon.

“Red!” Normally someone calling my name was a sign that I’d be in a fight with Blue, but for once I was pleased at whom I saw.

“Yellow!” Yellow, my friend and neighbor, just left the nurse, a Pikachu right behind him. “Woah, you got a PokéPet license?!”

“Hehe,” he blushed, “well, Oak had to give it to me. Pikachu wouldn’t stay in his ball.” Pikachu nodded in agreement. “Besides, we’re good pals now!” The Pikachu surprisingly shouted its name in joy. I didn’t think Pokémon could say their names…

“Um, well, anyway, you beat Brock?” I asked.

“Yes I did!” He gave me a look over. “Wait, are you just getting here now?! I mean, I knew I was better, but-”

“No! I just came back home for a visit. I’m already going for my fourth badge.” Yellow was shocked to hear I got so far, but that only made me feel good inside. “So where’s Green? I figured she’d be with you.”

“Oh, yeah, we split up.” I asked if anything went wrong, but he quickly shook that thought away. “Nah, it’s just she beat Brock first and I told her to go on without me. I, uh, had to fight him twice.”

“Don’t be embarrassed, dude, he was a hard fight for me too.” That picked up his spirits a bit. “Well, I’m glad to see you again.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Hey, if you’re heading to Cerulean City, you wanna team up until we get there? Could be lots of fun!” It wasn’t a bad idea, so I agreed and we left Pewter City.

The journey to Mt. Moon was a bit slower than I hoped, but fighting double-battles with Yellow was fun. His Pikachu was still low in levels, but it was definitely special in more ways than one. Once we reached the mountain, we healed up. Unfortunately, I met a familiar face.

“Hello there, laddies! Have I got a deal just for you!” No… “I’ll let you have a swell Magikarp for just $500! What do you say?”

“Hmm, a Magikarp,” Yellow pondered aloud. “I’ve heard of that before. It’s good, right?” You’re kidding me, right?

“YES!” the man shouted. After the stares of terror from nearby trainers subsided, the man continued. “Just hand over your money and you’ll get the ultimate Pokémon!”

“Oh really?” I said, and the man turned to look at me. He didn’t like me, but it took a few seconds before he recognized me. His face turned pale in horror. “I said no refunds!” With that, he turned and ran right out of the center.

“Dude!” Yellow said to me. “Why did you scare him? I wanted that Pokémon!” I spent a good ten minutes ignoring Yellow after that.

With Yellow by my side, the cave-dwellers ignored us, focusing on unaccompanied trainers. A few Zubat or Geodude would try to take us on as a team, but they really didn’t stand a chance. We reached the final hallway of Mt. Moon, approaching Miguel the fossil excavator again. He wasn’t alone.

"Stop right there!” the man said to us, with Miguel’s shirt collar in his clutches.

“That fossil is Team Rocket’s!” the lady next to him added, a Meowth next to her.

“Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" they said in unison. I grabbed my Poké Ball and prepared to toss it, but when I looked over to Yellow, he was just face-palming.

“Why is it always you three? Just, just why?” He knew Miguel? Did I dare to ask of the history?

But my question was answered. And it nearly gave me a heart attack too. “You again?! Listen twerp, stop following us already! Or else!” The Meowth talked.

“Or else what? You’ll sing? I don’t have time for your dumb motto today!” I really wasn’t sure what to say, and looking to Miguel, he was just as lost as me.

“Um, did, did that Meowth just talk?” This had to be the most awkward encounter I ever had with Team Rocket grunts.

“Believe me, it gets less impressive after you fight them half a dozen times,” Yellow said with exasperation.

“Oh, that’s it!” the Meowth…said. “Let’s just beat them up already!”

Yellow just sighed and said, “Yeah, let’s just do this.” The Rockets were obviously annoyed, and sent out their Ekans and Koffing to fight. With Daydreamer and Pikachu, they didn’t stand a chance, and even with Meowth attacking at the end; it was so weak it went down just as easily.

“This…was interesting,” was all I managed to say.

“A brat beat us?!” the girl said.

“Two brats!” the man added.

“You both really are stinkers, you know that!” the Meowth finished.

“As amusing as this madhouse is,” I said, “I think it’s time you three went to jail for your crimes.”

They shook their heads and wagged their fingers, as if they had more authority than I did. In unison, all three said, “Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!” With a Smoke Ball, the three vanished, leaving the three of us and our Pokémon dumbfounded.

Going through Mt. Moon the second time was definitely a new experience; fewer Rockets to deal with gave more time to admire the scenery, and dealing with those three grunts taught me that I should expect the unexpected.

But how do you expect a Pokémon to start speaking like a human? “So that’s Cerulean City?” Yellow asked me.

“Yup,” I said. We stood for a minute and just stared at the lights of the small city sparkle. In my haste, I never had a chance to admire Cerulean from afar, and it really was beautiful. We decided to spend the night together before reaching the city, just so we could fall asleep with splendor in our eyes.

We let out all our Pokémon and they all began to interact. Handlebar, now a Metapod, was very friendly with Yellow’s Butterfree; at least I think so, it was kind of hard to tell apart a Metapod’s expressions. Beedrill eventually came over and talked with Butterfree. I guess Bug types can easily get along, although Beedrill did look jealous.

Pikachu and Charmeleon were talking about something; if I had to guess, it was about previous experiences and each other’s teams. Charmeleon kept pointing out my Pokémon and looked like he was filled with pride. Pikachu seemed to defend his two partners as well.

Pidgeotto and Diglett were also talking, but it looked more like arguing. Pidgeotto kept raising his wing to the sky, while Diglett hopped up and down in the ground. Type talk? No idea, but it was one of the craziest sights I’ve seen. And I’ve seen plenty of that today.

Gloom and Daydreamer sat together and admired the view. Daydreamer was fascinated as always, and I guess Gloom wanted to try and be the mediator of the group. Yellow got engrossed in a conversation with his mother, and I was reminded to call Mom as well. She was already missing me again. But I made sure that we were fine, told her about Yellow, and that seemed like enough satisfaction to let me go eat.

When dinner was done, we all settled in for the night. Yellow was surprised at my idea to allow Pokémon to sleep out of the ball, so he took it on and allowed his two others to follow my team’s example. Diglett dug a hole near Gloom and the two slept leaning on my right side. Daydreamer slept at my feet. He behaved, but I worried he would take interest in my shoes. Handlebar slept on my left, squeezed between the curled up Beedrill and myself. Charmeleon stared into the sky; it was as if he dreamed of touching it himself.

When we arrived in Cerulean City, I gave Yellow a bit of advice and told him where everything was. We each thanked each other for a fun trip together and promised to have a match once he was ready. He headed for Route 24 to train, and I headed into town to take care of some business.

“Oh, Red, it’s good to see you!” Melanie said. “What brings you back to Cerulean?”

“Oh, just passing through, doing some training before I go to Rock Tunnel.”

“Rock Tunnel?! Wow…you’ve certainly grown a lot if you’re going to take on that gargantuan cave.” I gave her a worried look, and she noticed and tried to rectify the situation. “Don’t worry; I’m sure you can handle it! Just remember, it’s a lot tougher than Mt. Moon. Keep your wits about you and all that.” I nodded in agreement. “Actually, I’d let you have Bulbasaur if you want.”

“What? Really? But, isn’t he yours?!”

“Well, kind of,” Melanie responded. “I’ve been raising him, but only to help him recuperate. Truthfully he’s still got a day or two left to get better. But if you’re patient and need a grass type, he’ll serve you for great justice.”

I felt guilty to think about it, but it was a great idea. Having another starter-type on my team would make me beat Blue to a pulp.

And yet, that would be too easy. If I was ever going to complete my Pokédex, I’d need a Bulbasaur someday. But I will get it one day, no matter what it takes.

“Sorry Melanie, but I don’t think I should slow down my training.” She actually looked sad, and I think I knew why. “But don’t worry, I know who can give Bulbasaur a good home. Make him strong and stuff. My friend, Yellow, he’s bound to pass by here. You give him Bulbasaur, and he’ll be a titan of a Pokémon.” She smiled so big, she couldn’t help but give me a hug. It felt awkward, but good, and we were both happier.

“Thanks Red,” she replied. “Well, I better not hold you up. Go prove yourself to be champion material. Just uh, be careful, because little Bulbasaur here will give you a challenge you’ll never forget.” With one last smirk, I left the little house full of injured Pokémon and went south; it was time to retrieve an old friend.

“Your Rattata has grown a lot!” the Daycare man said. Honestly, I had been worried he forgot who I was. “By level, it’s grown by 5!” Not bad! “Aren’t I great?”

“Um, sure.” This guy is so weird. Emotionless and yet has an ego?

“You owe me $600 for the return of this Pokémon.” I couldn’t tell if that was expensive, but I figured it was worth it, so I gave him the cash. “Thank you! Here’s your Pokémon!”

I got Rattata back! I was tempted to let her out right now, but I’d wait till I got outside first. I then released her from my ball, and she jumped at me with wide joyous eyes. Rattata really had grown a lot, and now was the same level as Beedrill! I decided that the training this guy provided must be top notch, and worth repeating.

It was a hard decision, but in the end I went with Diggy. Charmeleon, Beedrill, and Gloom all proved themselves too valuable for the team, and Handlebar was just about to evolve. Daydreamer was a little weird, but I figured letting him be trained by another guy wouldn’t help his quirky personality.

Before I went in I decided to let everyone give a farewell to Diglett and greet my old pal. When everyone saw a Rattata instead of a Drowzee (I had put him in my Box), they were confused. However, that confusion quickly passed and Charmeleon and Beedrill happily greeted Rattata. Gloom walked over as well; she wasn’t as familiar, but they still knew each other.

On the other hand, Diggy and Handlebar were confused, but Handlebar took a leery eye at Rattata before finally giving in and taking on happy eyes…I think. I really need to evolve her…

After the other two did a meet-and-greet, I said to them all, “Alright guys, giving up Rattata, I felt bad about leaving her. I’m glad she’s back, stronger than ever and looking just as happy as always, but it’s time to separate again.” This was hard for me, and the others looked worried about what I would say next.

But I had to say it. “Diggy, I want you to stay here with the Daycare. You’ll get so much stronger and you’ll be a much bigger help!” He looked scared and faced Gloom for an answer. I’ll never know what Gloom said to him, but in the end he nodded and his head drooped.

I didn’t want to let him go, but I knew he’d be better for it. “Return.” He zapped away back inside my ball, and everyone, even Rattata, looked sad. “Don’t worry guys, he’ll be okay, I promise.” The uncertainly slowly wore away, and they all gave me a smile. Except Handlebar; she used her eyes.

With everyone returned, I went inside and gave Diggy away. I made a promise to come back for him someday; I just didn’t know when that day would be.

The journey on Route 9 had begun. Daydreamer was back in my party, and Rattata and Handlebar finally evolved! It wasn’t in the same battle sadly, but I was still very happy. Raticate also fit back in with the team really well, and we were all glad to have her.

The bittersweet day was very quiet, filled with battles and training with Surge’s gesture technique. A Picnicker also tried to make me hers. Yeah, it was as weird as it sounds. Nevertheless, thanks to her, I had a Raticate. And thanks to Hiker Jeremy, I had a Butterfree. After catching the mysterious Voltorb named Deceit, we reached a Pokémon Center, and I healed up my team once again.

The sun was setting, and because I didn’t want to go into Rock Tunnel tonight, I instead sat and watched the sun fall down behind the hills. I let the whole team out since nobody was around to really care, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Beedrill was impressed by Handlebar’s evolution, and they flew along a nearby river. Beedrill would send a splash at her and she’d get a little glad before whipping the wind up and send droplets back at him. If I could understand them, I’d bet they were laughing a lot.

Gloom rested her feet in the water, absorbing all the nutrients it offered her. She seemed lonely with Diggy gone, but Daydreamer came over after sniffing the grass and cheered her up. He was a weirdo, but he had a good heart.

As for Charmeleon and Raticate, they stood by my side, admiring all the beauty around them. Charmeleon had Raticate show off her new strength and moves, as if he was testing her value. But she was too happy to say no, and they had a safe sparring match.

I was getting a bit bored of just sitting around, so I decided to make a game. I had everyone line up and told them to race to the south hill wall and run all the way back to the Poké Center. I told them they could use any move to help them, but they were only allowed to use that move once. Everyone seemed excited and lined up.

“Ready!” Everyone got into a runner’s pose. “Set!” So many smiles, you’d think it was a party. “Go!” And they were off! Charmeleon took the lead, followed closely by Beedrill and Handlebar! Raticate was right behind the three racers, but how long would that last? Daydreamer and Gloom had the hardest time keeping up, so Daydreamer got on all fours to raise his chances!

Despite Charmeleon’s initial lead, Raticate got ahead and touched the wall first! Charmeleon and Beedrill were right behind her, and Handlebar began to tire. Daydreamer caught up to Handlebar, but he couldn’t get past her. Gloom had tired down too, and I was starting to feel guilty for her.

The boys were jealous of Raticate’s lead and tried to take charge! Beedrill fired a Poison Sting and Charmeleon did SmokeScreen, both at Raticate! She dodged Poison Sting but couldn’t avoid the smoke barrier, giving the males a chance to get ahead! Handlebar looked annoyed at Beedrill for attacking, but I did give him permission…

Daydreamer touched the wall and Handlebar followed suit, heading for the finish line. Gloom approached the cloud of smoke while Raticate, Beedrill, and Charmeleon were still inside. Suddenly, just as the three jumped out, Gloom shot spores into the air! Before they could move another muscle, they were all hit by the spores and slowed down to a crawl before falling over; they were asleep!

I could see Gloom smirk back at me before waltzing through the cloud of smoke, satisfied with her victory. However, I thought Daydreamer and Handlebar would still win, until they left the cloud, even slower than before! Gloom must have used PoisonPowder, and now they were too busy coughing to keep going at full speed!

Still, I figured they had a large enough lead, but Gloom continued to surprise! With a decent Speed stat, she managed to catch up with the three and even passed them by! Daydreamer and Handlebar did their best to ignore the poison and catch up, but Gloom had too tight of a lead.

Raticate finally woke up and saw how much ground she lost. But Quick Attack changed that! She moved so fast, and even if it didn’t catch her up, she was right behind Handlebar now! Raticate tried to reach first place in time, but Gloom pushed past her limit and ran to the wall with seconds to spare!

The two leading males finally woke up as the smoke blew away, and came over to congratulate everyone who beat them. Raticate proudly boosted Gloom on her shoulders and they danced around in victory. I patted Gloom on the head and said how proud I was of every one of them. I don’t remember ever seeing them this happy until today.

Little kids are afraid of the dark. Sure, not all of them, but there are enough in the world to be noticed. And sometimes that fear lives on as they get older. Usually it’s just a minor thing, but for some, it’s huge. For me, it was never a problem. Until I walked down the ladder into Rock Tunnel.

The darkness inside the cave was a black hole, and the light from the entrance was obscured so much that it hardly mattered. For the first time ever, I was afraid of the dark. Or perhaps not the dark, but what it contained.

Thankfully, I had a solution. Flash, the bringer of light, would solve the problem of endless shadows. It was a tough decision, but in the end I taught it to Daydreamer. I sent him out and told him to use Flash, as well as instructing him on the hand signal in case we ever needed it in battle.

As soon as we got it down, I said, “Daydreamer! Use Flash!” He began to glow dully, and then suddenly exploded in light and a blinding Flash lit the area! I shielded my eyes, and when they came to focus again, the area was incredibly bright thanks to the shine from Daydreamer. “Um, thanks buddy,” I said with stunned eyes. “Lead the way?”

Although I was unsure of the legality, I needed Daydreamer out so I could be sure the lights stayed around. Just like Mt. Moon, there were jewels that shined with light, but unlike Mt. Moon, as soon as we passed, the light faded from the roof crystals. Perhaps Mt. Moon was more special than I thought.

Nevertheless, the travel through Rock Tunnel was still hard. I managed to catch Kara-Tee the Machop, but lost Handlebar, Gloom, and Beedrill. I kept Daydreamer out of most battles to protect him, but when times get tough, even he had to fight.

During the battle against a PokéManiac, things got really bad. While Daydreamer only showed himself to gain experience, Charmeleon and Raticate were not so lucky, and the damage they took was more devastating than I expected. They barely survived the battle, but it was clear we should head back.

I dug through my bag and found my Escape Rope. I didn’t come well prepared, but I wasn’t expected Rock Tunnel to be as rigorous as Mt. Moon; at least with my experience. The rope activated its magic (not literally of course), and sent me back to the Pokémon Center.

I did some considering, and I realized Handlebar just wasn’t cut out for this cave. She had reached her final form, but I needed all the strength I could get for Rock Tunnel. And who better to guide me than a Rock type: I withdrew Ninety for my next round.

Despite being the weakest of the team, Ninety was resilient and proved he was willing to take on all-comers. This was far from Ninety’s original home, but he had a way of knowing where to go, so he was a great navigator.

The second pass through the cave was easier going too. It was going to be a hard journey, but we managed to gain ground. Granted, even against another Geodude, my Geodude couldn’t stand strong for long, but he never once questioned my command.

Our next opponent was a Hiker named Eric. But then, the worst happened. I foolishly sent Daydreamer, totally sure that his type advantage over Eric’s Machop would guarantee a win. However, that didn’t happen; a critical hit did. As Daydreamer collapsed and I returned him to his ball, already the light began to fade from the rocks.

The shadows that once fought against the light began to meld with it, and soon we would be consumed. The Hiker had no fear, and demanded I continue. I took a moment to think, and realized Charmeleon had a little light.

“Go! Charmeleon!” I don’t often rely on the phrase to psych myself up, but suddenly my fears were budding in this new situation. With one Scratch, Machop was done, but the Pat Benatar fan declared his next Pokémon: Onix. Gloom could win, but the lights would die away, and then Gloom’s accuracy would be doomed.

With all this in mind, I stuck with Charmeleon, having faith in Metal Claw. What I didn’t expect was for Onix to give Charmeleon a hard time. He pulled through, but Onix landed enough critical hits to make myself unpleasant. Rock Tunnel was turning into a beast, but I knew I had to get through, and my Pokémon wanted to get through as much as I did.

Without Flash, we had to walk through the cave, and Charmeleon did his best to spread as much light. Even with Ember, the stones would barely light up, so we were as blind as a Zubat. And because Charmeleon was now far too important, I had him stay out of the action completely. This lead to a lot of pain for other team members, but Gloom managed to pick up the slack.

Until Hiker Lucas came along. As soon as I sent Gloom in, his Graveler used Selfdestruct! Gloom was gone, and my team was looking weak as I stared upon his second Graveler. Tired and surrounded by the darkness, I was worried. Still, Raticate had this fight won, and one last Hyper Fang would end the battle. But Lucas wasn’t losing reasonably.

“Selfdestruct!” he shouted. Before my eyes, the four-armed beast dashed and clutched Raticate! With no hope left, Graveler lit up slightly before unleashing a blinding explosion, leaving us down another team member.

Even with that battle over, the continuing fights left the entire team decimated. Charmeleon and I were the only survivors. I considered forcing Daydreamer out so he could use Flash. The great thing about HMs were that they could be used non-offensively and without PP cost, and even better, with the Pokémon fainted.

Oak, however, taught us something different. When a Pokémon faints, it’s still somewhat conscious, but no longer has the will to fight. It’s exhausted and unable to battle, and that’s why Pokémon battles are decided that way. But it can still use HMs and even move if it has to. But if you’ve been beaten up to a pulp, you won’t want to.

Out of respect, I let him be. I knew I was close. The end had to be close. And yet my morals said to go back. If I lost now, I’d have to walk back to the Center alone, in the dark. And worse, my team would take a huge morality blow. There’s always a time to surrender and regroup, and this is now.

“Charmeleon, let’s go.” Clearly he was disappointed too, but he was too tired to debate my decision. I’m sure he agrees. Going back through Rock Tunnel was easy and hard at the same time. I remembered the paths, but it was tough to spot them going backwards. And worse, Charmeleon was feeling too tired to do much of anything.

So when an Onix attacked us, we really were condemned. The beast exploded from the ground, so we tried to run, but it made sure we stayed with a Bind attack! Charmeleon couldn’t see it coming, so the snake wrapped itself around my Pokémon without fail.

“Metal Claw!” I frantically yelled. He landed the hit, but Onix only angered and squeezed again, landing a critical hit in addition to the indefinite pain. I ordered the attack again, and Charmeleon used the last of his strength to shove his claws straight into Onix!

It yelled in pain, but as it fell over, the last of Onix’s Bind crushed the remaining life out of Charmeleon.

That was it. Everyone had fainted. I was alone.