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Chapter Text

My eyes locked onto the Pokémon perched on my bedside table. “Okay, buddy, there are two kinds of Trainers in this world, ones who prepare for their journeys and ones who do not. We’re going to prepare for this one, so let’s get everything out onto the floor!”

Shinx barked happily, nearly knocking over a lamp in his enthusiasm.

We grabbed anything and everything that we could lift, tossing it all towards the center of the room. I cleared out my dresser, desk, and closet. Shinx pulled everything off the bed, sheets and all. Sprinkled on top, I dumped out the contents of my backpack: an infinite amount of pens, a notebook, and a granola bar.

“Gross,” I gagged, wrinkling my nose and wondering how long the snack bar had been in that bag. It became the first item for the trash pile.

Hands on my hips, the messy junk mountain looked ripe for the picking. “Looks like everything’s here!” I left the room for a moment and came back with a cardboard box. Upon spotting it, my feline Pokémon immediately jumped into the crate and sat. “Hey. This isn’t for you.”

Shinx curled up and yawned.

“If it fits, it does not sit. Now get out.”

He fought back a laugh before bouncing up onto my head.

“So, here’s how this is going to go.” Adding my old bag to the trash pile, I placed a navy backpack onto the bed. “We pack anything we want to bring into this.”

Admiring the bright material, Shinx pawed the bag. Traces of ice-blue and neon-yellow masked the pockets and zippers.

“Isn’t it awesome? Volt got this for me. It even has our favorite colors.”

He played with the zipper.

“Okay, come on. We need to get this done, and then we can play.” I turned back to the empty cardboard box. “So anything for the journey goes onto the bed. Anything we don’t want to take with us, but still want to keep, we’ll put in this box. Everything else goes to the dump or gets donated. I don’t care. Volt will take care of that. Sound like a plan?”

Shinx dove into the pile like a ball pit.

We agreed to first gather the essentials. “Let’s set aside some clothes, and my jacket too.” I put together a comfortable outfit for tomorrow and placed it on the bed, alongside a set of spares.

Shinx handed me a scarf. “Ooh, some clothes for different weather. Good thinking.” I scratched his head as thanks, setting aside the scarf, a pair of thick gloves, a swimsuit, and thick socks.

A toothbrush and a hairbrush beckoned for me to free them from the pile. “We’re going to need these too. My hair wouldn’t last a day without being brushed. Can you gather some of the basic supplies for me?” We found a water bottle, a flashlight and extra batteries, a lighter, a multi-tool, and a first aid kit.

We examined the contents inside the kit. “Good, everything we bought yesterday is in here. I’ve got enough people and Pokémon medicine to last us a few weeks.” I shoved the kit into my bag. “What else?” Shinx barked and pulled on my blanket. “Ah, yes, it might get cold some nights.”

A tent, sleeping bag, and cooking supplies sat up beside the bed. “Right. We’ll need those too.” I packed them away with ease. Lastly, Shinx brought me his brush. We sorted everything else into either the keep box or the trash pile. “Ok, I think we’ve got everything. Good work, Shinx!” We high-fived.

We heard a knock on the door, and a head of spiky, blond hair poked through. “What’s with all the noise, Rosa? It’s the middle of the night!”

“Volt, did you really expect me to sleep?” I asked.

“Yes. Even the greatest of Pokémon Champions need to sleep,” Volt said.

“I already told you. I’m not tired!” I sat on the bed and clicked on the TV. Shinx jumped into my lap. “I’m too excited to sleep. I have so many things to do, Pokémon to catch, people to meet, places to see. Starting tomorrow, I won’t have time to sleep.”

He sat beside me and cheerfully threw an arm over my shoulder. “Want to know something, Sparkler?”

“Yeah?”

“I have no doubt that one day you’re going to be the strongest Trainer ever, maybe even tougher than I am.”

I stood on my bed, making a fist. “I’m already tougher than you!”

He chuckled, scratching Shinx’s head. “My point is that you know you’re going to be super strong and unbeatable one day, you and your Pokémon, but you’re still going to need to care about the small things of an ordinary life, like taking a shower, brushing your hair.” He pointed out my tangled hair, making me blush. “And sleeping.”

I frowned. “And talking to people?”

“Yes.” He held my chin and smiled. “I know you don’t trust people too often, but when it comes to going on a journey, you’ll find those few gems among all the rest. They’re the ones who’ll listen to no matter what you have to say, give you their shoulder to cry on, and be right at your side when you need them the most. It goes for Pokémon too, so if you want anyone like that to be in your life, you have to find them.”

My head slumped forward. “It doesn’t help that you won’t be there.”

“Oh, you’ll never be alone. You’ve got Shinx.”

Shinx nuzzled my chin. “But he’s not mine yet. I still need a Poké Ball.”

“Then you might want this.” He took a Poké Ball out of his pocket, a black one with red and gold rings on the top, bottom, and middle. It glimmered in the light of my desk lamp.

My heart trembled with happiness. “Volt...?!”

He loved my reaction. “I found this around the same time I gave you Shinx, and now that you’re a Trainer, well, here you go.”

Jumping off the bed, the ball found its way into my hands. “You’ve kept it all this time for me to catch Shinx?”

“Go ahead. Catch your first Pokémon.”

The pressure hit me like a truck, being able to actually catch a Pokémon!

I took a deep breath, placing Shinx on the bed and facing him. “Shinx, let’s go on lots of adventures together. I want to be the strongest Trainer, but I can’t do that without you.” I glanced up at Volt, who stared intently at my anxious smile. “This is our debut. Are you ready?”

Shinx happily barked.

Nodding, I stepped back. “Okay… Go Poké Ball!” I tossed the ball at the Pokémon, who smacked it with his forehead and went inside. The ball rattled three times and clicked to signal the catch succeeded. “I… I caught Shinx. I did it! Shinx is my Pokémon now!”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Volt said with a laugh.

I threw the Poké Ball into the air, calling out Shinx and catching him in my arms. “Shinx, I should’ve asked this too. You do want to come with me, don’t you...?” His response, he brushed his fluffy head against my cheek. The warmth of his fur made me cry. Overcome with joy, I fell down on my knees. I hugged my Pokémon tight and gazed up at my brother. “Thank you so much, Volt!”

“You’re welcome, Sparkler. Call it a birthday present.” He ruffled my hair. “Now promise me you’ll take good care of him.”

Shinx licked my face. “I absolutely promise! With you, Shinx, we’ll be the strongest team ever! What do you say?” He confidently bounced around.

“Then tell her to get some sleep. You two got a long day tomorrow.” Volt tucked me in beside Shinx, turning off the light and closing the door. I wanted to talk to Shinx more, but we ended up passing out in seconds.

★

The next morning, Volt and I stood just before the gate to the plane. Shinx sat on my head as my brother went over some last minute details. “You should be in Sandgem Town within a couple of hours,” he said, “and the Professor is having one of his assistants pick you up from the airport.

“Make sure to call me before you leave from there. Whether you head to Jubilife right away or want to take the next ship over to Johto or something, I still want to know.”

“Yes, I know all of that already, but why would I want to go to Johto?” I asked, adjusting the Pokétch on my wrist.

“Or something . It’s just a thought, but with Pokémon, thoughts quickly become reality.”

“Well, either way, I promise to call. You shouldn’t worry about me though.”

“I just care about you, and when you care, you worry more than you’d like.”

“Don’t forget. I have Shinx with me.” Shinx barked at Volt.

He laughed. “Then Shinx has certainly got his hands full, huh? Make sure to watch over her. You know how she gets.” The Pokémon nodded.

I made a pouty face. “You both suck…”

A voice came from the speakers all around the airport. “ Last call for passengers boarding Flight 405 to Sandgem Town! ”

“That’s us. Got to go!” I lunged at my brother, squeezing him tight. “I love you, Volt.”

“I love you too, Sparkler. Now go, or you’ll miss it!” He gave me a light shove towards the plane. I raced up some steps, looking back and waving at Volt one final time before disappearing into the cabin.

Shinx picked a nice seat by the window for us. “Good pick,” I said, throwing my bag into the overhead bin. I sat down and buckled up before gluing my face to the window, easily spotting my brother’s spiky hair surrounded by a flock of fans. It made me a little upset to be leaving.

Feeling Shinx’s nose against the palm of my hand cleared away that sadness. When I stared at him, he frowned. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.” I squeezed him tight and watched him fall asleep in my arms. After we lifted into the sky, I followed suit, dreaming about the many possibilities awaiting my future.

★

The feeling of tires hitting the runway startled me awake. “We’re here!” As soon as they cleared the passengers to get up, I bolted outside with my bag slung over my shoulder and Shinx running at my side.

Leaving the airport, I stopped myself from wandering too far from the front doors. “Volt said that the Professor was sending one of his assistants. Keep a sharp eye out for some old guy in a lab coat.” Shinx stood on my head to get a better look. Soon enough, he tapped my head and pointed off to the side. “Lead the way.”

We met up with Professor Rowan’s assistant, some guy named Ian, and he drove us over to the lab. Its size startled me when I first stepped out of the car. “Wow! I bet there’s a lot of cool science stuff in there,” I said, following Ian inside.

“The Professor is still out running a few errands. He should be back in a bit,” Ian said. “I guess we’ve got to wait for the other Trainers anyways.”

“Other Trainers?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you didn’t know. You’re one of three beginning Trainers today.”

I got excited. “Three? Who are the others?”

“Don’t know. The Professor never gave me any details about them. He did mention that the Trainers will all be receiving a Pokémon in addition to a Pokédex.”

“You mean one of the starter Pokémon? Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup, right?”

He laughed. “I see you do your homework. New Trainers in the Sinnoh region come here to get a Pokédex and a Pokémon unless they already have one.” He pointed at Shinx. “They can choose from the three you mentioned: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup.”

“That’s so cool! Is there any chance I can see the Pokémon?”

“I see no trouble in that.” He paused when we heard the front doors open. “Oh, it looks like the second Trainer has just arrived.”

I turned around to find a boy with purple hair. He approached us, looking at Ian and bowing his head slightly. “Hello. The name’s Paul.”

“I’m Ian, one of Professor Rowan’s assistants. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine. I’m here to get a starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan.”

“Sorry to bring bad news, but Professor Rowan isn’t here right now. I know you’ve waited a long time for this day, but I hope you don’t mind waiting a bit longer.”

Paul stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. “Well, I guess I have no choice then, do I?”

Watching Ian walk away, I turned to Paul. “So, hey, I’ll bet you were so excited last night you couldn’t sleep a wink. I was the same way.”

He stared at me, confusion written all over his face. “Who are you?”

“I’m Rosa from Sunyshore City. It’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand.

It took a second, and then Paul laughed. “Sorry. I don’t shake hands with amateurs.”

Something snapped in the back of my mind. “What was that?”

“You heard me. You are a new Trainer, aren’t you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “And you aren’t?”

“Well, of course. I’m here to get a starter Pokémon, after all.”

“So what makes you different from me?”

 “I have potential, but when I look at you, I can’t say the same.”

“Hey! Who are you to tell me that?”

“Just a fellow Trainer from Veilstone City.” He looked at my Shinx also getting angry with him. “You see, you and your Pokémon have no skill whatsoever.”

My head exploded in a fit of rage. “Hey! You can make fun of me all you want but don’t you dare talk that way about my Pokémon!!”

He put his hand in my face. “Whoa! Just calm down, girlie.”

“Don’t call me girlie ! And I’ll show you I have some skills of my own!”

Paul grinned. “Are you challenging me to a battle?”

“You know it! As soon as you get your Pokémon.”

“Sounds convincing. Fine, you can battle me, as long as you know you’re going to lose.”

“In your dreams! My first battle is going to be my first win, you’ll see!”

“In that case, your opponent will need a Pokémon. Am I correct?” An older gentleman in a lab coat approached us. He had an intimidating expression, with a scruffy white mustache and hair. Ian stepped up behind him.

“Are you Professor Rowan?” Paul asked.

“Indeed, I am. I take it these kids are two of the new Trainers I’m to see today.”

“Right you are, sir. This is Rosa from Sunyshore City and Paul from Veilstone City. They arrived not too long ago,” Ian explained. “The third Trainer hasn’t shown up yet.”

“So it seems.”

“Does that mean we can’t get a Pokédex until they show up?” I asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Ian said. “Professor?”

He tapped a hand to his chin. “Well, the rule is I’m supposed to wait for all Trainers to be present, but it’s also not fair to you both if someone else forgot to set their alarm. And something tells me that there’s a battle that needs to begin soon.”

“You bet!” Paul and I shouted, glaring at each other.

“You snooze you lose,” I laughed. Paul nodded his head.

“Then let’s get started, shall we?” The Professor turned to his assistant. “Ian, please go and bring in the starters. I’d like to give Paul a chance to meet his future partner before picking it.”

“Yes, sir!” Ian replied and hurried off.

“And I’ll return in a moment with everything else.” He walked off in another direction.

“Oh, this is so exciting! New Pokémon!” I squeaked. Shinx nodded his head in agreement.

“I don’t know why you’re happy. I’m the one that’s getting a Pokémon,” Paul said.

“Well, one of us has to be excited and it’s clearly not you.” He grunted. “The thought of meeting new Pokémon is super thrilling to me, even if I don’t get to catch them.”

“Do you know what Pokémon they are?”

“Of course I do. There's Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. They're Grass, Fire, and Water-types, respectively. Do you have an idea which one you’re going to pick?”

“Not a clue. I just know I can’t pick the wrong one. That’s for sure.”

“And how exactly are you going to make sure you don’t pick the wrong one ?”

“Simple. They always give new Trainers their Pokédex before the Pokémon, right? I’ll just scan each one and pick a Pokémon based on what moves they know.”

“That sounds like a waste of time.”

He scowled. “How would you do it then?”

“Well first off don’t worry about picking the wrong one. There’s no such thing.”

“Yes, there is—”

I cut him off. “And second, you pick the one that appeals to you most.”

“You mean to follow your gut?”

“Sure, yeah.”

“What kind of method is that?”

“It’s called being a Trainer. The Pokémon you pick today will stay with you forever, so it’s important that you pick the one you’re able to stay with forever. Hence you go with your gut, and what your heart tells you to do, not your brain.”

We watched a door open. Ian walked out and gestured back at the door. “Ok, are you ready to meet them?”

I nodded back in excitement.

At his command, three little Pokémon sprinted up to us. The first looked like a green turtle with a brown shell and a leaf on its head, the second was an orange monkey with a tiny flame for a tail, and the third was a blue penguin with a cape on its back. “This is Turtwig the Grass-type, Chimchar the Fire-type, and Piplup the Water-type. While we wait for the professor to get back, you’re more than welcome to say hi.”

“They’re all so cute!”

“Definitely girlie,” Paul mumbled under his breath. I heard his comment, so I slammed my elbow into his stomach. “Ow!”

“Definitely rude!” I tried petting Turtwig, but it rejected my greeting. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you don’t like a nice head scratch?” When I scratched the top of its head, a smile fought its way onto its face. “See?” I pet Chimchar’s head with my other hand, who seemed like it would’ve rather gone and taken a nap than socialize. Noticing this, Turtwig slightly shoved Chimchar aside to get more attention. “You sure are a feisty one.”

Paul knelt down to pet Turtwig, surprising me.

Piplup pushed the others clear out of the way so it could get my full attention. “Clearly you are too.” It puffed out its chest, only to fall backward; it got back up very quickly. When I didn’t rub its head fast enough, Piplup grabbed my hand and placed it on its head. “And impatient.”

“Yeah, this is why I’m picking based on facts not bonds.”

“Are you sure that none of them appeal to you as of right now?”

“Not at all.” He kept quiet, though I caught him glancing at Turtwig more than the rest. I stayed silent about it.

Soon enough, Professor Rowan came back into the room. “I see you’ve all been acquainted, so now let’s move onto the fun stuff,” Rowan said. Ian gathered the three Pokémon and stood them up on a table side by side. “First, you both get a set of five Poké Balls, and your Pokédexes as well.”

“Here you are.” Ian held out a tray with ten Poké Balls and two Pokédexes.

Professor Rowan gestured to the Pokédexes. “You see, these will provide you with information about the various Pokémon you’re going to encounter while on your journeys. It’s a high-tech encyclopedia.” Someone painted my Pokédex a mix of light blue, black, and yellow, the colors of a Shinx. I giggled, thinking my brother must’ve been responsible. “And these are your Poké Balls, very useful items for carrying your Pokémon around in.”

“Thank you, sir!” I smiled as I tucked the items into my bag.

“Thank you very much!” Paul said, accepting a dark blue and grey Pokédex.

I gasped. “You have manners?”

He shot me a look. “What was that?”

Professor Rowan ignored our squabble. “And now, Paul, it’s time for you to choose your Pokémon.” We all turned to the three starters.

“Each one of them would be great to train, so it’s going to be one tough choice,” I said.

“Don’t forget I’m the one who gets to choose!” Paul snapped.

“Don’t worry. I know that, but if it was up to me, well, that’s a tough one.”

“Do you know which Pokémon you would like?” the Professor asked.

To my annoyance, Paul scanned the three Pokémon with his Pokédex, paying attention to their moves. When done, he put away his Pokédex. “Well, I’ve decided. I’m choosing Turtwig,” said Paul. Turtwig smirked, while Chimchar and Piplup both fell over in shock.

“Then here you go. You’ll need Turtwig’s Poké Ball.”

Paul accepted the Poké Ball and approached his new Pokémon. “Well, I know we just met each other so we can hardly say we’re friends, but I do want to get to know you better in order for both of us to become stronger. Would you like to come with me, Turtwig?” Turtwig nodded its head, letting itself into the Poké Ball.

“Well, you’ve got your Pokémon now,” I said.

Paul looked at me with a wide grin. “Still want to battle, huh?”

“I’m ready when you are. I’m going to become the Pokémon World Champion, and the way to do that is to beat Trainers like you!” Shinx jumped off my shoulder, fiercely staring at our opponent with determination in his eyes.

“Then it’s off to my backyard,” the Professor suggested.

★

We headed out to the grassy field behind the lab. Paul and I stood with a good thirty feet or so in between us, the standard length of a battlefield. To the left side, Ian stood. “I’ll be the referee for the match!” Ian announced.

I jumped up and down, thrilled to have my first battle. “Winning this will definitely be the kick start to my journey!” Shinx barked at me, pointing at my pocket. “Oh, right. Let’s try out this thing out.”

After a moment of holding the Pokédex in Shinx’s direction, the device automatically brought up a ton of data on him and his species. “ Shinx the Flash Pokémon. When Shinx flexes its muscles, it generates electricity. When sensing danger, its fur glistens. ”

“That’s so cool! You’re my first Pokémon and the first Pokémon in my Pokédex. We win this, and we’ll have our very first victory too.” Shinx nodded his head. However, I heard Paul snicker from across the field. “What’s so funny over there?”

“It’s just that you look so confident like you’re actually going to win,” Paul replied.

“It’s because I am going to win, even if I am at a disadvantage from the start!”

“We’ll see.”

Ian looked at both of us. “Are you two ready?”

“Yes!” We called back in unison.

“I’ll explain the rules then.” He cleared his throat. “The battle between Rosa and Paul will now begin. Both Trainers will use one Pokémon each, and the battle will be over when the Pokémon on either side is unable to continue. Begin!”

“Turtwig, stand by for battle!” Paul yelled as he threw the Poké Ball, and out came Turtwig.

I turned to my partner. “It’s showtime, Shinx! Let’s show him what we’re made of!” Shinx barked and leaped out in front of me, facing Turtwig.

“Rosa, since you’re going to lose, you can go first!”

“Wow, that’s so nice of you. Shinx use Tackle!” He raced towards Turtwig.

“Two can play at that game. Turtwig use Tackle!” Turtwig ran for Shinx. The two smashed into each other.

“While we’re stuck so close, Shinx use Bite!” Shinx made his two fangs glow.

“Turtwig use Withdraw!” Turtwig made its shell glow just as Shinx clamped down. He jumped back in pain.

I panicked over the state of my Pokémon. “Shinx!”

“Hit it with Razor Leaf!” Turtwig launched a barrage of sharp leaves, sending Shinx flying.

Shinx landed in front of me, looking hurt. “Oh no, Shinx! Are you alright?”

“Come on. That was easily! I expected a lot more than that.”

“Shinx, you’ve got to get up. Please!” He struggled to get back up.

“Turtwig, finish it with Tackle!” Turtwig charged.

“Please, Shinx! Get up!” I panicked more as Turtwig got closer. However, at the last second, Shinx popped onto his feet and jumped away, making Turtwig fly past him.

Shinx’s quick reaction time caught Paul by surprise. “No way! That was fast!”

“Good job! Now give them Spark!” Shinx surrounded himself in blue lightning and slammed into Turtwig, sending him flying back to his Trainer. “Awesome job!”

“You’re not going to win so easy. Razor Leaf!” Turtwig swung its head and fired Razor Leaf.

“Shock Wave!” Shinx growled and launched the blue lightning. Both attacks crashed into each other and caused a massive explosion. I braced myself to avoid getting blown off my feet.

When the explosion cleared, we found both Turtwig and Shinx lying on the ground clearly knocked out. “What?! Already?!” Paul and I screamed.

“Turtwig and Shinx are both unable to battle! This match is a draw!” Ian announced.

I walked over to Shinx and picked him up. “Thank you, Shinx. You did an awesome job, and to think that was your first battle. I’m so proud of you.” I touched my nose to him, making him purr.

Paul picked up his Turtwig. “That was good for a first battle. We’ll work on it.”

“Hey, thanks for the battle, Paul.” He didn’t say anything back, just stared at me. “What’s wrong?”

He scoffed. “Nothing. I just wish that battle ended differently.”

I grinned. “I guess you’re not as strong as you thought.”

“The same goes for you,” I made an irritated growl, “but, either way, don’t get used to our tie. We’ll battle again another day, probably the Pokémon League. Maybe sooner. I’m kind of looking forward to it.” He held out a hand.

Registering his words, I smiled and shook his hand. “Count on it, mister.”

“Professor, thanks for letting us battle here. I appreciate it.” Paul gave a bow to Professor Rowan.

“It was my pleasure,” replied Professor Rowan.

“Where are you heading to now, Paul?” Ian asked.

“The Kanto region.”

“Kanto?” I repeated. “You’re not traveling around the Sinnoh region first?”

“Nah. My brother is taking on one of the Kanto Frontier Brains and I’m gonna watch his battle. I figured afterward I’d start my journey there.” He looked over at me. “If you didn’t plan to go anywhere else, you should come. There’s a boat leaving the docks later today.”

I was shocked. “You want me to come?”

“Well, I would like to have another battle with you soon. Can’t do that so easily if you’re in another region, now can I?” He turned and walked away without another word, leaving me to my thoughts.

“One thing’s for sure. On a Pokémon journey, you meet all sorts of people, and Pokémon, so anything can happen.” I looked back at the Professor, who caught my confused expression. “My dear, you just made a rival, which is one of the many things that can happen on a journey. What do you think of it so far?”

It took me a second to respond. “It’s wonderful, sir! Better than I ever imagined.” I stared in the direction that Paul left. “And if going on a journey means meeting interesting people like him, I never want it to end.” Shinx agreed with a cry.

“Well then, young lady, where are you off to now?”

Without hesitation, “the Kanto region,” is what I blurted out.

The Professor nodded his head. “That’ll be a long haul, but definitely full of new experiences and discoveries worth every second. Plus lots of different people.”

I nodded my head back. “Oh, do you mind if I use your phone?”

I called Volt to give him an update. I talked about meeting Paul and Professor Rowan, having my very first Pokémon battle, and deciding to go to Kanto. He sounded totally bummed we wouldn’t be having a battle for a while, but seemed nonetheless happy for me and wished me the best of luck. In return, I told him he was the best big brother ever.

I stood outside the lab with Professor Rowan and Ian. Shinx sat on my head, feeling better after a short nap. “When you arrive in Kanto, I recommend heading over to Pallet Town before anything else. My colleague, Professor Oak, lives there. He’ll be able to give you some good advice about the region.”

My eyes popped out of their sockets. “You mean the Professor Oak? The famous creator of the Pokédex Professor Oak?!”

Professor Rowan chuckled. “That’s the one, and speaking of the Pokédex, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to update yours with information on Kanto Pokémon. Right now, it only contains data on species found in Sinnoh.”

I gasped and looked up. “Hear that, Shinx?! We get to meet Professor Oak! Isn’t that exciting?” He happily barked.

“Please say hello to Professor Oak for me as well, if you don’t mind.”

I grinned. “I have to go visit him now. Well, I better be off then!”

“Take care!” Both men waved me off. I waved back before racing into town.

Shinx and I easily found the ship to Kanto, the only vessel docked at Sandgem Pier. I booked a stateroom with a single bed and a private balcony, and we rushed to check it out. Shinx bounced on the bed while I collapsed on it, enjoying the soft sheets and pillows. Then I stepped out onto the balcony. Our room’s position provided a beautiful view of an orange sunset over crystal-clear water.

I loved feeling the wind through my hair. “This is the life.” Shinx climbed onto the railing beside me. “I’m glad I decided to go on a journey. Don’t you agree?” He nodded his head.

We stayed in our room until the ship finally set sail. After the captain gave a few words on our voyage, I felt ready to get up and do something. “Well, what should we do first? The time suggests dinner, or we could go see if Paul’s here.” An angry growl from Shinx’s stomach voted for food. I laughed at Shinx’s embarrassed face. “Something tells me the better option is food. So let’s go!”

Rooming on the lido deck, we simply headed down the hall to get to the dining area. For not a very big ship, Shinx and I found a few hundred people at least. Most looked like Trainers of varied experience levels, talking about all things Pokémon or showing off. Waiters bustled about serving food and drink. A band played live music on a stage. “Wow! It’s a Pokémon pool party out here,” I gasped.

Shinx asked where to go for food.

“Not sure. There are so many choices. I expected just a simple buffet, not the massive selection you’d get on a cruise. The ticket wasn't very expensive, so why does it seem like we booked a ticket to Hawaii?”

A voice said, “I’m pretty sure you didn’t if you ended up on this boat.” I turned to find Paul approaching us. His Turtwig sat on his shoulder. “Actually, I didn’t expect you to show up on this boat, Girlie.”

“It’s Paul.” I got furious. “And don’t call me that!”

“Whatever.” Turtwig and Shinx jumped onto the ground to greet each other. Paul shoved his hands into his pockets. “So, have you eaten?”

“We were actually on our way now, but then I got startled by the selection. Anything look good to you?”

“There’s a deli just past the buffet line. The sandwiches looked decent.”

I gestured. “Lead the way.”

Paul and I bought two turkey, bacon, and avocado sandwiches and found a table away from all the commotion. Shinx and Turtwig enjoyed the peace and quiet, but not so much sharing their dinner: a huge bowl of Oran, Sitrus, and Pecha Berries.

When Shinx pouted over having to share, I rubbed his head. “It’s just for today. Once we make it to Kanto, I’ll stock up on fresh supplies and work on a food recipe just for you. Sound good?” Shinx smiled and begrudgingly ate his meal alongside Turtwig.

“Mind if I ask something, Girlie?” Paul asked.

Picking off the onions from my sandwich, I flung a sliver at his face. “Only if you stop calling me that!”

He wiped at his face with a napkin. “Don’t throw onions. What are you, five?”

I gestured to the sandwich. “Duh. I’m picking the onions off. Have you ever heard of a child actually liking onions? They’re disgusting.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

Ignoring his disappointed scowl, I took a huge bite out of my sandwich. I chewed thoroughly and swallowed, and then said, “So, what did you want to ask me?”

“You said you were going to become the Pokémon World Champion. What is that?”

Hearing that, I grinned like a madman. “Oh, it’s something I made up myself. It’s the title beyond a Pokémon Regional Champion. You win it by defeating all current Champions in full six on six battles. If you defeat the strongest Trainers in all the regions, then, of course, you should be known as the strongest Trainer in the world, right? After all, I want to be...the very best!" I rose to my feet and cheered loudly, alongside Shinx. People nearby gave me funny looks.

“So you’ll be entering the Kanto League then, right?”

“Well, obviously, as in order to even have a shot at battling the Champions, I have to collect eight Gym Badges from every region." I sat back down. "What about you?”

He stared at his food. “I haven’t decided yet. I don’t even have a reason for going on a journey in the first place.”

“Well, there must be a reason. Maybe you just haven’t found it yet.”

He nodded his head. “Guess you’re right. Watching my brother battling tomorrow might just give me an answer.”

“All the more reason to get there faster.”

He finished his sandwich and stood up. “Well, I’ll be seeing you.”

“See ya, Paul.”

“Turtwig, let’s get going.” With that, Paul and his Pokémon disappeared for the rest of the night.

“He sure is interesting, don’t you think?” I stretched my arms and yawned. “Well, I guess we should get back to our room. We got a journey to plan.” Shinx jumped up and down excited for the adventures awaiting us in Kanto.

We retired to our room, discussing where to go in the morning. “Before anything, we have to pay a visit to Professor Oak in Pallet Town. He’s the creator of the Pokédex and one of the world’s top experts on Pokémon. At the very least, Professor Rowan said he should be able to update our Pokédex with information on Kanto Pokémon. No doubt he might provide us with other useful advice,” I said. Shinx nodded his head.

“After that, we start collecting Gym Badges right away. We're going to need a map of the region to figure out the closest Gym from Pallet Town. A local store should have some for sale, or maybe the Professor will have one. Does that sound good?” Shinx looked content with the plan.

When it was dark enough outside, I closed the curtains, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed with a bowl of popcorn and Shinx at my side. We stayed up watching recordings of Pokémon battles. The thrill of battle easily kept me awake, at least through the popcorn. Once I finished, I set the bowl aside and fell asleep in seconds.

Chapter Text

A foghorn blew, and you couldn’t get me out of bed faster. I jumped into my clothes, packed up, and raced out onto the main deck. The land spread out as far as the eye could see. “There it is, Shinx, the Kanto region! I don’t know about you, but I’m psyched.”

When the ship docked, we skipped off, unable to hold back our excitement. “Ok, it’s time to go see Professor Oak!” I needed to know where to go, so I asked a woman near the front gate. “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Pallet Town from here?”

“Ah, you must be going to see Professor Oak. Well, you’re in luck as it’s only a short walk from here. All you have to do is follow that path.” She pointed to a dirt trail heading away from the harbor. “You should be there in no time.”

“Thank you, ma'am!” I sprinted away.

★

Within no time at all, we came across the open fields of Pallet Town. “WOW!” We stood on a hill overlooking the quiet town. It was mostly trees, grass, and dirt trails with a few houses in between. It looked tranquil and peaceful. “Nothing like the hustle and bustle of Sunyshore. I love it!”

On the far side of town, we saw a big hill covered in trees with a stone pathway going up the side. A house with a massive wind turbine sat on top watching over the town. “That’s got to be Professor Oak’s lab. Let’s go!”

As we headed to the lab, we came upon a bit of a problem. Someone crashed into me. It felt like being hit by a train. I glared at the attacker: a boy my age with messy, black hair. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. “Hey, watch where you’re going, kid!” I growled at him.

“Sorry!” He quickly helped me onto my feet. “I'm kind of in a hurry so bye. Nice meeting you!” He ran off, calling back to me, “I really am sorry!” The kid quickly disappeared.

“Well, he was in a hurry. I wonder where he's going.” Shinx jumped on my shoulder and barked.

Getting to the lab, an enormous crowd gathered at the base of the steps leading up the hill. My natural curiosity got the better of me, so we asked the closest person. “What's going on?” I asked a girl about my age.

“A new guy’s starting his journey today. Oh, he's going to be such a strong Trainer, I know it. So cool and handsome! Look! There he is!” The girl’s voice spiked in volume to match the screams of her crazed friends.

A young boy stood on a red convertible, addressing his fan club. “Thank you! Thank you to everyone who came to witness such an extraordinary event! It’s a huge honor! I, Gary Oak, will promise to become a Pokémon Master and make Pallet Town known all around the world! Now with my new Pokémon,” he spun a Poké Ball in his hand, “I am off to learn the ways of a Pokémon Trainer!” A group of cheerleaders sang a quick cheer before Gary got in his car and drove away.

The crowd chased after Gary, leaving me in the dust, literally. I coughed to clear my throat. “Who the heck was that?”

A voice replied, “Gary Oak. Don’t ever trust anything he says. He’s a lying sack of—”

Recognizing the person, my eyes popped out of my head. “Hey, you’re that kid that ran into me!” There was no mistaking his spiky hair.

“Sorry, who?”

That didn’t sit well with me. “Do you not remember the girl you so rudely crashed into a few minutes ago? I’d be more than happy to remind you!” I lunged at him.

“Wait! Wait!” He raised his arms in defense, forcing me to stop. “I do remember. Yeah, I do. I apologized for that already, didn’t I? I’ll repeat it to be sure! Sorry!”

I crossed my arms and huffed. “Apology not accepted.”

“Well, that’s all you’re going to get. I don’t have time to talk right now. I have to go see—”

An old man approached us and said, “See who?”

“Oh, Professor Oak! I’m here for my Pokémon!” The boy smiled gleefully.

My eyes widened. “Professor Oak?” I gasped under my breath. It blew me away to be standing in the presence of one of the most accomplished Pokémon researchers in history.

“Your Pokémon?” asked Professor Oak to the boy.

He vigorously nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“You look like you’re ready for bed, not for Pokémon Training. I don’t think you’re going to train in your pajamas.”

My theory from earlier confirmed, I stifled a laugh. He shot a glare in my direction. “Uh, no, you don’t understand. I got mixed up this morning, and I was a little late, but believe me when I say: I’m ready for a Pokémon!”

“Ah, then you must be Ash.”

He replied with a very cheerful, “That’s me!”

“You are a little late, indeed.” Then the Professor looked at me. “And you must be Rosa, correct?”

That surprised me. “How’d you know?”

“Professor Rowan gave me a phone call just the other day and told me to be expecting you. He suggested giving you some useful info on the Kanto region and its Pokémon. I am more than happy to oblige.”

“Really? That’d be awesome, Professor. Thank you!”

“Let’s get going, then.” The Professor turned and started up the stairs to his lab.

Following behind him, Ash grabbed my attention. “Hey, uh, about earlier, I really am sorry for crashing into you. My alarm clock broke this morning, so I woke up late. I was in such a rush to get here that I wasn’t paying attention at all. Sorry.”

I gave a smile. “That’s alright. It’s not entirely your fault. I should’ve been paying attention too. I appreciate the apology though, and I’m sorry I nearly pummeled you earlier.”

“Friends, then?”

“Only if you tell me your name. A proper introduction never hurts.”

“I’m Ash.”

“My name’s Rosa.” Shinx barked at me. I laughed and picked him up. “Oh yeah, this is my partner, Shinx.”

“What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen one like that before.”

Shinx climbed onto my head to get a better look at Ash. “I'm not surprised. I don’t think you see a lot of them here in Kanto. We're both from Sunyshore City, in the Sinnoh region.”

“Sinnoh?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit far from Kanto, to the south, I think. I can’t imagine you’ve ever been there.”

“Sorry, I haven’t.”

“Well, I do recommend going one day. It’s a wonderful place to go with all sorts of awesome things to do and neat Pokémon. Of course, Shinx is the best of them all. You can pet him if you want.”

“Really?” Ash reached out to touch Shinx, but he snapped at Ash’s hand. “Hey, what was that for?”

“He must still be mad about you crashing into us.” I glared up at Shinx. “You should know better than to snap at people like that. Ash is our friend now. Be nice.” Shinx bowed his head in guilt. “Try it again.”

Ash reached out his hand again. “Hi, Shinx. I’m Ash Ketchum. I promise I won’t hurt you.” Despite some reluctance at first, Shinx melted into the palm of Ash’s hand. Then Shinx jumped onto Ash’s shoulder and nuzzled his furry head against his cheek. “That tickles.”

I laughed. “He likes you, Ash. You must be good with Pokémon.”

Professor Oak welcomed us into his home. The first floor contained the living quarters: a common room, a study, one or two bedrooms, and a kitchen. The Professor kept all his fancy tech upstairs on the research floor. The heart of the laboratory, the second floor included several machines and equipment used for the Professor’s research. Windows sat on the far wall with an inner balcony providing a magnificent view of the fields surrounding the lab.

According to Professor Oak, those fields are together called the Oak Corral, a natural environment he created for Pokémon development and research. All sorts of different species live on those fields, giving him the unique opportunity to study natural Pokémon behavior up close.

Professor Oak asked to see my Pokédex, offering to update it. He went off to do that and also make some preparations for Ash to start his journey. While he did, Ash, Shinx, and I waited around together. I told him about just starting the day before, and about my first Pokémon battle ending in a tie.

The three of us went out onto the balcony to get a look at the Oak Corral. Shinx and I saw all sorts of Pokémon we’d never seen before, piquing my curiosity to the point where I could hardly contain my excitement. I desperately wanted Professor Oak to finish so I could head out as soon as possible.

Ash and I discussed starter Pokémon as well. The three Pokémon you can get in Kanto are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, and Ash would be picking one of them. “And are those Pokémon the traditional Grass-type, Fire-type, and Water-type, in that order?” I asked.

He nodded. “That’s right. I’m guessing it’s like that back in your region?”

“Yeah.” I glanced over at Shinx. “And if it’s that way for two regions, it must be the same for all other regions too.”

“Speaking of tradition,” I looked back at him, “I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but Shinx isn’t a usual starter, right? He’s not either of the three types. How’d you start your journey with him?”

Turning to my beloved Pokémon, I answered, “Shinx is my best friend.”

Ash seemed a little baffled by my response. “Your best friend?”

“My brother gave him to me for my fifth birthday. We’re inseparable. We get along so well, and we do everything together. The moment I decided to become a Pokémon Trainer, my first Pokémon had already been decided for me.” Shinx licked my face and bumped his forehead into my chin. “It’s true that Trainers starting their journeys with Pokémon aside from the standard three is a bit strange, but I never cared about that. I only cared about accomplishing my dreams with my best friend in the whole world.”

After a moment, Ash said, “That’s pretty amazing of you, Rosa, picking your friend over what anyone else might think. You two really seem like a great team.”

I fought back a blush. “Thanks, Ash...”

Professor Oak stepped over to us. “You’ll find that the most important thing for a Pokémon and Trainer is how much they care about each other. If you remember that, there’s no doubt you’ll grow stronger.”

We nodded our heads.

“So can I pick my Pokémon now?” Ash asked.

“Right over here.” He showed us a table with three Poké Balls.

Ash looked super psyched. He reached for a Poké Ball with a water drop on the front. “I thought about it a lot, and it took me a long time, but I finally decided who to choose as my Pokémon. Squirtle!” He opened the Poké Ball.

“It’s...empty?” I muttered.

“Already taken by someone who was on time,” said the Professor, folding his arms.

Ash grabbed a second Poké Ball, one with a leaf symbol. “I wish I hadn’t overslept, but now I will choose as my Pokémon: Bulbasaur.”

Professor Oak rubbed his chin. “That one was also taken by a kid who wasn’t late.”

Though very disappointed, Ash’s optimism never wavered. “Well, that’s no problem because my Pokémon will be Charmander.” The last Poké Ball had a flame symbol, and again, it was empty!

“The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, the Pokémon.”

Ash looked so heartbroken. “Does this mean all the Pokémon are gone?”

“Well, there is still one more left but I—”

“Professor, I’ll take it!”

Reluctantly, Professor Oak pressed a button. A fourth Poké Ball rolled onto the table. It had an exciting symbol on the front. “A lightning symbol? An Electric-type?!” I gasped, resisting the urge to open the Poké Ball and see for myself.

“I have to warn you. There is a problem with this last one,” said the Professor.

“I have to have a Pokémon!” Ash replied.

“Well, in that case…” He handed the Poké Ball over to Ash.

The Poké Ball opened and from it emerged a small yellow mouse Pokémon. My eyes lit up in excitement. “It’s a Pikachu!” I smiled.

“Correct,” Professor Oak said.

“It’s so cute! It’s the best of all,” Ash said.

“You’ll see,” muttered the Professor.

Ash picked up Pikachu. “Hi, Pikachu!” He hugged the Pokémon. It shocked him.

“It’s also known as the Electric Mouse Pokémon. It’s usually shy but can sometimes have an electrifying personality.”

Pikachu finally stopped zapping its Trainer, who coughed out, “I see what you mean…”

“Shocking, isn’t it?” Then Professor Oak pulled out a handful of Poké Balls and a Pokédex, which looked a bit different from mine. “Now take these, your Pokédex and Poké Balls.”

“Thank—” Pikachu started shocking Ash again, and this time it zapped Professor Oak too. “YOU!”

“YOU’RE WELCOME!!”

“That’s an Electric-type,” I grinned. Shinx nodded his head.

Pikachu finished its attack and looked over at Shinx. The two greeted each other.

Professor Oak also returned my Pokédex. “Rosa, I believe this is yours. It now contains information on all the Pokémon found in Kanto that it didn’t contain before.”

To test, I pointed the Pokédex at Pikachu. “ Pikachu the Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in its cheeks. It raises its tail to sense its surroundings, and sometimes gets struck by lightning while doing so. ”

“Thank you so much, Professor!” The Pokédex claimed its permanent spot in my jacket pocket.

We all exited the lab, going down the long flight of stairs to the front gate. Pikachu zapped Ash a few times along the way. At the bottom, we found a small group of supporters with banners wishing Ash luck on his journey. Despite not containing nearly as many fans as Gary’s cheer squad, it still impressed me that Ash drew this big a crowd.

A lady stood at the front with a tearful smile. “Mom!” Ash gasped in surprise.

She approached us. “Oh, Ash, I’m so proud of you. You’re finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokémon training, but I’m going to miss you so very much. Oh, my little boy!”

“How nice,” I jokingly whispered to Shinx.

Then Ash’s mother opened the green bag in her arms and unloaded tons of stuff into her son’s arms. “I packed your sneakers and jeans, nice clean shirts and underwear, and your favorite snacks and some hot chocolate in case you want something hot, but be careful not to burn yourself! There are some rubber gloves to do your laundry, a new clothesline to hang it up to dry, and…”

Ash must’ve heard me laughing because he quickly snatched the backpack away from his mother. “Mom, you’re embarrassing me in front of all these people here. Don’t you know I’m a big kid now? Pokémon Trainers can take care of themselves, you know.”

“I understand.” She then looked down at Shinx. “Is that your Pokémon?”

“Oh, no, that’s not my Pokémon. That’s Shinx, who belongs to Rosa.” He pointed at me.

I waved. “Hi, Mrs. Ketchum. I’m Rosa. I just met Ash earlier today. It’s nice to meet you.”

She smiled and clapped her hands together. “Oh, it’s wonderful to meet you too. I can see you’re already making friends, Ash. Are you a new Pokémon Trainer, too, dear?”

“That’s right.”

“Well then please try to help my son as best you can. He needs a lot of help when it comes to laundry, and I don’t want—”

“Mom! That’s enough!” Ash yelled. I held my stomach in laughter.

“Oh, sorry. Then that one must be your Pokémon.” She looked at Pikachu.

“Yep, that’s my Pokémon.” Pikachu saw Ash’s gaze and turned away. “Well, with Pikachu at my side, I’ll get all the Pokémon in the world.”

“I thought all Pokémon stayed inside their Poké Balls. Why doesn’t this one?”

“Oh yeah,” Ash said. He grabbed Pikachu’s Poké Ball. “Pikachu, get in the ball now.” He threw the ball, but Pikachu hit it back with its tail. Looking surprised, he tried again; Pikachu kept hitting the ball back with its tail.

“Oh, you’re playing catch! You’re friends already!” said Mrs. Ketchum.

“Uh, sure.” Ash picked up Pikachu. “Pikachu and I are real pals. Aren’t we?"

“But, it’s a little weird.”

“Weird?” Pikachu got annoyed. I stood back and watched Pikachu zap the entire crowd.

“Those rubber gloves your mom packed will come in handy!” I warned.

“WHY?!” Ash screamed.

“Rubber blocks electricity!”

“GREAT!” Pikachu stopped attacking, and everyone collapsed on the ground.

Mrs. Ketchum coughed out, “Don’t forget to change your underwear every single day.”

Ash hid his embarrassed face while Pikachu smiled.

After that ordeal, Mrs. Ketchum and her crew all went home. Ash wanted to follow her, needing to get back to his house and make sure not to forget anything important. “Like changing out of your pajamas?” I teased.

“Yes, like that,” he admitted with a shameful grin. “Are you heading out?”

“Yeah. I want to start my Pokémon training right away.”

“Well, I’ll see you soon then, I’m sure.”

“Definitely, and next time we meet, what do you say to a battle? Shinx against Pikachu?”

Ash burst with a level of confidence I’ve never seen in anyone. “Count on it.”

I shook his hand. After Shinx did the same with Pikachu, I looked at him. “That means we’ve got to start training, Shinx. Let’s go!” We waved to Ash and his Pokémon before going our separate ways.

We left town, passing a small signpost along the dirt trail:

← Route 1 || Pallet Town →

“Route 1, huh? Hopefully, it’s not too far to the next town,” I said, looking up ahead. We couldn’t see a city on the horizon, just trees and more trees.

Shinx howled at me, suggesting that we go back, find a store, and get a map.

I shook my head. “That’d take too long to go back, and what if they didn’t have one? I suppose asking Professor Oak is an option, but then I’d be causing him too much trouble. I’m sure we just have to get through that forest.” I pointed at the trees up ahead. “So we’re fine. Just relax.”

My Pokémon didn’t seem very relaxed.

“Oh, quit worrying. We don’t have time for it. Besides, isn’t this super exciting? Venturing into the wilderness, and feeling the air in your fur like that?” I paused to let the breeze play with my hair. “I’m so glad I decided to become a Pokémon Trainer.”

Shinx nodded, marching ahead to be the leader of our two-man troupe.

Feeling the wind pick up for a moment, I looked at the sky. Grey clouds slowly rolled in over our heads. “Hmm. Hopefully, it won’t storm too bad before we reach the next town.” I considered recalling Shinx to his Poké Ball. Replaying Mrs. Ketchum’s words in my head, it became a sure thing.

“You know, Shinx, you should probably go into your Poké Ball to rest. It looks like a long walk, and it’ll suck if it gets all muddy from the rain. I’ll call you out when I’ve found a Pokémon to battle.” I held out his Poké Ball.

Shinx glared at the ball and angrily shook his head.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to relax for a bit?” He shook his head again. “Is something wrong with the Poké Ball? I mean, all Pokémon are supposed to stay inside their Poké Balls, aren’t they? Even the Pokédex says so.”

I took out my Pokédex and asked about Poké Balls. “ While being trained, a Pokémon usually stays inside its Poké Ball. ”

“You see?” Shinx jumped up and pressed a button.

The Pokédex continued, “ However, there are exceptions. Some Pokémon hate being confined. ”

“Just like Ash’s Pikachu. Well, okay. You win this one.” Shinx barked happily. “I do have one rule, though. If we ever get in a dangerous situation, and I tell you to get inside, you’re not allowed to refuse. Deal?” Hesitantly, he nodded.

Suddenly, a small bird jumped out in our path. I recognized it as one of the Pokémon living at Professor Oak’s lab. “A Pidgey right off the bat? It’s our lucky day, Shinx.”

The Pidgey didn’t seem to notice us. It pecked at the ground searching for a snack.

“Shinx, go get it!” Shinx growled and prepared to fight. “Tackle!” Shinx dashed forward.

Alarmed by my shout, Pidgey lifted into the air and flapped its wings to create a gust of wind. The small twister immobilized Shinx. “Hold on, Shinx! Go, Poké Ball!” I chucked an empty Poké Ball. Pidgey quickly dodged the toss and flew away.

Reclaiming my empty Poké Ball, I fell down beside Shinx. We checked the Pokédex for information on Pidgey. “ Pidgey the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Among all flying Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. It’s a perfect target for the beginning Pokémon Trainer to test her Pokémon’s skills. ”

Shinx and I both sighed. “I wish this beginning Trainer caught it…”

A purple rat suddenly emerged from a patch of grass nearby. Also recognizing it from the Oak Corral, I rose to my feet. “We’ll get it this time! Shinx use Shock Wave!” Shinx jumped into the air and blasted the other Pokémon with a jolt of blue electricity. It fell down and struggled to get back up. “Tackle!” Shinx launched himself at Rattata.

The rodent leaped out of the way of Shinx’s attack just in time. I prepared to deal with the dodge, throwing a Poké Ball just after it jumped. “You’re not getting away!” My Poké Ball sucked the rat inside.

Racing over, the Poké Ball shook twice. I crossed my fingers praying for a successful catch. Unfortunately, Rattata burst out of the ball. It kicked up sand in our faces to blind Shinx and then made its escape.

I rushed to Shinx’s side, using my sleeve to clear away the sand in his eyes. “This should help. There. You can open your eyes now.” He slowly cracked them open and then made an irritated cry. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s not our lucky day…”

Shinx pawed my side. He pointed his tail at a small hill nearby. Bird feathers stuck out of the grass, probably someone else looking for a snack. “I wonder if that’s Pidgey? Dex?”

My Pokédex replied, “ No Pokémon found. ”

“Is the grass blocking it, or is it maybe too far? Well, Pidgey or not, we’ll catch it anyways. Shinx use Swift!” Shinx lit up his tail and spun his body in a circle, launching a barrage of gold stars. The attack made a direct hit, but the attacked Pokémon turned out to definitely not be a Pidgey. It glared over at us, a bump appearing on its head. “What’s that?”

My Pokédex answered, “ Spearow. It has a terrible attitude, unlike Pidgey. It is very wild and will sometimes attack other Pokémon and humans. ”

Suddenly, Spearow swooped down and tried hitting Shinx with Peck. He narrowly dodged. “Swift, once more!” Shinx launched another set of gold stars.

Spearow spun around and flapped its wings to create a strong gust of wind. The stars got blown right back in Shinx’s face, dealing plenty of damage. Spearow finished him off by pecking him multiple times. After Shinx got thrown into my arms, making me fall over, the wild Pokémon flew away.

I pouted. “Man, this is so much harder than I thought. No way are we going to catch any new Pokémon if this keeps up.”

Shinx crawled out of my lap. Then, he yelled at me and insisted on not giving up.

“He’s right, you know,” said a voice.

Jumping out of my skin, I sprung onto my feet. We found a boy standing behind us with black hair, glasses, and an apron. He seemed about as old as my brother. “Where the heck did you come from?!”

The boy grinned and rubbed his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I just saw you trying to catch Pokémon and thought you might be a new Trainer.”

I whispered to my Pokémon, “Is it that obvious?” Shinx nodded. I looked back at the newcomer and scowled. “Just how long have you been standing there anyway?”

“Since you tried catching that Pidgey.”

“That’s a long time.” Getting defensive, my glare intensified. “You some kind of creep or something?”

He nervously waved his hands. “What? No, I’m not creeping or anything, I promise. I was just on my way to Pallet Town. Look.” He retrieved a small package from his satchel. “I’m delivering this. I work at the Poké Mart in Viridian City.”

My ears perked up. “Does that mean Viridian City isn’t too far?!”

“Just a walk past those trees.” He pointed behind him. Then, his face grew a smile, and he bowed slightly in my direction. “I should introduce myself. My name’s R—” He suddenly paused.

The way he froze earned a funny look from me. “Something wrong?” I asked.

After a second, the boy cleared his throat and nervously adjusted his glasses. “Uh, you can just call me Green.”

“Green,” I repeated. A giggle escaped my lips. “That’s a funny name.”

Green seemed a little hurt. “What? What’s wrong with my name?”

I waved a hand. “Oh. Nothing’s wrong with it. You just never hear people being named colors these days. Actually, I’ve only ever known one other person with a color name. It’s unique.”

Grumbling, he folded his arms. “Unique in a good or bad way?”

I shook my head. “A good way.”

“Yeah, right.” He cleared his throat again. “Anyways, I noticed your unsuccessful attempts to catch Pokémon. Sorry to be blunt, but from the beginning, I could tell that you don’t have much experience yet. You and your Pokémon weren’t in sync.”

“Not in sync? That’s ridiculous! Shinx and I are the best team ever! Right, pal?” Shinx agreed with a loud bark.

Green knelt down, motioning for Shinx to approach with an outstretched hand. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.” The blue cub hesitantly stepped forward. He sniffed the boy’s hand once before melting into his palm, earning his favorite scratch behind the ears.

My eyes popped out of their sockets. No way! That fast?! It made me give the boy a curious look. Does Shinx know him from somewhere?

“Tell me something,” Green said softly. “Have you had a battle yet with Shinx?”

“What? Oh. Yeah, just one though.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to battle you.” He retrieved a Poké Ball from his pocket and showed it to me. “A one-on-one?”

Surprised, I gazed at him. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I’m a Pokémon Trainer too, and I want to see what you two can do. Don’t worry. I’m not that good.”

Exchanging looks with my Pokémon, I confidently smirked and nodded. “Okay. We accept your challenge—”

“But first!” Green barked, startling me. “You never told me your name.”

“Oh. It’s Rosa. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. Now…” He took several steps backward and then tossed the ball into the air. “Shall we begin?” A Bulbasaur appeared on the grass before him. The Pokémon yawned and stretched its legs.

Remembering what Ash told me, discouraging thoughts swarmed my mind. “This’ll be tough. Grass Pokémon are resistant to electric-type attacks,” I muttered. Shinx worried over the same problem.

“You can have the first attack, Rosa!”

“So then we just won’t use any! Start with Swift!” Shinx jumped and launched the attack from his tail.

To my surprise, Bulbasaur dodged the attack without a command. “Tackle!” Bulbasaur raced for Shinx.

My Pokémon looked to me for an order. “Forget what I said! Shock Wave!” Shinx jumped into the air again and shot blue lightning at Bulbasaur. It dodged again.

Green smirked. “I’m afraid that’s a miss!”

I focused on Shinx. “Calm down! Take your time!” Before he could react, Bulbasaur suddenly crashed into my Pokémon with its hard head. Shinx fell back on the ground and quickly got back to his feet. “Spark!” Covering his body in electricity, Shinx charged at his opponent. Bulbasaur jumped to the side, letting Shinx run right past him. “Spark once more!”

“Tackle!” Bulbasaur flung its body into Shinx, sending him flying again.

“What’s the matter? Use Swift!” Shinx struggled to get back up. “Get up! Hurry!”

Green didn’t seem the type to give us a chance to attack. “Razor Leaf!”

Shinx launched Swift too. Unfortunately, the stars got easily overpowered by Bulbasaur’s leaves, resulting in a powerful hit to Shinx’s face. I only got more frustrated. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Is that all you got? Razor Leaf again!” Bulbasaur fired another barrage of leaves.

Shinx dodged and backed off from his opponent. “Don’t just run away! Come on and use Swift!” Before he had a chance to attack, its opponent fired one final Razor Leaf. While distracted, Shinx got hit with a Tackle attack and pinned to the ground. “Ah! Shinx!”

“That’s good enough, Bulbasaur!” Green suddenly called. Bulbasaur listened to its trainer and backed off.

I rushed over and cradled Shinx in my arms. “Shinx, are you okay?” He nodded.

With the battle resulting in a win for Green, he knelt down beside Bulbasaur and pet its head. “Great work. Thank you.” It happily cried back.

“Not that good, huh?” I grumbled.

“Not really. I just caught this Bulbasaur in Viridian Forest.”

“And I’ve had Shinx since I was five, so that battle should’ve been mine.”

“Except that I won. Clearly, something’s off if a newbie by myself just won a battle against a veteran like you.”

“Well, I never said veteran, so…”

“Rosa, here’s a question. Do you understand your Pokémon?”

“Understand my Pokémon?”

“Do you understand their type and characteristics? Understanding Pokémon is the first step to getting in sync with them. I mentioned earlier about you and Shinx not being in sync.”

“Yeah, so? What’s your point?”

“Pokémon respond quickly to their Trainer’s instructions and use their own judgment because of their strong connections. Pokémon battle well when they clearly recognize and trust their Trainer’s power.”

“Their Trainer’s power?”

“Pokémon won’t connect with Trainers who don’t have any. The strength of a Pokémon is proportionate to a Trainer’s power.”

“You saying I don’t have any strength? I assure you I have plenty!”

“I’m not the one that needs to see your strength, because I wasn’t your partner in the battle you just lost.” He nodded towards the fluffy creature cradled in my arms.

I looked down at Shinx. “Your strength… is proportionate… to my power?”

“And if you don’t have any…” Green continued. “Then victories in battle won’t come very easy. You can forget catching another Pokémon, or any goals you have in mind. I’m sorry, but it’s the harsh reality of being a Pokémon Trainer.”

Pondering his words, my head slumped forward. Shinx pawed my face.

“Well, thanks for the battle.” He recalled his Bulbasaur. “Excuse me.” He turned to walk away.

Before he got too far, I roared at him: “You’re right!”

Green stopped walking.

“I don’t have any power. None at all.” Setting Shinx on the ground, I rose up and turned towards the boy. “That’s why I have Pokémon! They give me power. Shinx gives me power! The power to believe in myself, my skills, my goals. My power comes from them. I’m nothing without my Pokémon!”

My eyes burned holes into his back. For a while, Green stood still, absorbing my words.

Finally, Green turned to face me. “Can I ask something else?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Why are you here? Why are you here as a Pokémon Trainer?”

Thunder cracked over our heads. Cue the dramatic effects, I guess…

“To get stronger!” I replied without a moment of hesitation.

Both Shinx and Green gazed at me even as rain poured down from above.

“I will get stronger, and I will do it all with Shinx as my partner!” When I gestured to my beloved Pokémon, he faced Green and barked loudly, supporting my claim. “My goal is to become stronger, and become the Pokémon World Champion! That way, nobody will ever call us powerless again. And that way…”

Rain poured down my face. When the lightning flashed around us, memories of that day also flashed before my eyes. The raindrops masked the ensuing tears that traced my cheekbones. Seeing those images replay in my head made my hands ball up into fists.

A low growl escaped my lips. “...And that way, I will never be like that again!”

After a moment, a hand reached out to pat my shoulder. I looked up and gazed into two beautiful brown orbs. “That’s good,” he muttered with a smile. “You have something you want to accomplish, and it’s at the forefront of your mind. Clearly you’re ready to do whatever it takes to see that goal met. I like that about you, Rosa.”

I grinned. “Like I said, it’s not me that should be commended.” My head dropped down to look at Shinx again. “I trust my Pokémon, and he trusts me. That trust provides limitless power, enough to accomplish whatever we do together. Shinx, you do trust me, right?”

His yellow eyes locked with mine. Then, he bounced back a step, barked as loud as he could, and shot off a massive bolt of lightning into the sky. It was far more powerful than any attack he’d ever conjured before, illuminating the immediate area.

Perched above our head, the thunderstorm absorbed the attack. It responded with a loud sequence of cracks and booms, before falling to silence again.

Green laughed. “From the looks of it, you two must love thunderstorms.”

I responded with my own laughter. “Oh yeah. Bursts of electricity shooting down from the sky. The continuous drum roll above the clouds. Buckets and buckets of rain. What’s not to love?” Shinx replied by hiding underneath my legs, using me as an umbrella. “Well, he’s not a huge fan of the rain, but still.”

“You must be a fan of electric-types then, huh, Rosa?”

“What gave me away?”

“You know, you remind me of my sister.”

Flattered with the comment, I blushed. “Really?”

“She loves thunderstorms too, and electric-type Pokémon. She’s about your age too.”

“Well, I’d love to meet her someday—Ah!”

Suddenly, a bird Pokémon swooped down and tried hitting Shinx with Peck. It missed when he jumped off my head; instead, the Pokémon’s sharp beak hit me. When it got clear of my head, Shinx angrily launched a Shock Wave attack at it.

“What was that for?!” I angrily shouted, rubbing my head with one hand.

The black and brown bird cawed back as it made a u-turn.

“A Spearow?” Green said.

“It’s probably the same one I tried to catch. Did you change your mind?” I called out to the bird, reaching for a Poké Ball.

After Spearow landed in the dirt, it turned its head and let out an ear-splitting cry. Off in the distance, a gigantic flock of birds emerged from the trees. Nervous chills went up and down my spine. “Please tell me I’m seeing things,” I squeaked, noticing Shinx start to back away.

“Nope. That must be this guy’s flock,” Green replied. I heard him gulp.

My eyebrow raised. “But, why are they all attacking us?”

“Well, Spearow aren’t the friendliest of Pokémon to begin with, but that flock in particular is pretty nasty. They like to cause trouble around here for new Trainers and their Pokémon. I’ll bet Spearow didn’t like you mouthing off to it.”

My neck snapped when I looked back to Spearow. “Aw! Did you get your little feelings hurt? Well, maybe you shouldn’t go jabbing people in the head!”

A vein bulging on its forehead, Spearow lifted into the air as its flock approached.

I felt challenged. “Yeah? Think your friends will help you take us out? Think again! Come on, Shinx! Let’s show these punks who they’re messing with!”

Shinx jumped onto my shoulder and barked in agreement.

Green quickly grabbed my arm. “Wait! You’re going to take on the entire flock?!” he shouted, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Of course. What else did you plan on?”

“I don’t know. Running away?!”

I ripped my arm away from him. “No, it’s better to stay here and fight!”

“You’re insane, Rosa!”

Ignoring him, I glared at the Spearow beginning to surround us. My arms stretched out wide with Shinx perched on my shoulder. The flock of birds scowled at me prepared for a vicious fight. “Alright, you! I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with! I’m Rosa from Sunyshore City, and I’m going to become the first ever World Champion Pokémon Master! Mess with me, or Shinx, and you’re going to lose! Together, we’re going to catch all of you Pokémon at once!”

The Spearow got angry and cawed loudly.

“Ready to attack, Shinx?”

He nodded his head.

“Then hit us with your best shot, punks!”

The Spearow flew quick circles above our heads before diving straight at us. We stood our ground as thousands of angry Pokémon came charging at us with the intent to do some severe damage.

Time slowed down for a moment.

My leg felt a light tap, followed by one on my back, then my shoulder. A flash of yellow and red went past my ear, leaving me frozen in place. A lightning bolt then struck down from the sky, scoring a direct hit on the yellow creature. It retaliated with an electric attack far stronger than the original. The resulting explosion knocked me off my feet.

★

When I came to my senses, the sun had started to set. Clouds rolled away to make room for the last bits of sunlight, though the smell of rain still filled my nose.

Opening my eyes, two bright eyes peered back. “Shinx?” my voice cracked.

He cried out and licked my face.

“What… happened? There… was an explosion. Wasn’t there?”

He barked.

I slowly sat myself up. “But man, that was some blast. Are you okay?”

He nodded and then nuzzled my cheek.

Relieved, I smiled and scratched his head. “Good. I’m glad. But…” Holding Shinx in my lap, I gazed around for any sign of another person. “Where’d Green go? And that yellow creature? It wore something red on it. Did you see it?”

Frowning, Shinx mewled and admitted he had no idea. He couldn’t remember anything between the Spearow charging us and the explosion before it knocked us out.

“Oh boy. Let’s get you to a Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. I want to make sure that explosion didn’t hurt you too badly.” He agreed with another nod. “But seriously, where’d that boy go anyway?”

Suddenly, Shinx barked, his head pointing up.

When my gaze turned towards the sky, a shimmering golden Pokémon flew overhead towards a rainbow. Every flap of its wings sent a pinch of glitter into the air. My jaw smacked into the ground. “What’s that?”

My Pokédex answered, “ There is no data. There are still Pokémon that have yet to be identified. ”

Watching the mysterious Pokémon, we spotted a small feather fall after another great big flap of its wings. It floated down to us, landing in my hands. Colored like a rainbow, it glowed when touched. I stared at it, and then back at the Pokémon. It crossed the bright rainbow before disappearing, and with it, the light from the feather quickly faded.

“Hey, Shinx, someday we’ll meet that Pokémon.” He climbed onto my shoulder and barked. “And someday, we’ll meet Green again too.”

Shinx asked what made me so sure.

“I can’t explain it, but I feel like I know him. And that yellow creature… the flash of red with it… now that I think about it, it kind of resembled a hat.”

Confused, Shinx cocked his head.

I laughed. “Maybe I should get myself checked out too.”

Very weak and tired, I struggled to my feet. Following the rainbow with our eyes, we spotted a city near the end of it. “Hey! That must be Viridian City! We made it!”

Shinx cheered before collapsing in my arms.

"Let's not push it until we get there, okay?" He agreed. I made sure nothing had fallen from my pockets and headed off. In the distance, a man in a red cap watched us continue on our way, removing his fake glasses to clear the water from the lenses. He had a smile on his face, and a Pikachu on his shoulder.

Chapter Text

By sunset, we made it to Viridian City. It felt much more alive than Pallet Town, lots of people and bright lights everywhere. I liked it, and so did Shinx. “This is pretty cool. A lot different than Sunyshore City.

“Now let’s see. Any idea where the Pokémon Center might be?” Shinx pointed to the left of us, spotting a large red circle sitting atop a semi-dome building with stairs leading up to it. I saw a white P on the dome. “Good eye, buddy!” We raced there.

Stepping into the Pokémon Center lobby, we came upon a ton of trainers and their many different Pokémon. We were in awe. “Wow! It’s so much bigger than Volt made it sound!”

I gazed around, getting myself accustomed to the relaxing atmosphere of a Pokémon Center. “He told me all about these. He said that Pokémon Centers are gathering places, where trainers use them to rest between activities, share information, make calls or send packages, and lots more. They always have a lobby like this with TVs so trainers can watch their favorite channels, and the front desk is run by a nurse who’ll treat injured Pokémon. There’s a cafeteria for eating and cooking, and plenty of rooms for spending the night.”

Admiring the building, I stepped over to the front desk. “First thing’s first we should have someone heal you up. We can explore the town after, but I think it’s too late to continue onto Viridian Forest. We can get a room for the night. I’m sure you wouldn’t disagree with a nice warm bed.” Shinx barked.

A lady with curly pink hair greeted us. “Hello there, and welcome to the Pokémon Center.” She wore a pink and white nurse’s outfit.

“Are you Nurse Joy?”

“Why, yes.” She giggled a little. “You must be a new Trainer, going by your expression.”

“I am. Can you heal my Pokémon, please?”

“I’d love to! Here.” She placed a small tray on the counter. “Just place your Poké Balls onto this tray.”

“Right. Shinx, you’ve got to go inside now.”

Shinx didn’t look too happy about that.

“I know you don’t like it, but it’ll just be for a bit while you get all healed up. I’ll call you back out as soon as you’re all done. I promise.” He sighed and went inside, where I pushed the tray back to Nurse Joy. “Please take good care of him.”

“We will. He should be back out within the hour.” She handed the tray to a big pink Pokémon wearing a matching nurse’s hat. It walked through some doors behind the counter.

I took my Pokédex out. “ Chansey the Egg Pokémon. Chansey is a kind Pokémon who shares its egg with those who are sick or injured. ”

“So that’s a Chansey. It’s pretty cute.”

A voice startled me, “Is that all you care about when it comes to Pokémon?!”

Startled, I looked back to find a familiar head of purple hair. “Oh, Paul, it’s you!”

“You can’t get much more pathetic than calling every single Pokémon you meet cute.”

“Who are you to say what I think about Pokémon?” He just ignored me.

He walked past me, up to Nurse Joy. “May I have my Pokémon healed, please?” He went through the same process, setting his Poké Balls on a tray for Nurse Joy to hand back to a Chansey.

Forgetting his rude attitude, I became heavily interested in his new Pokémon, considering he had more than I did. “I see you’ve got some additions to your team. What’d you catch?”

“That’s none of your business.” He walked off.

“Hey!” I ran after him.

Paul grabbed a soda from a vending machine and sat down.

I stood in front of him, hands on my hips, to make sure he didn’t ignore me. “Maybe it isn’t none of my business, but if you have some Pokémon that I might want to catch, I want to know where to find them.”

He didn’t even look at me. “How about this? What Pokémon do you have?”

I stuttered. “Wh… Why do you care?”

“For the same reasons as you.”

Turning away from him, I replied, “Well you see, uh, let’s see. I have Shinx and…”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have any new Pokémon, do you?”

“It’s not my fault! I was in the middle of catching a Pidgey when this flock of Spearow attacked us out of nowhere! I almost caught it...”

“Why am I not surprised? It takes a little while for any rookie Trainer to find and catch their first few Pokémon. You’re no different.”

“And you are?”

“Of course.”

Nearly lashing out, I instead crossed my arms and sat down across from him. “But I did get to see a rare flying Pokémon earlier today,” I huffed.

“A rare flying Pokémon? What did it look like?”

“Well, that’s kind of hard to explain now that you mention it. We stood pretty far away. It looked like a huge golden bird with lots of colorful feathers on its tail.”

“It doesn’t sound familiar, and I guess you don’t have a picture.” He rolled his eyes.

“Nope. My Pokédex didn’t have any information on it, either.” I saw him squint. “What?”

He frowned at me. “You’re not just making this up, are you?”

“Of course not! You want proof? Here. Take a look at this.” I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the rainbow feather. “This fell off the bird’s tail just as it flew over a rainbow.”

“Let me see.” He swiped it from my hands to get a better look. “Wow. You weren’t kidding.”

“I told you.”

“Well, still, I don’t know what Pokémon it was. Maybe one of the Legendary Pokémon?”

“What do you think I should do about this feather, then?”

He handed it back to me. “Nothing, for now. Just keep it tucked away. If that was a Legendary Pokémon you saw, then you might get the chance to meet it. That’d be extremely lucky; some people search their whole lives for Legendary Pokémon without any success.”

I tucked the rainbow feather away in my bag.

Then Paul wandered off to look out the window. Not having anything else to do, I grabbed a soda and followed him. He glared at me when I approached. “Why the hell are you still here?”

I casually took a sip from my soda. “What? Can’t I look out the window too? Shinx is being healed, so what else can I do?”

“You could go shopping, stock up on supplies. You probably haven’t done that yet.”

How’d he know? Damn this kid’s smart. Embarrassed, I looked away. “I haven’t had the chance, and I don’t want to explore the city by myself. I would at least like to have Shinx with me...”

“You’ve never been on your own, have you?”

I sheepishly grinned. “Eh, no, not really. I’ve always had my brother. It’s going to take a bit to get used to being out here with only Pokémon...”

Paul sighed, and then after a moment, he searched his pockets. “Oh. I guess I never answered your question earlier.”

“Which one?”

He pulled out his Pokédex. “The new Pokémon I added to the team. Here.”

A bit surprised, I stood there gazing at him like an idiot.

“Do you want to see or not?”

“Err, of course, I do!” I stepped closer.

Paul brought up an entry for a small Pokémon with big ears and a sharp horn. “It’s called Nidoran.”

The two different pictures interested me. “There are two?”

“The male is purple with a bigger horn. The female is light-blue with a smaller horn. The male has a very powerful Horn Attack, and the female’s Poison Sting is nothing too fun either.”

“You probably got the male, didn’t you?”

“It just happened to be the stronger one.”

“You call me a girl for calling things cute, yet you pick based on which gender looks stronger.”

“Don’t compare me to you! Do you want to see the other Pokémon?”

Not wanting to admit defeat, I struggled a head nod. He pulled up a second entry for a bird with darker-colored feathers. I didn’t need a Pokédex to tell me its name. “You caught a Spearow?!”

“Well, yeah. It looked strong and had the potential to get stronger.”

“Strong, huh? Honestly, I’d be okay with never seeing a Spearow again in my life.”

He grinned. “What? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of Spearow, are you?”

“Shut up and keep going.”

He flipped to a third and final entry for a small monkey with tan fur. The Pokédex’s automated voice read the information tag: “ Mankey the Pig Monkey Pokémon. Known for its superior footwork, it packs a powerful punch. Although Mankey is usually calm, it does have a bad temper. ”

I was very unimpressed. “So it’s a flightless Spearow.”

Paul barked, “It’s also a Fighting-type, not a Flying-type. Get your types straight!”

That comment drew the line for me.

I snatched the device from Paul’s hands and used it to look up Nidoran again, as that was the only Pokémon of the three I liked.

“Hey! Give it back! Use your Pokédex!”

I kept him at bay. Whenever he tried to pounce, I just stepped to the side. “Dummy. How can I use my Pokédex when it doesn’t have the data yours has?” I managed to find the entry for Nidoran. “There. Okay, it says I can find the female just as commonly as the male.” I read up more on Nidoran’s known attacks and typing. “Hmm. Good stuff to note.”

“Still, you won’t find one as strong as mine.”

“There you go with that strength thing again.”

“Got a problem with that?”

“A little. You know, any Pokémon can be strong if you work at it.”

“Not true.”

“It’s so true. A Pokémon’s strength comes from working together with its Trainer.”

“Who’d you learn that from? My brother?”

I paused. Have I ever met his brother? Even if I did, how would he know? Weird. I stared at him, a bit confused by the comment. “Your brother?”

Paul caught his slip of the tongue, shaking his head. “Ne…Nevermind! Forget I said anything. Can I have my Pokédex back?”

I kept it out of his reach. “Wait! I need to know where to catch Nidoran.”

He sighed. “How about if I just show you?”

I thought he was kidding, but his expression told me the opposite. “Really?”

“Well, our Pokémon are getting healed, so there isn’t much to do. Maybe we’ll pass by the store to get some supplies. I need some Pokémon food, anyway.” He threw away his empty soda can, and then headed towards the door. When he did, Paul looked back at me for a second. “You said you didn’t want to explore the city by yourself, right, Girlie?”

“Don’t call me that!” After a moment, I hurried after him.

He led me to Viridian’s west gate, where the asphalt turned into a dirt trail leading out into the wilderness. A signpost said Route 22.

Paul pointed at the expansive land. “I caught Nidoran and the others out there.”

I looked at him with an unsatisfied glare.

He shrugged. “What? I did.”

“That doesn’t give me much to go off. I don’t see any Nidoran anywhere.”

“Maybe because they’re sleeping?”

“It’s not that late.”

“Still they’re out there.” He held out his hand. “Now, can I have it back, please?”

“Fine, thanks for your help!” I smacked the Pokédex on his palm.

“Ow! You—”

“Zip it! I don’t want to hear it. Let’s go to the store now.” I headed off, with Paul right behind.

“Do you even know where it is?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Of course not. But you do.”

He smacked his forehead. “How the hell did I get stuck with you?”

I replied: “Luck.”

“Good or bad?”

“Not sure yet.”

He ran to catch up and took the lead.

Paul and I made our way over to a Poké Mart. We split up to browse the selection more thoroughly for supplies. “First, I need food. To become a great Pokémon Trainer, I have to be able to make food for my Pokémon. Shinx is an Electric-type, so I’ll start by getting some premade Electric-type food to see what makes it so yummy. I think I can develop a recipe from there.”

For myself, I collected lots of fruits and vegetables for snacking as well as various ingredients and cooking supplies to make meals. “I remember Volt explaining that it’s always better to snack throughout the day and make some hot soup or sandwiches for meals. I’m taking his advice.”

Though I stocked up on plenty of medicine before leaving home, I decided to grab some extras. “Volt told me to have plenty of medicine, as you never know when you won’t have a Pokémon Center nearby. A great Pokémon Trainer always needs to know how to take care of their Pokémon when injured or sick.

“Of course, I can also use berries for medicinal purposes too. Oran and Sitrus Berries are wonderful for replenishing energy, and Lum Berries are excellent for healing status conditions like poison and burn—”

“You talk to yourself a lot,” Paul said, startling me.

“Don’t do that!” I barked, nearly dropping everything in my hands.

He laughed. “Sorry, Girlie. Couldn’t help it.”

“And don’t call me that either!” I then noticed the bags in his hands. “Did you find everything you needed?”

“And plenty more. You done yet?”

“Just about.” We bought all the merchandise we needed and left the store with bags full of goodies.

On our way back to the Pokémon Center, curiosity got the best of me. I said, “Hey Paul, I know this is none of my business, but did something happen when you went to see your brother battle?”

“What do you mean?”

“The last time I saw you was last night on the boat. That’s when you said you were going to watch your brother battle a Frontier Brain, whatever that means, sometime this morning. It seems like something has upset you, and that’s the only thing I can think of.”

He looked at the ground. “It’s a long story. I’d rather not talk about it.”

Hearing that, I nodded. “I get it if you don’t want to talk about it. It upset you somehow.”

“How’d you know that?”

“I didn’t. You just confirmed it.” He frowned at me. “But also because you’ve been acting a little different since before. You’ve been talking more about power and strength than last time, and you were weird when you mentioned your brother.”

“You paid attention to all that?”

“Well, let’s just say you’ve been much more rude and obnoxious than before!” He didn’t say anything, but his guilty expression sufficed for an apology. “But anyways, I’m aiming to be a powerful Trainer one day. I have to be able to pay attention to details in people and Pokémon other than cuteness, or else I’ll never improve my skills as a Pokémon Trainer.”

“Fair enough.”

We paused when we heard some loud noise. “What’s that?” It was coming from an alleyway filled with trash cans. We watched as a yellow Pokémon came racing down the alley, and the strange noise was it smacking the cans out of the way with a silver tail; I recognized the Pokémon instantly. “It’s a Pikachu!”

“Why’s it running?” Paul asked. A small group of Pokémon appeared behind Pikachu and chased it, including a Mankey, Rattata, and Spearow. I didn’t recognize the fourth one. “Oh, that’s why.”

Paul checked the fourth Pokémon on his Pokédex. “ Gastly the Gas Pokémon. Although it can sneak in anywhere with its gaseous body, it can easily be blown away by the wind. Being a ghost Pokémon, it loves to frighten and play pranks on others for fun. ”

The color left my face. “A ghost Pokémon?!” I shrieked.

I realized too late that I handed over the perfect ammunition for Paul to insult me for the rest of my days. “Are you afraid of ghosts?!” I didn’t answer.

The Pokémon all came running out of the alley, with Pikachu running as fast as it could go. Though scared of Gastly, I worried about Pikachu and said, “Something tells me that Pikachu did something bad.”

“How’d you guess that?” grumbled Paul.

“Do you even hear yourself, Paul?!” I got startled when Pikachu ran up to me and jumped into my arms. “Whoa! What’s wrong, Pikachu?” It saw the other Pokémon and climbed on top of my head. I put out my arms to stop them. “Okay, everybody! Calm down!”

“What’s going on?” asked Paul. They all started yelling up at Pikachu.

“Yeah, I get you’re mad at it. What exactly did it do—Ah!” I screamed when Gastly floated up to make eye contact with me; I froze. Although it couldn’t talk, it merely pointed at Pikachu and then at its mouth. Trying my best not to run away in terror, I quickly processed the situation. “So, it stole food?” The four Pokémon all nodded. I yanked Pikachu off my head. “Well?” It kept its mouth shut but smiled. “You must’ve already eaten it, then.”

“The Pokémon are still angry, though.” Paul was right, as they were furious.

“Well, I would be too. Let’s see if I have something to solve this.” I set Pikachu down on the ground, who looked uncomfortable being so close to the Pokémon it stole from. I dug through my bag, a bit shaky, knowing Gastly floated beside me. “I don’t think Shinx would appreciate this very much, but maybe if it’s to help a fellow Pokémon. Here we go.” I pulled out a massive stash of berries. “Will this make up for it?” The four Pokémon cheered.

Paul seemed very shocked at my collection. “Where’d you get all those?”

“From the Poké Mart. What? Did you not know where to get berries?”

He ignored me.

I handed the bag of berries over to Mankey, who thanked me. Pikachu tried taking some fruit for itself, but I stopped it. “I think you’ve had plenty! Of course, if you apologize, then they might share.” Pikachu looked at the Pokémon and struggled to bow its head as a sorry. It worked until it suddenly blew several hearts from its mouth.

Paul shouted, “That’s Sweet Kiss. It’ll confuse the Pokémon if they get hit!”

“Pikachu!” I swatted the hearts away before they could hit any Pokémon. “That’s not sorry!” It looked at me furiously and sparked its cheeks. I panicked. “Uh, oh!”

“We should get back.” Paul and I backed away. The other Pokémon hightailed it.

Pikachu sparked its cheeks. However, instead of shocking us, it zapped itself and fell back on the ground, unconscious. “Oh, boy, you must’ve just evolved from a Pichu.” I picked up the electric mouse in my arms. “Why don’t we take you to Nurse Joy?”

“I think our Pokémon should be done recovering by now, anyway.” I agreed with him, and we headed back.

★

We got back to the Pokémon Center, getting up to the front desk just as Nurse Joy set all of our Poké Balls onto the counter. “Rosa, Paul, I’m done healing your Pokémon. Everyone is in tip-top shape.”

“Thank you!” Paul said before walking off to make a phone call.

I bowed my head. “Yes, very much. Also, do you mind taking care of this Pikachu? It’s wild. It tried using Thunder Shock, but it knocked itself out. I think it might’ve just evolved from a Pichu.” I handed it over to Nurse Joy.

“Of course we can.” A Chansey took Pikachu into the back. “Now, since it’s getting late, I’ll guess you’re going to want a room to stay in for the night. I have one left.”

“Then I’m pretty lucky. Yes, please! That would be wonderful.”

She handed me a key. “It’ll be upstairs on the right, fifth door down.”

Stepping away from the counter, I grabbed Shinx’s Poké Ball and called him out. “How are you feeling Shinx? All better, I imagine.” He stretched his legs before jumping on my shoulders and licking my face. “That’s good. Let’s go check out our room now, and I can’t wait to show you all the yummy stuff I bought.”

At least the room was lovely, with a desk, chair, and two bunk beds. A large window sat above the desk. “I like this.” Shinx jumped up and down on the bed before rolling onto a pillow. I laughed. “Meeting your standards, I see.”

Suddenly someone knocked at the door. Opening it, I found Paul. The sight didn’t make me too happy. “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?”

He glared back. “Nice to see you too. Here’s the thing. Nurse Joy told me there weren't any empty rooms left, but she said I could share with someone. I would like to have a good night’s rest, so can I stay in this room with you?”

Of all the worst possible situations, this took the cake. “Why can’t you go with someone else?”

“I don’t know anyone else here.”

“Yeah, and I guess anyone else would punch you in the face five seconds after meeting you.”

“So can I or what?”

I looked down at Shinx, who had come to the door. Seeing Shinx’s face light up when he saw Paul, I sighed in defeat. “Fine, but just this once. This happens again, and you’ll be sleeping in the lobby.”

“Deal.”

Setting my bag on the floor, I sat down on one of the bottom bunks. “Well, since we’re here, can I see your Pokémon now?”

“I don’t know if it’d be worth it.”

“Hey, I let you in here, and I can kick you out just as easy!”

Paul sat down on the opposite bunk. “Tch. Fine.” He grabbed all four of his Poké Balls and tossed them into the air. Just as he said, in addition to Turtwig, he had a Nidoran, Spearow, and Mankey.

The Pokémon all socialized. Turtwig walked over and stood up on two legs to bump its forehead into my hand. “It’s good to see you too.” Shinx greeted Turtwig too.

When Spearow greeted us, Shinx found it challenging to greet back. I quietly whispered to him, “Don’t forget. I don’t think this one belongs to that flock. See?” I managed to pet Spearow’s head without any problems, so Shinx felt content with that.

Eventually, all of the Pokémon wanted my attention, so I just sat on the floor to let them crowd around. “It’s surprising to know how friendly Pokémon can be even when they’re being raised by someone like you, Mister Attitude.”

Paul had just put away his Pokédex. “And now they’re going to be slackers even more than they are because they’ve met you.”

“Are you talking to the girl who you couldn’t beat in a battle even on her first day?”

He looked away. “It was my first day, too, so it’s not like I had any time to prepare.”

“Yeah, sure.” I watched the group of Pokémon play even after dinnertime. Shinx loved the Pokémon food I bought for him, so I promised to work on my own recipe. He was excited about it.

I slept well that night. The warmth of Shinx curled up at my side helped. Still, I was so excited that I had the potential not to sleep at all. In two or three days, I was going to be battling for a Gym Badge in Pewter City.

★

In the morning, I woke up and looked around to find no sign of Paul. “What?!” I startled my Pokémon awake. “Sorry, Shinx.” I rubbed my eyes and inspected Paul’s bed, which looked unused. “He must’ve snuck off a while ago. That loser! He couldn’t even tell me.” I felt a tap on my leg. It was Shinx, and he had a piece of paper in his mouth. “Is that from Paul?” I took the note and read it:

Rosa

I didn’t want to wake you up. Thanks for letting me share the room. I’m getting a head start to Pewter City. Of course, knowing you, you’ll never catch up. You should catch some Pokémon at some point. It might be helpful. Later.

-  Paul

I crumpled the note in my hand. “I’ll show him and catch up to him in no time! We can’t let him get too far, which means we’ve got work to do!” Shinx agreed. I changed out of pajamas after a quick shower and sprung out the door.

Stepping into the lobby, a voice called out to me, “Rosa!” It was Nurse Joy. “I’m happy to let you know that Pikachu is all better.” The yellow mouse jumped onto the counter and sparked its cheeks a tiny bit. She gave it a stern glare, like a teacher and her misbehaving student. “Now Pikachu, you know not to do that too much until you work on your attacks. You might hurt yourself again.” Pikachu nodded its head.

“That’s awesome, Pikachu! Now make sure you don’t steal anymore, okay?” It looked at me with a frown. “I’m off now.”

Nurse Joy and her Chansey waved a hand. “Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you. Goodbye!” I headed out with Shinx.

Before leaving the city for good, we headed over to Route 22, so I could look for the next addition to my team. I found it in no time, a female Nidoran. Unfortunately, even with Shinx’s help, we couldn’t catch it; she ran away after breaking out of a Poké Ball. I gave up the search after failing to capture that Nidoran two more times. “Ah, well, maybe we’ll have better luck in Viridian Forest.” Shinx agreed.

Chapter Text

It only took a few hours to enter the forest. Being gigantic, I relied heavily on the map. “It’s a pretty intimidating forest judging by the size. All we have to do is keep heading north and we should be in Pewter City in just a day or two.” I put the map away.

“We should catch some Pokémon while we’re here. Some training wouldn’t hurt either if we have time.”

I remembered to stay on the lookout for any new Pokémon. Shinx pranced beside me, keeping an eye on the surrounding flora. “What kinds live in this forest anyways?”

My Pokédex helped with that question, answering with, “ In Viridian Forest, a Trainer can find many Bug-type Pokémon. ”

“It’s like the Pokédex has a voice recognition program. That’s pretty handy.” Shinx agreed with a bark. “Let’s see. We should look for one of those Bug-types. Keep a sharp eye peeled for any—” Shinx cried up at me and pointed over to the trees off the path a little.

A little caterpillar came crawling out on a branch.

“That must be one of the Bug-types the Pokédex was talking about!” I shouted.

My Pokédex scanned the Pokémon. “ Caterpie the Worm Pokémon. Caterpie uses the suction cups on its feet to climb trees and feed on its favorite leaves. It’s easy to catch, and it grows quickly, making it one of the top choices for beginning Pokémon Trainers. ”

“It looks a little different from the picture on the Pokédex.” I looked at the green Caterpie picture and back to the orange worm in front of us. “Ah, who cares? Let’s get it.”

We snuck up as close as we could to Caterpie. “Okay Shinx, here’s what we’re going to do,” I began. However, Shinx got excited and jumped out from behind a bush, preparing to zap Caterpie with an attack. “No, wait, Shinx! I didn’t say go—!” Grabbing Shinx to stop him, I got hit with a particularly powerful Shock Wave.

Caterpie cried out and used String Shot. Shinx dodged the attack by jumping out of my arms. The sticky web instead wrapped around my body, pinning my arms down. I figured Shinx could still handle the rest. “Try another one!” A second Shock Wave stunned Caterpie, long enough for me to break free of the String Shot. “Now use Spark!” Shinx climbed up the tree and scored a direct hit with Spark, knocking Caterpie onto the ground. “This is it! Go Poké Ball!” The ball pulled Caterpie inside and started rattling.

The Poké Ball kept on rattling. Once. Twice. Three times. After my failed attempt to catch a Pidgey, Rattata, and Spearow, and then a Nidoran, I expected Caterpie to pop out too. It never did. I heard a click as the red light on the Poké Ball faded away. “Did we do it?” The shock hit me so hard I fell to my knees.

Shinx retrieved the Poké Ball. “Yes!! I did it!” I nearly burst from the excitement, running around in circles doing a happy dance. “I caught Caterpie! I caught my first Pokémon! This is the first step on my way to becoming the Pokémon World Champion!”

After a few more victory dances, I knelt down beside my Shinx. “It’s all thanks to you that we were able to get a new friend. What do you think?” I held out Caterpie’s Poké Ball. Shinx sniffed it and then jumped for joy. “Oh, Shinx, I’m glad you like it. From now on, we’ll catch a whole bunch of new friends.”

I took Caterpie’s Poké Ball and threw it into the air. “Come out and say hi!”

Popping out of the ball, Caterpie stood on the ground facing us. I knelt down to be at eye level with her. “Hi, Caterpie. I’m Rosa, and this is Shinx. Welcome to the team.” She nodded her head and wriggled around. I laughed. “Then I guess there’s no question on your excitement level. Do you want to climb onto my shoulder?” I held out my hand. She nodded her head and quickly crawled up my arm. “Comfortable?” She agreed. “Okay, so let’s see if we can find anymore Pokémon.”

That’s when a nearby bush started rustling. “Hey, look at that! Right on schedule. I want you both to be ready to battle.” They both nodded their heads as a brown worm popped out of the bush. It looked similar to Caterpie but not quite. “Dex, who’s that Pokémon?”

My Pokédex responded, “ Weedle the Hairy Bug Pokémon. The poison stinger on this Pokémon’s head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts. ”

“Then we better watch out for that stinger. Caterpie, I want you to get some battle experience, so you’re up! String Shot!” I waited, and waited, and waited for my Pokémon to respond. However, nothing happened.

Weedle looked at me with a confused expression.

“Caterpie, what’s…” I trailed off when I saw Caterpie sleeping on my shoulder. “Hey, this is no time for a nap! Wake up, Caterpie!”

Weedle took its opportunity to get away.

“Oh no, you don’t! Shinx use Shock Wave!”

Before Shinx had a chance to attack, a yellow Pokémon jumped out of the bushes at the speed of light and slammed into Weedle. It took a short moment to recognize the new Pokémon arrival. “Hey, I know that yellow fur!” I remembered the city Pokémon we ran into yesterday: the Pikachu that knocked itself out with Thunder Shock. “Are you that same Pikachu?!”

It looked back at me and made a peace sign with its paw.

However, Shinx grabbed my attention to let me know that Weedle was trying to escape again. “Not again! Try attacking once more!” Shinx tried Shock Wave for a second time, but Pikachu jumped in the way. Sparking its cheeks, it tried a Thunder Shock, but once again it failed. Pikachu fell back unconscious, allowing Weedle to escape. “Well, that’s that I guess.”

I went over to Pikachu and picked it up. “Hey, why do you keep doing that to yourself?” It didn’t reply, simply laid back in my arms and acted like it was in extreme pain. “You know, you’re kind of a drama queen. It didn’t hurt that badly, did it?” It got mad, and before I knew it, I was attacked by a successful attempt of Pikachu’s Thunder Shock. Not only did I get zapped, Caterpie did too. She woke up from her nap and ran away in fear. “Caterpie, come back!” She disappeared into the trees.

I set Pikachu on the ground and handed it a yellow berry. “Here, if that’s how you’re going to be, just take this. It’s a Sitrus Berry. It’ll restore your energy in a snap and then you can be on your way. I don’t know if you were following us or something, but I can at least say thanks for trying to help. We have to go find our friend. See you, Pikachu!” Shinx and I waved before running off in Caterpie’s direction.

The two of us looked everywhere, searching high and low for my Pokémon. “Caterpie, where’d you go? Caterpie! Hey, Caterpie!” I shouted over and over. No response, and no movement as far as the eye could see. “Oh, where could she have gone? Hopefully not far.”

Up ahead, Shinx stopped and stared up into a tree.

“Something wrong, Shinx?” He pointed up at a branch.

On that branch, there was a familiar orange caterpillar napping. I breathed a sigh of relief. “There you are.” She opened her eyes to see me waving. “Down here, Caterpie. There’s nothing to be scared of here. I’m sorry you were frightened, but it wasn’t me. We were hit by an attack from a Pikachu.” Suddenly, Caterpie got spooked and raced further up the tree. “What’s wrong now?”

I turned around to find Pikachu running up to us. “Hey, it’s Pikachu again.” It stepped up to me with one half of the Sitrus Berry; the other half must’ve already been eaten. “Well, I’m glad to see you liked that berry.”

To my horror, I heard a snap. Caterpie had climbed onto a branch and weighed it down just enough for it to break in half. My Pokémon plummeted towards the ground. “Caterpie!” I raced forward and jumped, holding out my arms. Catching Caterpie, I held her tightly to my chest and crashed face-first into the tree.

Shinx and Pikachu rushed to my side. I struggled up on all fours, rubbing my nose. “I’m going to feel that in the morning. Are you alright, Caterpie?” She nodded her head. “I’m sorry about you being scared like that, and about not letting you nap.”

Pikachu came over and bowed its head.

“And look at that. Pikachu is apologizing too.” Then Pikachu handed me the other half of its Sitrus Berry, gesturing to its nose. “Do you want me to eat this so my nose can get better?” It cheerfully nodded its head. “Thanks, Pikachu. You’re sweet.” I ate the Sitrus Berry in two big chomps.

Licking my lips, Caterpie gazed at me with big puppy eyes. “Oh, I know. All that excitement must’ve gotten you hungry, right?” She nodded. “Okay, let’s find some food. Maybe the Pokédex knows what kind of food you like to eat.”

I took out my Pokédex with one hand, holding Caterpie with the other. “ Caterpie’s diet mainly consists of leaves and vegetation found high up in trees. As it grows rapidly, it maintains a voracious appetite until it evolves into Metapod as soon as one day later. ” It showed me a picture of a green cocoon Pokémon: Metapod.

“Okay, let’s find you some leaves. Any suggestions?” Pikachu volunteered and ran off.

Following Pikachu, we found it sitting on a tree branch at eye level. There were plenty of leaves all around. I held Caterpie up to the leaves, which were at least twice her size. “Well Caterpie, go ahead.” She sniffed a single leaf, and within seconds, devoured five of them.

Caterpie then burped and slumped in my hands. “Hey, you have to eat a lot more or you won’t evolve.” Caterpie didn’t respond. I turned her around and found her asleep. “You can’t just take a nap all the time. Snap out of it.” Caterpie wouldn’t move.

Shinx told me that I would just have to be patient and that Caterpie would evolve at her own pace. “Yeah, you’re right. We can let Caterpie sleep while we do something else.” I gently placed Caterpie in my bag. “There we go. Now, what should we do next?”

Pikachu stepped in front of me. “Oh, right. Thanks for helping us find some leaves for Caterpie. I appreciate it.” It nodded and then pointed at me, saying that it wants to come along with us. “Do you really want to come with us? What about all your friends here?” It lowered its ears, explaining that it isn’t originally from this forest, so it lives here alone. “Well, that explains why we found you in the city yesterday. Okay, you can come along.”

Pikachu cheered.

“But first we have to battle, and I noticed you seem to be having a little problem with your Thunder Shock attack. Let’s see if Shinx and I can’t help you out.”

It agreed with a head nod and took off.

“Hey! Where are you going?” We chased after it.

★

After a couple of hours following Pikachu, we entered an empty clearing in the forest. The sun started to set. The air smelled clean and fresh here. Shinx barked to grab my attention, pointing off in the distance. Pikachu stood by a small lake, washing its face. “Hey, I didn’t think there was a lake this big here.”

We went over to Pikachu, where I looked out at the horizon. “It’s getting late, so I think this is a good spot to camp out. Pikachu, did you bring us here on purpose?” It nodded, and after taking a sip of water, it hopped over to the other side of the clearing. I laughed. “Then that must mean you want to battle. Am I right?” Pikachu sparked its cheeks. “You’re on, Pikachu. I’m going to catch you. Go Shinx!” I stood back to let Shinx step forward.

With the sunset in the background, I felt this was a perfect battling moment. Caterpie popped her head out of my bag to watch. “A battle between two Electric-type Pokémon. This will be fun. Shinx use Spark!” My Shinx sped forward enveloped in sparks.

Pikachu waited for the right moment and then hopped to the side, before smashing into Shinx with a speedy Tackle. “For someone who can’t use Thunder Shock very well, you sure can move. Shinx use Swift!” Shinx launched a Swift attack.

Pikachu canceled out the Swift stars with Sweet Kiss hearts before coming down with Iron Tail. “Dodge and then use Bite!” Shinx jumped back just as Pikachu slammed into the ground. Then Shinx chomped down on Pikachu’s tail. “Now throw it!” Shinx sent Pikachu flying.

Crashing into the ground, Pikachu dug in its heels to stay standing. Then it sparked its cheeks to ready a Thunder Shock. “Here it comes, Shinx!” Shinx growled. Pikachu jumped into the air. It tried launching an attack, but it failed again; Pikachu zapped itself and fell, knocking itself out.

“Pikachu!” I ran over to Pikachu and picked it up. “Man, you were so close too.” Pikachu frowned at me. “Well, that was still a great battle. Since we defeated you…” I pulled out an empty Poké Ball and held it up to Pikachu. “Let me catch you and then I’ll make sure you’re good as new.” It liked that idea. I gently tapped the Poké Ball against Pikachu’s head, and it went inside; three shakes and Pikachu was as good as mine. “Alright!”

I threw the Poké Ball into the air, calling out Pikachu. “Okay, what do you say we all have some dinner?” Shinx, Pikachu, and Caterpie all agreed.

We set up camp near an old tree stump. The Pokémon spread out a tarp on the ground for everyone to sit. I set out three empty bowls for three hungry Pokémon. Electric-type Pokémon food filled up two, and the other got stuffed with a pile of delicious leaves. “Well dig in, everyone!” They sure did. I helped myself to a sandwich.

To help everyone recover their energy, I gave out Oran Berries. “Here. These will help all of you to restore some energy, considering we all had an exhausting day.” They loved them.

While they ate, I used my Pokédex to get more information on Pikachu.

“So with your Thunder Shock not working, it seems to me that you’re not controlling your electricity very well. Maybe you’re not holding it in enough, or perhaps you’re not distributing it around your body properly.”

Pikachu turned her head, looking confused.

“Shinx, can you maybe explain?” He happily agreed and began talking to Pikachu. “He’s saying that when you use an electric attack like Thunder Shock, you have to focus on controlling all the electrical energy in your body all at once. If even a little gets out of control, it can shock you. Also, you have to spread the electricity all over your body so nothing gets too overwhelming, starting from a single point. For example, Shinx uses his tail as a primary point and then spreads the electricity out from there. You have electric pouches in your cheeks so that should be your primary point. Does any of that make sense?” She nodded.

I turned to all the Pokémon. “How about we do a little practice battling?” Everyone looked ready to go, especially Caterpie. “Did that battle get you ready to go?” She nodded her head, quickly scarfing down the rest of the leaves in her bowl. “Then that’s settled.”

After dinner, a little light remained in the sky, enough for one more battle between Pikachu and Caterpie. “Okay Pikachu, let’s get your Thunder Shock right! Caterpie, make sure to give it your best shot!” Both Pokémon looked psyched.

Like an official referee, Shinx called for the battle to begin. Pikachu attacked first with Quick Attack. “Dodge!” Caterpie used her String Shot to swing out of the way, like swinging on a vine. “Awesome! Try a Tackle!” She swung around a tree and launched herself at Pikachu, who came back with another Quick Attack. The Pokémon crashed into each other.

Jumping away from each other, Pikachu used Iron Tail. However, Caterpie used String Shot again. She turned Pikachu into a ball of web, using Tackle to knock her back. Pikachu broke free and sparked her cheeks for a Thunder Shock. “Okay Pikachu, remember what we talked about! Concentrate on all the electricity in your body!” Pikachu balled her fists. Leaping high into the air, Pikachu finally launched a Thunder Shock. It was so powerful, well, maybe a bit too powerful. Caterpie got zapped, falling back on the ground unconscious. “Caterpie!”

I picked up Caterpie. “Are you alright?” She opened her eyes and whined. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m so proud of you. That was an awesome job from both of you. You both are tougher than you look.” I smiled at the happy faces on them both, and then Pikachu celebrated her win by jumping all around.

It suddenly dawned on me. That shape... that shade of yellow…!! I matched the outline of the yellow figure from yesterday to Pikachu’s outline, and came to a realization. “The Pokémon I saw yesterday was a Pikachu?!” I quietly gasped.

Only Caterpie heard me. She looked at me funny.

I laughed. “Oh, sorry. Just rambling a little. Don’t mind me.”

Suddenly, Shinx called out to us. “What is it, Shinx?” He told us to hurry and then took off. Pikachu ran after him. “Oh, now where are we going?!”

The two Electric-types ran over to a big tree and started climbing up. Caterpie used String Shot to ascend the branches, and I followed right behind. Everyone perched on a branch staring out at the horizon. “Man, you guys are fast. What is it?” Pikachu pointed out. I sat beside everyone and discovered what was so exhilarating.

The sun just went down past the mountains, but the treetops below were still lit up; in fact, there were hundreds of glowing objects scattered all over the forest. “What are they?” I asked.

My Pokédex responded quickly, “ Metapod the Cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Caterpie. Using a hard shell to protect its body, it prepares for its next evolution. ”

“So those are Caterpie’s next forms?!” I was amazed, and Caterpie was too.

The four of us watched as the glowing cocoons started cracking open. A beautiful purple butterfly emerged from each one. Soon, hundreds of these Pokémon surrounded us. They released clouds of glittery scales from their brand new wings, learning to use them for the first time. With the moon rising up into the starry sky, it looked magical.

My Pokédex automatically scanned the butterflies, “ Butterfree the Butterfly Pokémon, and the evolved form of Metapod. The scales covering its wings help it to shed water. It flits from flower to flower, collecting honey and nectar. ”

“Hey, Caterpie, that’s what you’re going to become one day.” Caterpie looked so happy to see all the Butterfree. I grabbed her and placed her in my lap. Pikachu and Shinx sat right up against me. “My job as a Pokémon Trainer is to help you get there, and get strong. That goes for you guys too.” They all nodded their heads with big smiles on their faces. “So this is a vow to always work hard to accomplish our dreams. We’ll do it together!” I raised my fist in the air, cheering.

We spent the rest of the night watching the Butterfree. My bottom got sore from sitting on the tree branch for so long, but I just couldn’t get enough of how the Butterfree’s beautiful wings glittered in the moonlight. Several of them came over to greet us, taking a special interest in Caterpie. They flipped and twirled in midair, sprinkling glitter in every direction.

That night was one we’d remember for a long time!

★

The next morning, I woke up to bright rays of sunlight peeking through the treetops. My hand felt fresh grass and dirt, and then suddenly…

“That’s cold!!” I shot out of my sleeping bag, scooting away from the water’s edge. It took a moment before realizing I had dipped my hand straight into the lake. “Oh, that’s right. I fell asleep here. Maybe not so close to the water next time.”

I didn’t see anyone around, including my Pokémon. “Hey guys,” I said, looking around my little camp. A sleeping bag. An old tree lying on its side. The fire that no longer had life. Not one sign of movement from anything other than a piece of grass. “Where’d you guys go?”

Searching around, I found the old stump sitting nearby. Three figures were all curled up and sound asleep on top. “Oh, there you are!” The stump had a perfect view of the forest lake and the cloudy sky above. “Of course! You guys must’ve stayed up watching the Butterfree. I would’ve too if I didn’t nearly fall out of the tree.”

Observing the three sleeping figures, there was something unusual: one yellow, one yellow and blue, and one gold. It didn’t seem right. “Pikachu… Shinx… and Caterpie?” I realized that the third Pokémon wasn’t Caterpie at all, upon closer inspection. “No, not Caterpie!”

The Pokémon heard my astonishment and woke up, then happily jumped up and down. I recognized the figure from last night. It looked like the unevolved Butterfree, but gold instead of green. “You evolved into a Metapod! Did that happen when I was sleeping?” She nodded her head. “Oh man! I wish I didn’t fall asleep so quick. Sorry that I missed it, but congrats! I’m so happy for you.”

We must’ve been a little too loud because soon Pikachu and Shinx stirred awake. They stretched and gave big yawns.

Realizing that I was awake, Shinx barked and pointed at Metapod. I laughed. “Yeah, I saw. I’m bummed that I wasn’t awake, but it’s still so awesome!” He agreed.

Suddenly, we heard wings above our head. A bird Pokémon swooped down to the ground. It pecked at its feathers before investigating the grass for its breakfast. The bird looked like a Pidgey but bigger. “Who’s that Pokémon?”

The Pokédex replied, “ Pidgeotto the Bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, this bird Pokémon can be dangerous. Approach with caution. ”

“Nice! Why catch a Pidgey when I can get a Pidgeotto? Let’s get it!” I yelled.

Before I picked someone, Metapod leaped towards Pidgeotto with Tackle. “Wait, Metapod! Careful!” She ignored me completely, knocking Pidgeotto into a tree, and then she cheered. “Good job, but you have to come back before it gets worse!” She looked confused and slightly worried.

Pidgeotto looked at Metapod and drooled. It flew up high and then dived, making its wings glow. “It’s coming in with Wing Attack! Protect yourself with Harden!” Metapod glowed a bright green color, the energy turning her shell as hard as a rock. Pidgeotto slashed at the rock-hard shell, only to recoil in pain. “Perfect! String Shot!” Metapod used her String Shot to pin Pidgeotto’s wings to its body, preventing it from escaping. “Throw it!” Rapidly spinning in circles, Metapod tossed the dizzy bird high into the air.

This was my moment. I grabbed an empty Poké Ball from my bag and threw it with all my strength. “Go Poké Ball!” The ball smacked Pidgeotto on the forehead, sucking it up inside. It landed on the ground. It shook once, twice, and with the third shake and a click, Pidgeotto was mine. “We did it!”

I picked up Pidgeotto’s Poké Ball. “Great! That’s one more Pokémon to add to the team, and that was a really great battle, Metapod. You’re stronger than you look.” Metapod smiled and jumped for joy before falling over from fatigue. “Oh boy. You should get some rest now.” With a nod, she retreated to her Poké Ball for a nap.

Suddenly, we heard a shout from out of the trees. A young boy sprung at me and swung a sword in my face. I jumped back when I found the tip pointed at my nose. “Are you the Trainer who hails from the town of Pallet?”

I gulped. “No. That’s not me. Who wants to know?”

“Then you must be the Pokémon Trainer who hails from another region.” He lowered his sword and cleared his throat. “I have no name. My title is Samurai. I am true, fearless and completely invincible in combat. I have been venturing this forest searching for new Pokémon Trainers. When word spread that several would be starting their journey from Pallet Town, I waited here for them.”

“Why? I’ll bet you’re waiting to steal their Pokémon, aren’t you?”

“Nonsense. I am no Pokémon thief. I simply search for the chance to have a battle with a worthy opponent.” He put away his sword. “But alas. My search continues.”

“Hey, wait! If you want a worthy opponent, you should battle me!”

“And who exactly are you?”

“I’m Rosa from Sunyshore City.”

“I would not battle with someone I see more like a loud shrieking maiden than a worthy opponent. Good day!”

That didn’t sit well with me. “Shrieking?!”

He started walking away. “I would advise you keep your voice down from now on while traversing through this forest, for a hive of Beedrill call this place their home and they don’t favor being disturbed.”

“Get back here! I’ll yell all I want until you battle me! Or are you too scared to lose?”

He turned back around. “Very well. As I said, I am fearless. Don’t start crying when you lose.”

“We’ll see who’s crying when we’re done.”

We spread out on the shore by the lake. My Pikachu and Shinx sat behind me. “Watch closely, you guys,” I said. “This will be over quick. You can go first, Samurai!”

“Gladly! Pinsir, I choose you!” Samurai threw a Poké Ball and called out a large, bipedal, brown beetle with giant thorned pincers on its head.

I looked it up on my Pokédex, “ Pinsir the Stag Beetle Pokémon. This fearsome Pokémon uses its powerful claws to put the squeeze on its opponents. ”

The look on Pinsir’s face sent chills down my spine. “It’s a little scary,” I muttered. I vigorously shook my head. “But we can’t get scared. Metapod can handle this!” I called out Metapod, who was eager to battle.

Samurai laughed at us. “Ha! Clumsy mistake, novice! Watch now as Pinsir crushes your Metapod in two!”

My subconscious got scared, imagining Pinsir cleanly splitting Metapod in half. “Those claws!” Then I heard a Pokémon call out to me. Metapod gestured that she’d be fine. “You’re right. I have to believe that my Pokémon can do it, and I do!”

“Pinsir use Vice Grip!” Pinsir charged forward, aiming its pincers at my Metapod.

“Metapod use Harden!” Raising her defensive power just in time, Metapod resisted being crushed in half by Pinsir. Instead, the thorns on its pincers chipped away, making Pinsir let go of Metapod. “Tackle!” Metapod slammed into Pinsir, knocking it out. “Yeah, good job!”

“Clever, quite clever!” Samurai recalled his Pokémon.

I put my hands on my hips. “Not so bad, huh? Now, who’s the novice?”

“We’ll see how you handle this next Pokémon. Go…!” He stopped.

I was confused. Nothing unusual happened. “What’s wrong?”

“A swarm of Beedrill approaches. Our match must end.”

“What do you mean a swarm of Beedrill?” Pikachu jumped on my shoulder, pointing at the trees on the other side of a lake. A loud buzzing sound could be heard, and then a yellow and black cloud rose from them. “You mean those?!”

My Pokédex scanned the Beedrill swarm, “ Beedrill the Poison Bee Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrill is the final evolved form of Weedle. Beedrill fly quickly and attack using very poisonous stingers on their forelegs and tail. ”

“They must’ve woken up from all your shrieking!” He turned and ran off. “Good day!”

Suddenly, a Beedrill swooped down and grabbed Metapod. “Oh no! Metapod return!” I tried calling Metapod back into her Poké Ball, but the red beam of light from the Poké Ball couldn’t get a clear shot. Beedrill dodged the Poké Ball’s light and flew past the trees. “Ah! It got away!”

A second Beedrill charged for me with its three stingers. However, Shinx and Pikachu protected me with a Thunder Shock and Shock Wave combination. Beedrill ran away scared of getting zapped again.

Samurai sprinted over to me. “Let’s move it!” He grabbed my arm and rushed us off.

I stared back at the Beedrill swarm. “But Metapod!”

Samurai, Shinx, Pikachu, and I sprinted through the forest with the Beedrill swarm hot on our tail. I hardly believed we would be fine with how fast they could fly, but their terrifyingly large stingers kept my feet going at full power.

At one point, we came into a thick grove of trees where a wood cabin could be seen in the distance. “My cabin! I think we can make it!” Samurai yelled.

The Beedrill all dived at us with their Poison Sting attack. We were just fast enough to sprint inside the cabin and lock the door behind us; the Beedrill instead stabbed holes through the wooden door and walls. We could peek through the holes in the wood to see the Beedrill buzzing around the house, waiting for someone to come back out.

I collapsed on the floor beside Shinx and Pikachu. “That was close,” I panted.

Samurai took off his helmet, setting it on a table. He then turned to me and said, “I hope you’ve learned your lesson, novice. Your loud shrieking almost cost us our lives.”

My feet stood up by themselves. “Take back that novice crap!”

“I do take it back because not even a novice would abandon their Pokémon so recklessly as you just did.”

I turned away, thinking about my Pokémon. My hands clenched into fists because I knew that he made a good point. “I tried to save Metapod.”

“Your Pokémon will pay for your inexperience. The other Pokémon Trainers from Pallet would never have been so irresponsible, or the Trainer coming here all the way from Sinnoh.”

My mind grabbed ahold of what he said. “Sinnoh? You mean you’ve met Paul?”

“Ah, yes. Not only him but Gary Oak and two other Pokémon Trainers as well. There were four spectacular matches, each greater than the last. Those Trainers really knew how to raise Pokémon. Even though I was defeated all four times, I was inspired to double my training efforts. I have been eagerly preparing for that day when finally I would battle against the next two Pokémon Trainers to cross this forest, one from Pallet Town and the other all the way from Sinnoh.”

I gawked at him. “So that means that Paul must’ve told you about me?”

“He did, which leaves me a bit shocked. He told me to expect another good Trainer from Sinnoh but compared to him and the others, you’re nothing more than a joke. I now wonder if he even knew what he was talking about.”

Paul said… another good Trainer? Me?

I shook my head. “Watch it! Don’t go doubting his words! You said yourself that he was a great Trainer to fight, which means what he said must’ve been true!”

“Or maybe we just aren’t talking about the same person, novice.”

I bared my teeth, angry at him for insulting me beyond the breaking point. Still, I wasn’t about to pummel him when he was a bit right about Metapod. I kept quiet. The Beedrill never stopped circling the cabin, so I got stuck there all night.

We had dinner and then went to bed at a reasonable hour. Shinx and Pikachu slept at my side. I laid back in my sleeping bag on the floor. I had a perfect view of the window to see outside, considering I couldn’t sleep at all.

I gazed out at the moon. “Metapod, I promise I’ll find you tomorrow, and look after you better,” I whispered to myself. It was the only way I’d become a much better Pokémon Trainer, and after that, a World Champion.

★

Early the next morning, I began my search for Metapod. Not wanting to wake up Shinx and Pikachu, I left them back at the cabin with Samurai. I searched high and low for any sign of the Beedrill’s nest. It didn’t take long to find a huge tree with tons of orange cocoons hanging from its trunk. “Are those Pokémon?”

My Pokédex responded, “ Kakuna the Cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Weedle. Kakuna remain inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrill and hatch. ”

“That explains why they took Metapod. The color is exactly the same. Let’s see.” I snuck closer to get a good look at the Kakuna. Sitting at the base of the tree, one of the Kakuna looked different from the rest: Metapod! “I found you, Metapod!” I soon realized what a terrible mistake I just made.

Right after I yelled, a giant swarm of Beedrill rose out of the top of the tree. They looked angry that I had just woken them up. As scared as I felt, I sprinted towards the tree. The Beedrill locked onto me and dived with their Poison Sting; I counted at least thirty attackers. I still wouldn’t let them stop me.

Just before the Beedrill landed their attack, I jumped below their attacks, feeling a gust of wind as the Beedrill buzzed right past me. Then I threw a Poké Ball. “Pidgeotto use Gust!” With a great flap of her wings, she created a tornado that blew the Beedrill away. “Good job! Keep them busy for a second!”

I reached the tree where Metapod sat, rushing to her side. “There you are! Here. Get into the Poké Ball, Metapod.” However, she shook her head and rolled away from me. Seeing a look of sorrow in Metapod’s eyes, I realized that I lost her trust. “Metapod…”

There was a sudden cry.

A lone Beedrill attacked Pidgeotto with a Poison Sting. She fought back with Wing Attack, knocking it away. I recalled her and then took off with Metapod in my arms. “I didn’t abandon you, Metapod. I just got distracted. It was all Samurai’s fault… Ah!” I tripped on a root in the ground, dropping my Pokémon and falling flat on my face.

Getting up on all fours, I realized that I only lied to myself, and to Metapod too. “No, it wasn’t Samurai’s fault. It was my fault. If I was a better Pokémon Trainer, I wouldn’t make lame excuses.

“From now on, I swear I’ll never run away and leave my friends behind again. There will be no more excuses.” I ran over to pick up Metapod. It made me upset with myself that it was my carelessness that put my Pokémon’s life in danger. Amid tears, I could still speak. “I’m sorry, and I promise to take better care of you, and all my Pokémon.”

Suddenly another Beedrill charged at me, attacking with Twineedle. I had no time to defend myself. Instead, Metapod leaped into the Beedrill’s path, saving me, but in the process, its stinger tore into Metapod’s shell. Beedrill quickly flew away.

I cradled Metapod in my arms, thinking she had been badly injured. “Are you hurt, Metapod? Oh, please be okay!” Samurai, Shinx, and Pikachu joined my side with a protective bee net covering them, where my Pokémon raced over to see Metapod.

Then Metapod started to glow. The crack in her shell opened up more and more, pouring out tons of bright light. A winged figure hatched from the shell. The light faded away, revealing my newly evolved Butterfree as she flapped her wings and fluttered into the air.

I stared in awe, instantly driven to tears. “Butterfree...!” She floated down to my head and circled around me. I smiled at her. “Look how cute you are! You’re pink instead of purple!” She happily flailed her tiny hands and feet.

There was a sudden loud buzzing. “Here come the Beedrill!” Samurai called out.

The Beedrill swarm appeared from the trees, angrier than before.

Butterfree flew down in front of me. “Butterfree? Do you want to battle?” She nodded her head. “Okay, let’s do it! Butterfree, knock them out with your Sleep Powder!” Butterfree released a blanket of light green spores from her wings that put all the Beedrill to sleep, sending them falling to the ground. “You put them all to sleep! You’re the best, Butterfree!” I grabbed my Pokémon and hugged her tightly, spinning in circles.

“You were able to handle your Butterfree so well just after it evolved. Most impressive,” Samurai noted.

“Thank you! But definitely give Butterfree all of the credit!” Butterfree happily danced.

With the swarm of Beedrill all asleep, we returned to Samurai’s cabin. I made sure all of my Pokémon were back to full health and collected my things, recalling everyone but Shinx to their Poké Balls.

Samurai led me and Shinx to the edge of the thick trees, where we could see a trail start to lead out of the forest. “This trail will lead you to Pewter City,” Samurai explained.

“Thanks, Samurai, but we never got to finish our match,” I said.

“Compared with you, my friend, I am the novice. I will keep perfecting my technique, and one day we will meet again.”

“I’m sure it will be a spectacular match.”

“That is guaranteed.”

“See ya, Samurai!” I waved as Shinx and I walked off.

Chapter Text

Finally making it to our destination, I jumped on top of a huge boulder to get a look at the city lying before us. “Yay! Pewter City!” Shinx collapsed on the rock beside me, sighing in relief. “I agree. I thought we’d never get out of that forest.”

Suddenly a voice spoke, “Pewter City is grey. The color is stone. This town has always been famous for stone.”

Startled, I looked to find an older man sitting on a rocky shelf below. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Flint, and you’re standing on some of my merchandise, young lady.”

“Oh, sorry.” I hopped off the boulder. Then I looked around at a collection of various rocks on shelves, and they all had price tags. “Do you mean that you sell rocks?”

“Pewter City souvenirs. Would you like one?”

“No, thanks. I’m traveling, trying to become a great Pokémon Trainer.”

“Well, your Pokémon looks a little worn out. Why don’t I show you to the Pokémon Center?” He got up and walked off.

“That sounds good. What do you say, Shinx?” Shinx nodded his head.

“By the way, that’ll be a two-dollar charge for resting on my rocks.” No way!

✦

Flint took me to the Pokémon Center, rather easy to find. When I got there, I placed all of my Poké Balls onto a tray, plus Shinx, and brought it to the front counter. “Can someone please take care of my Pokémon?”

“Sure thing, Rosa,” replied a nurse working there.

She looked eerily familiar. “Uh, Nurse Joy?”

“Yes, I’m Nurse Joy.”

“But you were in Viridian City, and this is Pewter City.”

“The Nurse Joy in Viridian City is my little sister. I’m the older one. I’ve heard nice things about you from her.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.” I watched a Chansey come over and take away my Pokémon. “By the way, could you tell me how to get to the Gym?”

“Head north of here. A giant stone building near the end of town, it’s pretty noticeable. Hard to miss.”

“Awesome. I’m going there to get a Badge right after everybody’s all healed up.”

“Are you registered for the Kanto League?”

I tilted my head. “Kanto League?”

“I take that as a no . To earn Badges in any region, you have to be registered first.” She saw my worried look and laughed. “There’s no need to panic though, as I can do that here.”

“Really? That’d be great.”

“I’ll just need your Pokédex, please.” I handed it over, where she inserted it into her computer and processed the information. “When I heard you were a Pokémon Trainer, I thought maybe my sister would’ve already registered you back in Viridian. I guess not.”

“Yeah, she didn’t mention anything about the League to me.”

“You should take a look at that poster after we’re all done here.” Just as she said it, my Pokédex popped back out of the computer. “Here’s this back, and now you’re all good to collect Badges from the Kanto region. You’ll want to put them in here.” She handed me a black, metal case with a Poké Ball symbol. “This is your Badge case.”

It opened with the click of a button, showing a padded interior. “Wow, this is awesome!”

“Any other questions about the Pokémon League?”

“Don’t think so, but I know where to find you if any come to mind.”

She smiled. “And I’ll have your Pokémon back out in about an hour.” She walked away.

I went over to a bulletin board. A large poster sat right in the middle, decorated with lots of big letters and bright colors. I read it, a smile growing on my face:

Pokémon League Regional Championships!

To compete, Pokémon Trainers are required to defeat eight Gym Leaders from eight different cities and collect their Badges as proof.

I pumped a fist into the air. “Yes! Here’s my ticket to becoming a World Champion, and my first Badge will come from right here in Pewter City!”

With nothing else to do until my Pokémon healed up, I ate lunch at the cafeteria. Stuffing my face with noodles helped the sudden rush of nerves. “I need to come up with a strategy for the Gym battle,” I mumbled.

“I’m well aware that Gym Leaders are different from everyday Trainers, but I still have to defeat them if I want to get any closer to becoming the World Champion. My priority should be finding out what type of Pokémon the Gym Leader will use.” Thinking about it, I sighed. “That’ll be hard without asking the Gym Leader himself.”

I thought about my dream, and the trials I expected to go through to accomplish it. “I can’t worry about it. My Pokémon are all in top form right now. There’s no way we’re going to lose.”

After finishing my food, I paid the bill and went back to the Pokémon Center. My timing was perfect. Nurse Joy stood at the counter with three Poké Balls and a Shinx. “Well, Rosa, no more waiting. Shinx and your other Pokémon are all back to normal.”

“That’s great. Thank you.” Shinx hopped onto my shoulder. Then Pikachu popped out of her Poké Ball and climbed up beside Shinx. “Pikachu, what are you doing outside your Poké Ball?”

Nurse Joy giggled. “It seems your Pikachu isn’t so fond of its Poké Ball either.”

“Oh? Is that true?” Pikachu nodded her head. “Well, that’s alright, I guess, but the same rules that apply to Shinx apply to you too.” She agreed. “So, everyone ready for our Gym battle?” They both loudly cheered, so we headed out right away.

★

We stepped up to the Pewter Gym. It appeared just as Nurse Joy described it, a large stone building. I found the name in bold, red letters across the top. I knocked on the front doors. “Hello, is anyone there? I’m here to have a battle, please!”

We waited a while for an answer, but none came.

A bit frustrated, I crossed my arms and huffed. “What’s up? Is there some secret to getting inside, or is nobody home?” Shinx tapped my leg. He held a piece of paper in his mouth, which had tape on it. “A note? Where’d you get this?” He pointed to a large boulder near the doors. I read it:

To all Pokémon Trainers,

I’m sorry, but the Pewter Gym is closed today due to a family emergency. I’ll reopen and start accepting battles first thing in the morning. Sorry for the holdup.

– Brock

“Really?” I sighed, sticking the paper back onto the rock. “Well, I can’t do anything about that. Families do come first, don’t they? We’ll have to wait to battle until tomorrow.” Pikachu asked about what to do instead. “Don’t worry. We can spend the rest of today training. I think I know what type of Pokémon we’ll be battling.” It was pretty difficult to ignore the multitude of rocks surrounding us.

Suddenly a voice called out to me, “Excuse me!” We turned around to find a little boy wearing a striped shirt and jeans. This boy looked like he had just returned from the grocery store, but he seemed younger than me. “Miss, are you here to have a Gym battle?”

I nodded. “That’s right, but it looks like it’s closed today. The Gym Leader left a note saying he had a family emergency.”

“Well, it’s not that big of an emergency. My little brother and sister are just sick.”

My eyes widened. “Wait? What? Do you know the Gym Leader?”

“His name is Brock. He’s my big brother.”

I jumped back in surprise. “What?! Seriously?!”

“I’ll introduce you to him if you want. I’m sure he’ll love that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see.” He walked off. “By the way, I’m Forrest. And I like your Pokémon.”

“I’m Rosa.” We ran after him. “And thanks.”

Forrest led me around back. We found a house attached to the Gym. It shocked me more than it shocked him, that’s for sure. “This is my house. Brock and the rest of my brothers and sisters are all inside.”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“Including Brock, nine.”

“Wow!” That’s way too many.

We walked up to the front door, where Forrest popped it open with his foot. He stepped in without a problem, gesturing for me to follow. “Come inside. It’s alright.”

I followed his lead, warily stepping inside. “Um, thank you.” I bowed slightly and removed my shoes.

With nobody running over to greet us, Forrest screamed at the top of his lungs, “Hi, everyone! I’m home from the store, and I brought along a friend too. They’re a Pokémon Trainer.”

The entire house echoed, “A Pokémon Trainer?!”

Appearing from absolutely nowhere, six little kids swarmed around me and asked all sorts of questions. Shinx and Pikachu got startled and scrambled on top of my head, trying to avoid their tails getting yanked. “Hello… Hello, everyone! I’m Rosa,” I stuttered.

I heard a shout from a connecting room. “Forrest, we don’t have time for visitors. Your two littlest siblings are sick, and we’ve got to make sure they get better.” A much older boy came walking out of a kitchen with a bowl of hot water. He saw us and approached me without missing a beat, ignoring the kids completely. He grabbed my hand and slightly bowed. “Miss, I’m sorry, but this is a terrible time to ask for a date. Of course, if you’d like to get together later and have coffee, I’d be more than happy to spend time with a pretty lady like you.”

I was speechless and baffled. “You...must be Brock?”

“I’m flattered you already know my—” Before he could continue, Shinx made his teeth glow and chomped down on his hand. “Ow!” The guy fell backward, throwing the bowl of water into the air. His siblings caught it without spilling any, somehow.

I shrieked. “Ah, sorry! Shinx can get a little protective of me. We don’t just bite people out of nowhere! Say sorry!” Shinx completely ignored me, glaring down at Brock with tiny fangs showing.

Brock got to his feet. “Don’t worry about it. That was more my fault. Now, what was I doing? Oh yeah!” He grabbed the bowl of water and hurried into another room.

Everyone else stayed around me. I couldn’t keep track of the little kids’ questions. They kept grabbing at Shinx and Pikachu, wanting to get a closer look. “They all want to be Pokémon Trainers, like Brock, so they think you’re awesome,” Forrest said.

“Is that so? Well then, I have a treat for you.” I took out the other two Poké Balls and called out my other Pokémon. “How about you all play with these kids for a bit? Be gentle.” Only Shinx stayed at my side. The rest happily ran off to play with everyone.

I went to find Brock. In one of three bedrooms, he stood beside two little kids lying in separate beds, putting wet towels on their foreheads. “What happened to them?” I asked.

“They both got sick with the flu this morning.”

Shinx jumped onto the windowsill and looked down at both of the kids. “Did they both get the same one?”

“I think it was a Pokémon outside that hit them with an attack. They’re twins, and they spend every moment with each other.”

“And there are a lot of Poison-types around here, so that would make sense.”

“Right. I gave some medicine to deal with everything, but it’s not strong enough to recover in a day. It’s hard enough having to close the Gym for today.”

“I bet you don’t want to close the Gym down for longer, huh?”

Brock replied with a simple head nod.

We watched Shinx approach the little girl. He nuzzled her cheek for a second, before going over to the boy and doing the same. It made me smile. “He’s trying to make them feel better.”

“You’ve got a kind-hearted Pokémon with you. That’s for sure.”

“Definitely.” Shinx returned to me, where I scratched his head. That’s when I got a possible idea. “Wait! Brock, are you positive that it was a Pokémon’s attack that did this?”

“Hmm. Well, the symptoms appear to be the same as a Pokémon getting poisoned.”

“Have you thought about feeding them medicine using a Lum Berry?”

“A Lum Berry? Aren’t those kinds of berries only for Pokémon though?”

“No, they have the same healing effect on people too!” I hurriedly searched through my bag, hoping I didn’t give away all of my stock the other day. “I learned it a while back after getting sick. My brother’s an expert Pokémon Trainer. He told me. Ah! Here we go!” I successfully found two green berries, holding them out. “Both kids have to eat the whole fruit to get the full effect. Mashing them up might make them easier to eat.”

Brock rushed to prep the Lum Berries. I stayed behind, rubbing the kids’ foreheads with a warm towel to keep their fevers down. Shinx gave me a hand. When Brock returned, I helped him feed his two siblings, Tommy and Tina.

After finishing the blended berries, we saw instant results. “It’s working. Their fevers seem to be going down.”

I could also see their tiny chests moving a lot better. “And they’re breathing better too.”

Brock turned up a humidifier before we all left, closing the door to let the kids rest. “That was brilliant. At this rate, they’ll be better in just a couple of hours. Thanks so much!”

I grinned. “It was nothing. I’m just glad I had those berries.”

“Oh yeah. I never got your name.”

“It’s Rosa.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Rosa.”

“Nice to finally meet you too, Brock.” We both laughed.

“So, I take it you’re planning on challenging me to a battle for tomorrow.”

“Yes, please!”

“Well, to show my thanks, I’d love to let you and your Pokémon stay for dinner. Then we can have a battle first thing in the morning.”

“Really? That’d be great, Brock!” Shinx jumped for joy.

That evening, I ate dinner with my Pokémon, Brock, and his many siblings, including Tommy and Tina. Brock cooked everything, even the food for my Pokémon. “Sorry ahead of time if any of them reject your food, especially Shinx. He’s picky,” I said as we started eating.

Shinx hesitantly took a piece of kibble into his mouth and chewed. His eyes instantly popped out of his sockets.

I gave him a look. “Is that a good sign or bad?”

After a moment, Shinx bounced around. Then he stuck his face into the bowl and tore into his dinner.

My jaw hit the floor. “This is incredible, Brock! What’d you put in the recipe? I’m not even able to make food he likes yet.”

Brock laughed. “I guess I just have a talent for cooking.”

“No kidding. This food is delicious too.” I held a bowl of chicken and vegetable stew before me, and it tasted amazing. It reminded me of a chicken pot pie without the pie.

“I’m glad it all tastes good. I can give you the recipe for the stew. As for the Pokémon food, I’ve been working on my recipe for years. I’ve finally gotten it to a point where it only needs a small tweak to fit any Pokémon’s diet.”

“That’s top chef stuff, Brock!”

He grinned. “You think so?”

Forrest tapped my shoulder. “You want to know why everything tastes so good? It’s because Brock is trying to become a Pokémon Breeder.”

“That true?” I asked.

“There’s no hiding it. I know I’m a Gym Leader, but I want more than anything to become the world’s best Pokémon Breeder. I love taking care of and raising Pokémon, even more than battling with them.”

“I get that. My dream is to become the Pokémon World Champion. It’s the strongest Trainer in the world. However, to be the strongest Trainer, I have to know how to take care of my Pokémon like a great breeder. I’m also trying to work on a recipe of my very own for my Pokémon, but so far it’s not turning out too well. Right, Shinx?” He frowned and nodded. “My food isn’t quite tasting great yet.”

“I’d be more than happy to give you some tips if you’d like.”

“You mean it?” I pumped a fist into the air. “Hooray! Oh, can I ask something?”

“Go ahead.”

“I can guess that you study up a lot on Pokémon Breeding, but why don’t you travel?”

“It’s true that traveling would be a great way to meet lots of Pokémon and learn different ways of raising them. Your Shinx is an excellent example of that. I’ve never seen that Pokémon here in Kanto, so I know that must be from a different region, which means there’s a whole separate region filled with Pokémon that I have no clue how to handle or anything.

“Unfortunately, a lot of my time is eaten up by numerous Gym challenges and taking care of all my brothers and sisters.”

“Do you have a mom or dad to rely on?”

Brock frowned. “Not really. My father left home to become a Pokémon Trainer.”

I stared at him. “Just like that? Leaving his whole family behind?”

“Yeah. When my father never returned, my mother left on a journey as well. That left me to take care of everyone here. That’s why I can never leave. I can’t just leave my siblings here alone or the Gym without a Gym Leader.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, Brock, and for asking that kind of question. It must be hard.”

“Ah, don’t worry. It is hard, but I’ve gotten used to it.” He rubbed Forrest’s head.

That doesn’t mean it’s okay for your parents to leave like that though.

I rose onto my feet. “Ok, here’s the deal, Brock! My dream may not be to become the world’s best Pokémon Breeder, but I still have to become a great one. It’s a requirement for my goal. I need to raise and take care of Pokémon all on my own without anyone’s help.

“And tomorrow, we’ll have a battle! I’ll show you how determined I am, how far I’m willing to go with my Pokémon, to become a great Pokémon Trainer and a great Pokémon Breeder, for you.”

He gazed at me before standing up beside me. “I like that idea. Thank you, Rosa. That’d make me happy to have a friend to fulfill my dream for me. And if you win that Badge, it’ll be proof that I’m trusting you with it.” We shook on it.

After dinner, I said goodbye to Brock before going back to the Pokémon Center. He told me that we’d both battle with two Pokémon each, giving me a chance to pick out my team for tomorrow. Despite all four of my Pokémon being at a disadvantage against Rock-types, I picked out the two members who’d have a slightly easier time. We trained a bit before bed. “I know you both will be great tomorrow!” I said to them.

★

We stepped back up to the Pewter Gym in the morning. Knocking on the door, it opened by itself. “I’m here, Brock. We’re ready for our battle.” I let myself into the pitch-black room. Torches lit up the walls, and lights flickered on overhead. We found ourselves right in front of a battlefield littered with boulders of all sizes. “Wow, this is a rock Gym for sure.”

“You figured it out. Congratulations!” Brock sat on a pedestal on the other side. He stood up. “And I hope you’re ready for an excellent fight on it.”

“I’m ready!”

“Then let’s begin.” He jumped over to his side of the field. “I’ll explain the rules. As I told you yesterday, we’ll both use two Pokémon. The battle will be over when all Pokémon on either side are unable to continue. Also, you’re allowed to substitute Pokémon, whereas the Gym Leader, myself, may not. That’s pretty standard for all Gyms. Sound good?”

“Sounds fair to me.”

“You have the honors then. Give me all you’ve got, Rosa!” I saw the passion in his eyes.

I looked at my left shoulder. “Pikachu, it’s showtime!”

Brock looked surprised. “You’re battling with Pikachu? I thought you figured out what type of Pokémon I use.”

“Oh, I figured it out. I’m still going with Pikachu!”

He smirked. “Very well. Geodude, go!” Brock called out a small rock with arms.

I pulled out my Pokédex. “Dex, do you mind?”

My Pokédex beeped, “ Geodude the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has incredibly high defensive power, making it virtually resistant to any physical attacks. ”

“This might be a bit tough. You can have the first attack,” Brock said.

“The first is all I need! Pikachu, give it a Thunder Bolt!” Pikachu jumped in the air and launched a massive bolt of lightning at Geodude. In one hit, Geodude got fried. It collapsed on the ground. “Yeah! Right out of the box!”

Brock’s jaw hit the floor. However, he kept calm, recalling his Pokémon. “Nice job. You’ve certainly raised that Pikachu well, and you haven’t been on a journey that long, right?”

“A week or so, I think. And I caught Pikachu halfway through it.”

“Well, still, it won’t be a match for my next Pokémon. Go!” A giant snake made of rocks came out onto the field. It roared so loud my ears hurt.

“What’s that?!” Shinx hid behind me.

Dex beeped, “ Onix the Rock Snake Pokémon. It tunnels through the ground, which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can burrow at fifty miles per hour. ”

Pikachu took one look at Onix before lashing out with another Thunder Bolt. She squeezed her eyes shut, though, and failed to aim her attacks. One attack hit Onix, one smashed into the ceiling up above, and another nearly hit Shinx and me. “Hey, Pikachu, try to watch where you’re aiming!” Pikachu paused to open her eyes.

“A weak attack like that won’t get through Onix’s hard body. Tackle it!” Brock wasted no time commanding his Pokémon. Onix threw its giant head straight at Pikachu.

She quickly dashed out of the way, letting Onix slam its head into the ground. “Find an opening and hit it with another Thunder Bolt!”

“Don’t let it escape, Onix!” Onix tried tackling Pikachu a second time. Though it failed, it reached out with its tail and grabbed Pikachu. “Now bind it!” With its tail wrapped tightly around Pikachu’s small body, Onix squeezed her, hard.

“Quick! Give it another one!” The next series of Thunder Bolts did hit Onix, but none of them damaged it nearly enough to take it out. “Err, hang in there, Pikachu! Keep hitting it with your—”

The sprinklers suddenly came on. Feeling the water on his body, Onix started roaring out in pain. “Onix!” Brock screamed.

“How did those turn on?” Looking at Pikachu, I gasped. “Maybe her attacks caused a fire or something. Ah, nevermind! Now’s our chan—!” Without even attacking, Onix tumbled over on its side, releasing its grip on Pikachu. The water inflicted lots of damage, and it needed just one hit to be knocked out. Then we’d win! But…

That wouldn’t be right, would it?

Thinking hard, I made the tough choice of calling the battle off. “Pikachu return!” Pikachu gazed back at me, surprised, but then returned without question.

Brock was stunned. “What are you doing, Rosa? The match isn’t over yet!”

“Sorry, Brock, but it is. Those sprinklers going off was just an accident. Winning the match because of that would’ve have proved anything for me. Get Onix healed up, and I’ll come back later for a rematch. Then, I’ll beat you fair and square.”

“But—”

“Until then!” I bowed and headed outside, accompanied by my two Pokémon.

On my way out the door, a voice called from behind us. “Hey! Hey, wait up, Rosa!”

I turned to find Brock catching up with us. “Brock?”

“Rosa, you forgot this.” He held out an octagon-shaped pendant.

I gazed at it. “A Badge for defeating a Gym Leader? You know I can’t accept that. Since I called off the battle and gave up, I lost.”

“Nah, I lost to you. You beat me in battle and in being kind to people and Pokémon.”

“Huh? But… I still…”

“Remember how I told you that I prefer raising Pokémon over making them battle?”

“Yeah.”

“You know my dream is to become a great Pokémon Breeder. I can’t leave here since I have to look after my siblings. So instead, I want you to fulfill my dream for me, Rosa.”

“Me?!”

“You said yourself that you also want to become a great breeder! Our battle today did show me how determined you are to achieve your goals. So, I wanted to ask if you’d take this Badge on your way to fulfilling your dreams, and mine too. Will you do that for me?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Staring down at the Badge, I had my answer. “I will, Brock, and I’ll do my best to deserve this too.”

He gave a smile. “Thank you, Rosa. So, here’s a Boulder Badge.”

“Thank you.” I showed the Badge to Shinx and Pikachu. “Check it out, guys! Our very first Badge!” They both cheered, with Pikachu making a peace sign. I mimicked it. “Right! Go, team! One down, seven to go.” I put the Badge into its designated case, safely storing it in my bag.

“So, where are you headed to for your second Badge?”

“I’m not quite sure yet. I need to consult my map.”

“Might I suggest a place? How about Cerulean City?”

“Cerulean City?”

Brock pointed to the east. “You see that snowy peak on the horizon? That’s called Mt. Moon. Cerulean City is right on the other side of it. I’d say it’s the closest Gym to here.”

I nodded. “Well then, that’s settled! Which means we better head out as soon as possible.”

“Take care, Rosa. Maybe we’ll meet again soon.”

“Something tells me we will. Later!” I waved before taking off with my Pokémon at my side.

Chapter Text

That next morning, Shinx, Pikachu, and I set out at sunrise. After making a quick stop to stock up on supplies, we stepped outside the boundaries of Pewter City. We found signs labeled Pewter City and Cerulean City .

Underneath the Cerulean City arrow, a separate note warned travelers about going through Mt. Moon. “I wonder why? If it was dangerous to cross through the mountain, you think Brock would’ve mentioned something,” I said.

Shinx and Pikachu both shrugged their shoulders. We decided to continue but remain cautious.

The road stayed quiet. I only heard the footprints of myself and Shinx. Pikachu sat in my bag for the journey. It remained silent between the three of us until Shinx asked me about seeing Brock again. “Well, I would like to see him again once my Pokémon Breeding skills are closer to his level. After all, I made him a promise, and I intend to keep it.”

Shinx grinned at me.

“Come on, Shinx. I can’t possibly think about that now. I’ve got to deal with more important things. Besides, he’s not my type anyway.”

Pikachu asked why not.

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it very well. He just isn’t. I know just by looking at Brock that he could never be the one.” They both accepted my answer.

Laughing, I winked at them. “So let me know if somebody more suitable comes around, and I don’t notice. Do whatever you want with anyone else.”

A pink Pokémon suddenly emerged from the bushes in front of us, with huge blue eyes and pointy ears. “What’s that?”

Dex answered that question. “ Jigglypuff the Balloon Pokémon. It captivates foes with its huge, round eyes and lulls them to sleep by singing a soothing melody. When this Pokémon sings, it never pauses to breathe. If it is in a battle against an opponent that does not easily fall asleep, Jigglypuff will endanger its life. ”

I shivered. “That sounds like a miserable Pokémon. I don’t know if we should catch it.”

“Hold it right there!” A girl sprung out in front of us, armed with a single Poké Ball. “I’m going to be catching this Jigglypuff! Understand?!”

Raising my hands, I stepped back. “Go ahead. I wasn’t interested anyway.”

“I don’t believe you! I’ll battle you for it!”

My temper snapped like a twig. “I said I wasn’t interested! Now, catch it before it gets away!” The Jigglypuff raced towards some bushes.

“Go Poké Ball!” She tossed the Poké Ball, catching the Jigglypuff. “Finally! I’ve been chasing that Jigglypuff forever.”

“Amateur.” I started to walk away with my Pokémon.

The girl jumped in my way again. “Hey! We still have to battle.”

“Why? You caught that Jigglypuff fair and square. I didn’t want it anyway.”

“You were eyeing it even after I caught it, so a battle we must have.”

“Were you dropped on your head as a baby?”

“Oh, I’ve had enough of you. Go, Nidoran!” She called out a male Nidoran.

Unable to resist the pull of an easy battle, I sighed. “If you insist on getting your butt kicked, then here. Butterfree, it’s showtime!” Butterfree flew high above Nidoran, already proving to have an advantage.

“Ha! You might have a pretty pink Pokémon, but there’s a whole lot more to a Pokémon than how it looks. Nidoran use Fury Swipes!”

“Stupid! You don’t think I already know that?! Butterfree, send it back with Gust!” She kicked up a mighty wind, sending Nidoran flying.

“Ah!” She watched her Nidoran fall on the ground in front of her. “Nidoran, get up!”

“Not a chance. You wanted to battle. Give it Stun Spore!” Butterfree flew above Nidoran and showered him in yellow glitter. Nidoran couldn’t move anymore. “Like our little paralysis trick?”

“That was a cheap trick. Nidoran use Poison Sting!” Her Pokémon still couldn’t move.

“Finish this with Confusion!” Butterfree picked up Nidoran with a limited amount of psychic energy, threw him high into the air, and launched him straight into the ground. He got knocked out.

The girl’s face turned as white as a sheet. “Nidoran!!”

“That’s why you don’t just challenge people for no reason at all. Thanks, Butterfree.” I pet my Pokémon’s head. Shinx and Pikachu cheered for us both.

The girl recalled her Pokémon. “Okay, I admit it. Sorry for attacking you out of the blue like that. I’ve just been so frustrated trying to catch Jigglypuff.”

I laughed. “I get it. Not all Pokémon are easy to catch. I spent three whole days trying to catch a Pokémon. It failed each time, but eventually, I caught one.” I gestured back to my butterfly. “That’s when all that work pays off.”

“Are you a new Trainer then, like me?”

“That’s right. I came here from the Sinnoh region a week ago.”

“Oh. That’s funny. I met another Trainer from Sinnoh just yesterday.”

My ears perked up a little. “You did? Did he have purple hair?”

“He did, too purple for a guy though. It was weird, but even with weird hair, he was super strong. There was no way I could beat him. Why? Do you know him?”

“He’s sort of a friend of mine, and I’ve been trying to catch up with him. Did he mention where he’d be going next?” I can’t believe I’m asking her to talk more.

She pointed at the big mountain in our path. “To Mt. Moon. It’s the big mountain just ahead. There’s a trail that leads up to the caves.”

“Hey, thanks a lot! Let’s go, everybody!” Recalling Butterfree, I ran off.

Shinx caught up with me to ask what the rush was about. Pikachu jumped on my shoulder and asked the same question.

“There’s no mistaking it. That’s Paul, and if she saw him yesterday, it means he’s gotten ahead of me. I can’t let that happen. We’ve got to find him, and when we do, we’ll run right past him to Cerulean City.”

★

It took no time at all getting to the base of Mt. Moon, running up a dirt trail that led directly to a cave. I stopped to take a breath. “That was a nice jog. We’ll have lunch when we find Paul.” I took a second to inspect the cave, where only a little bit of light pierced the pitch-black darkness inside. “Man, it’s dark in there,” I groaned, rubbing my arms. “We’ll need a way to see.”

Pikachu and Shinx oddly stepped into the cave. “What are you two doing?” I followed them inside.

My two Pokémon closed their eyes. Then they started to glow yellow and blue, lighting up a decent portion of the cave around us. “Wow! When did you guys learn Flash?” They both looked at each other and shrugged.

We made our way deeper and deeper into the beautiful cave. My Pokémon’s light made the walls glitter. “I read that this mountain is famous for being made by meteors falling from the sky. That’s why everything is so glittery, from the large deposit of Moon Stones left here. Stay on the lookout for any.”

We made it to a fork in the path, splitting into three different tunnels. “Well, great. A map would be nice for this.” We had no clue which one to take. “Let’s pick one. This way!” I pointed to the leftmost path, and we headed down it.

We hit a dead-end. “Aw, man!” I sulked a little, patting the wall. “Sorry, guys, it wasn’t right.”

Heading back to the fork, I held Pikachu up in the air. “Pikachu, your turn.” She pointed straight. That path ended up leading nowhere as well, and she felt terrible about it. I rubbed her head. “Don’t worry. At least we know which path is the right one now.”

They didn’t appreciate my pun...

We ventured down the rightmost path. It seemed much longer than the other two. “Yeah, now we’re getting somewhere. Keep this up, and we’ll find Paul in no time! As long as we don’t run into anymore—”

We ran into another fork. “Man, you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Shinx and Pikachu barked at me to be quiet.

“Sorry. But this is awful. We can’t afford to keep searching every path, or we’ll be stuck in here for days.” Pikachu pointed at Shinx and me. “You’re right. Maybe there is a Pokémon around that can help us.”

We carefully inspected the three paths, keeping an eye out for wild Pokémon. I wanted to catch a Pokémon to help us out, but I was rather picky about who to catch. It had to be someone that I’d want to catch for more than simply guiding us through dark caves. We found several Paras, Geodude, and ran into a Sandshrew every once in a while.

At one point, a little pink Pokémon with wings came out from the shadows. “I think that’s a Clefairy.”

Dex beeped. “ Clefairy the Fairy Pokémon. They say that happiness will come to those who see a gathering of Clefairy dancing under a full moon. The moonlight stored in the wings on its back gives it the ability to float in midair. ”

“Clefairy are native to the mountain, so they should know how to get through here. Let’s catch it! Pikachu use Quick Attack!” Pikachu slammed right into Clefairy. However, it fought back by blowing pink hearts in her face. “That’s Sweet Kiss!” Pikachu got confused and started dancing around. Clefairy then slapped my Pokémon in the face repeatedly. “Oh no.” Pikachu got knocked into my arms. Clefairy ran away, and I had no energy to chase it.

I hugged my Pikachu. “Are you okay?” She smiled at me, but apologized. “Eh, Clefairy wasn’t right for our team anyways. We’ll find another Pokémon that stands out so much we have to catch it.”

Just then a horde of blue and purple bats came zooming towards us. I screamed and covered my head to avoid getting hit. “What are these?”

My Pokédex beeped. “ Zubat the Bat Pokémon. It forms colonies in very dark places like caves. It uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets due to being blind. These waves also act as sonar to check for objects in its way. ”

“They must’ve gotten startled from our battle.” I ducked to avoid a Wing Attack. “Maybe we can catch one. That sonar might get us through this mountain. Let’s pick one. Shinx use Shock Wave! Pikachu use Thunder Bolt!” My Pokémon launched their attacks, dazing the bats quite a bit. “The last one standing is the one we catch. Deal?”

My electric Pokémon attacked the Zubat horde repeatedly with their super effective moves, hoping to single one of them out. Some tried attacking us, but most of them fled the instant they took damage.

Eventually, we thinned the horde until only one Zubat remained. “And this one still wants to fight. Excellent!” It flapped its wings and then released an ear-splitting screech from its fanged mouth. I covered my ears. “That’s Supersonic! Don’t listen to it or it’ll confuse you!”

However, covering our ears gave Zubat a chance to strike with Wing Attack. “Hang in there! It’s already taken a bunch of damage, so this shouldn’t last long. Shinx use Swift!” Zubat took a direct hit at point-blank range. “Go Poké Ball!” I smacked Zubat in the face with the ball. It didn’t struggle at all. “Yay!”

Retrieving the ball, I held it out to my Pokémon. “Thanks, guys! This cave should be a whole lot easier now. Zubat, come out!” Our new friend emerged, not instantly wanting to attack us thankfully.

“Sorry, we startled you, Zubat, but welcome to the team!” I put a hand on my chest. “I’m Rosa.”

Zubat made a low screech before landing on my head.

“Here’s an Oran Berry for all those injuries we caused. You guys, too.” I handed out berries to each of my Pokémon, hoping to make up for all the chaos just now.

Once everyone seemed better, I grabbed Zubat’s attention. “Now Zubat, we need your help getting through this mountain. It’s taking too long to explore each path separately. Can you do it?”

She took flight.

Looking around for a bit and screeching at a medium volume, Zubat darted down the tunnel. My Pokémon kept a close eye on the bat, and we all chased after her.

Zubat brought us to yet another fork in the path. She gazed around and screeched once more before moving to the left path’s entrance. “This is so awesome! We’ll get out of here in no time with Zubat’s help. Now, lead the way!”

Navigating through the mountain proved to be just another day for Zubat. Despite being blind, she used her Supersonic attack to detect walls, rock formations, and other objects, just like it said in the Pokédex. She even discovered Pokémon, who I nearly stepped on quite a few times. They got upset for being disturbed, but we apologized and continued without battling.

At one point, we walked down another long pathway. Descending a slope, we came out into a clearing inside the mountain. We heard a voice. “Hey kid, what are you doing here?” I looked to the side to find a man in a black uniform with a big red R on his shirt. “I said, what are you doing here?”

Getting Zubat to land on my shoulder, I kept my cool and gave the guy a look. “What does it look like I’m doing here? I’m exploring, duh! I’m a Pokémon Trainer trying to find my way through this labyrinth. What’s the problem?”

“We’re pulling a big job here, and we can’t have kids like you around. Get lost!”

I waved a hand. “Yeah, sure, I’ll leave. I just have to get through first, so move it!”

He didn’t move. Instead, he stepped closer. “Trying to talk tough, are we? We’ll make you leave. Go, Raticate!” He called out a fat, brown rat with huge teeth and sharp claws. The guy made a grin. “Are you sure you still want to go through?”

Feeling scared, I stood my ground anyways. “Yep. Change my mind.” My Pokémon agreed.

“I’ll change it. Raticate use Hyper Fang!” Raticate charged for us with glowing teeth.

“Spark!” Shinx leaped forward and tackled Raticate, knocking it to the side. It hunched over on the ground, suddenly covered in tiny yellow sparks. “Way to paralyze it! Double Thunder Bolt!” Shinx and Pikachu blasted our opponent with a powerful bolt of lightning. It fell unconscious. “Let’s go!” I rushed past the bad man.

“Hey, get back here!” He chased after us.

“Supersonic!” Zubat blasted him away.

We took a mix of paths to lose the guy. The twisting and turning of the tunnels gave us a wide range of options.

When I felt we had lost him, we stopped to catch our breath. “Who was… that guy?” I panted, hunched over with hands on my knees. Shinx and Pikachu both collapsed from exhaustion, replying with weak cries.

Clearly the Pokémon needed to take a rest. I recalled Zubat, put Pikachu into my bag, and brought Shinx into my arms. “There. Now, we need to get out of here quickly. Man, I sure hope Paul didn’t run into any of those... guys...”

Time suddenly froze. The sound of light footsteps came from my side. I screamed and spun around, raising my knee before letting out a kick. My foot went straight into someone’s side. Moments later, the person collapsed on the ground. They let out a painful groan before yelling at me: “Hey, watch it! What was that for?”

I recognized the voice that spoke. You’ve got to be kidding!!!

It took me a second to process what just happened. Shivering, I had Shinx use Flash to light up the person’s facial features. “Paul?!”

Paul sat himself up, rubbing one knee. “I’ll remember this for a while...”

Feeling completely awful, I knelt down beside him. “Sorry! I swear I had no idea it was you. I was being chased by another dude, so when I heard someone approaching me, I didn’t think it could’ve been anyone else.”

“Whatever! You owe me for this...” He suddenly turned to the side.

“Slow down there, tiger! I said I was sorry! I don’t owe you anything—!”

“Keep it down!” He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a cluster of rocks.

I tried fighting him off, but he held me there. “What are you doing?”

He put a hand over my mouth. “Keep quiet for two seconds, will ya?!” When Shinx threatened to bite Paul, he pointed over the rocks and whispered, “Somebody is coming, so we can’t have her giving away our position. Can we?”

Shinx looked off in the same direction and then stood down.

“Traitor...” I hissed at him.

We poked our heads up and over the rocks. The beam from a flashlight bobbed up and down the tunnel. We ducked when it pointed in our direction, hearing the crunch of boots get closer. “Did you see where that boy went?” said a man’s voice.

His partner replied, “He went this way, I’m sure of it.”

“But it’s so dark. I can hardly see anything.”

“Well, maybe he got scared off and ran out the way he came in. We would’ve known if he tried to leave to Cerulean City.”

That’s when we heard stray footsteps, making me jump out of my skin. Paul kept me from giving away our hiding spot. Promising to remain silent, we peeked around the rock. A third person hurriedly approached out of breath. “Another Trainer is roaming around down here!”

“Dammit, man! That’s the second one you let in. We can’t even find the first one.”

“I’m sorry. She totally overpowered Raticate and me.”

“Well, they’ve got to be around here somewhere. Maybe they’ve gone up ahead to the exit.”

“We can’t let them get there! They’ll interrupt the scientist. Let’s go!” The three men all ran off.

We made sure the light had disappeared before we got to our feet. Despite the darkness, I felt Paul’s presence at my side. “How long have you been here?” I whispered.

“Since this morning. These Team Rocket grunts are infesting the place.”

“Team Rocket?”

“They’re a gang of bad guys that roam the Kanto Region and are always seeking to make a profit off rare Pokémon. For some reason, they’re here in Mt. Moon and blocking all Trainers from going through to Cerulean City. They keep talking about Fossils and a professor looking for them.”

“If it’s money they’re after, getting their hands on a Pokémon Fossil would do the trick.”

“I don’t know how to get past them. I should’ve caught a Zubat when I first entered.”

“Is that the problem? I can solve that.” I sent out Zubat, who landed on my head. “She’s already proven herself at navigating this labyrinth. Hey, why don’t we just take a quick look at what they’re guarding and get out before they see us?”

“That’ll work. Just try not to be a headache, got it?”

Holding up my fist, I grinned. “Your head’s going to be aching soon if you keep that up.”

“Whatever.” He looked around before stepping out on the path.

I followed Paul. Shinx tried to brighten his body, but I stopped him. “Hey, I appreciate the thought, but let’s not do that this time. It’d probably do more harm than good if people are trying to find us.” He worried about me running into things. “I’ll be fine as long as I know where Zubat is.”

“Which means if Zubat flies over something you’ll hit it, right?” I heard Paul laugh a little.

“Ignore him. Let’s go.” We all headed in the direction the three men went.

Keeping Zubat at the front, we made our way through the maze. She continuously fired off invisible waves, keeping them at a low volume to avoid giving away our position. In the meantime, I looked over at Paul. “So, have you caught any new Pokémon?”

“Not many. I haven’t had much time. I’ve been training a ton for the Cerulean Gym. The leader there is supposed to specialize in Water-types.”

“Water-types? I guess that means challengers should use Grass or Electric-types then. It looks like you’ll be up again, Shinx, and Pikachu!” They both got excited. “I’ll have to decide on my third pick if I need three Pokémon.”

“That should be good no matter how many Pokémon they have. Two Electric-types is plenty.”

“But what if I need a third Pokémon? There’s no harm in having one for the battle.”

“The harm is that if you think you need more than two Electric-types for a Water-type Gym, then your Pokémon are all weak, and so are you.”

I glared at him. “Hey, my Pokémon are very strong right now! We all are, and how you judge our preparedness for an upcoming Gym match won’t change any of that. Any Pokémon can be strong as long as you train them to be. Right, guys?” They all agreed.

“Please. It’s a waste of time training a weak Pokémon when you can catch the strongest one of its kind and start at a much greater advantage. That’s the reason I haven’t captured any new Pokémon lately, because all the Pokémon I’ve come across were all weak, didn’t fit with my team well, or didn’t know any outstanding moves.”

“Say what you want, Paul, but you shouldn’t be looking for ‘outstanding.’ You should be looking for potential.”

He seemed puzzled by my response. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at him, for example.” I held Shinx out to him. “He’s only a Shinx that knows a handful of moves. I see potential in him, and as a Trainer, it’s my job to make sure he reaches an outstanding future. I have to raise him correctly if I want that to happen. Does that make sense?”

“It’s a waste of time to raise a Pokémon.”

“It’s not a waste at all, and you have no idea what you’re talking about.” Shinx purred when squeezed like a teddy bear. “It’s not a waste if it means your Pokémon will soon become shining examples of what it really means to be powerful and to be outstanding . My Pokémon and I get strong together. That’s how it works.” Pikachu climbed up onto my shoulder and nuzzled my cheek, and Zubat perched on my head.

After a moment, Paul asked, “Doesn’t it get heavy carrying all of them?”

“Not really. Consider it a workout.” I lifted Shinx above my head, and he smiled.

Paul smirked. “You’re weird.”

“Well, unlike some people, I care for my Pokémon. I get stronger with my Pokémon, and I mean it. When Shinx evolves into a Luxio, I’m going to make sure I can pick him up. What if he hurts his leg or something and would rather die than get in his Poké Ball? And I have to really get myself ready for when he evolves into a Luxray. Most weigh around ninety pounds, on average.”

“You know a lot about Electric-types, don’t you?”

“I feel like we’ve discussed this before, and I’m sure we’ll discuss it again. I love Electric-types! They’re my absolute favorite, but I especially love the Shinx family. The entire chain of Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray is just pure awesomeness. If you ever get an Electric-type and I find out, I’ll make sure to stick to you like glue.”

“That sounds like a nightmare. I’ll make sure never to let you find out. I’d go nuts.”

“You’re no prize either!” I walked a little faster to get ahead of him.

After walking for over an hour, avoiding the eyes of anybody else roaming the dark tunnels, we came into another big clearing. The roof opened up to the sky, with a sun sitting right over our heads. Paul stepped forward to look around. “What is this place?”

Recalling Zubat, I gazed at a large, sparkly stone sitting to the side. “Is that a Moon Stone?”

“It is.” A young man approached us, wearing glasses and a lab coat. “I’m here researching it. My name is Seymour, and I work for the Pewter Museum.”

“I’m Rosa. This is Shinx and Pikachu.”

“As for me, the name’s Paul. We’re on our way to Cerulean City.”

“Oh, then you’ll want to go out that tunnel.” He pointed to an opening on the other side of the room, where you could see a bit of light on the other end. “Of course, I’d love it if you stayed to see my research.”

I don’t know about Paul, but I felt curious. “What are you researching?”

“I’m here to research Mt. Moon’s connection with this gigantic Moon Stone and the Clefairy.” Seymour walked us over to the Moon Stone. “I’m also trying to figure out the connection to these.” He grabbed two large rocks and held them up for us to see.

Paul and I immediately noticed the distinctive patterns for both. “Fossils!”

“That’s right. These are real Pokémon Fossils I found here in the cave’s walls. They’re named the Dome and Helix Fossils.”

I walked over to touch the giant boulder. “What’s the connections you’ve found so far?”

“I’m glad you asked. I concluded that this big Moon Stone and these Fossils are from the same era. The Moon Stone has traces of Pokémon DNA that date as old as these Fossils, at least a couple million years old.

“It does raise the question of whether or not the Pokémon came from space. If they did, my guess is they did it with this Moon Stone, since the Moon Stone and its shards all over the world increase a Pokémon’s power.”

“Power? Like when it makes certain Pokémon evolve?” I asked.

“Exactly.”

I picked up several shards of Moon Stone surrounding the big one. “I should take some.”

“Wait! You can’t just take those!” Seymour grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Why not? I don’t see your name on them!”

“They’re for my research! My research is my top priority! Hand them back!”

“Not going to happen. There’s plenty, and I’m sure there are lots more scattered throughout this mountain.” I stuffed a few in my bag and then walked over to my good friend. “To make you feel better, I’ll share some with Paul, so I’m not taking them simply for selfish reasons. Cool?” I slapped the remaining stones in his hands.

“That hurt,” Paul grumbled to himself as he stowed them away.

Seymour looked upset, but he sighed. “I’ll let it go this once. Of course, the important pieces of research for me are these Fossils—A rare find. I’m planning to head back to Pewter City soon so my colleagues can study them too. They’re probably wondering where I am at this point.”

That was alarming. “How long have you been here studying these?”

“A few days. I can’t stop when questions pop into my head. Besides, it’s so nice and peaceful here with no interruptions. The only thing that comes in and out of this room is an occasional Clefairy to drop a Moon Stone shard over by the big one.”

I leaned over to Paul. “He must not know about Team Rocket yet.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“There’s so much more we still don’t know.” He hugged the Fossils. “I want to learn everything there is to know about Pokémon and the world we share with them. Pokémon truly are amazing creatures; these ancient relics have shown me that.”

“Well, Professor, I’m so glad you had a wonderful time with those Fossils.”

We turned around to see a man with green hair and a woman with orange hair in Team Rocket uniforms. “Now, we know they’re a bit heavy, so we’ll take them off your hand now.” A group of twenty or so Team Rocket members surrounded us.

I held Shinx tight, my back up against Paul and Seymour. “What is this?”

Seymour held the Fossils tight. “I found these fair and square! They’re mine! Who are you anyway?”

“Don’t be so hasty. We’re Team Rocket, a group of Pokémon gangsters that strike fear with our strength. We’re here for those Fossils you’re holding. Our boss is hoping to earn huge riches for selling those to his clients. Lots of money can be made in the area of Prehistoric Pokémon, and we’re willing to give you some in exchange.”

Naturally, Seymour stayed put.

The man looked over at Paul and me. “As for you two, you must be pretty skilled to get past our guards. I’ll spare you both and offer the chance to join Team Rocket. Little kids shouldn’t be messing around with grown-ups anyway, but this will be an exception. I’m sure our boss will offer a nice salary.”

The ginger girl said, “And you’ll get to keep your Pokémon, of course.” She stared right at Shinx. “Although I think he’d pay a ton for rare Pokémon that aren’t native to the Kanto region. What do you say?”

I held my Pokémon tighter. “Why would we join a group of no-good crooks who try to strike fear with power?”

“We strike fear with our strength! And you better watch your mouth, little miss!”

I growled. “I’ll show you! If you want to get these Fossils, you’ll have to go through me!”

The duo turned to each other with grins. “I guess that’s a no. Get them!”

The other grunts immediately lunged for the three of us, sending out multiple Zubat, Rattata, Sandshrew, and purple snake Pokémon. Guarding Seymour, I let Shinx and Pikachu jump forward, grabbing my other three Poké Balls. “It’s showtime!” Zubat, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree hovered above the other two.

To my surprise, a sixth Pokémon appeared beside them. It was massive and green with bushes on its back. “I’ll help too,” Paul grumbled, looking over at me. “Not you or your Pokémon, just Seymour. And I hate pathetic losers like these guys anyways!”

While he babbled on, a few Zubat dived for his Pokémon with Wing Attack. I reacted before he did. “Shinx use Shock Wave!” Shinx blasted away all the enemy Zubat. I glanced at Paul. “I was your helping your Pokémon, not you. Pikachu use Thunder Bolt on the Zubat, and Pidgeotto use Wing Attack on the Rattata!” The enemy Pokémon all fell unconscious with single hits of our attacks.

“Grotle use Razor Leaf on the Sandshrew!” So that’s what it is. Grotle quickly knocked the Ground-type Pokémon out with a super effective Razor Leaf attack. “Too easy!”

“Butterfree use Confusion!” Butterfree blasted away the purple snakes and their many Trainers. “Now, you and Pidgeotto use Gust! Zubat use Supersonic!”

“Energy Ball!” Grotle combined his attack with those of my Pokémon to blast every Team Rocket member out of the cave, except for the main two. We then surrounded them. “Where’s your strength and power now?”

They tried throwing some Poké Balls at us. “Spark!” Shinx charged straight at the last two enemies and slammed into them, sending them flying right after their subordinates. “Yeah!”

I got Dex to register Grotle. “ Grotle the Grove Pokémon and the evolved form of Turtwig. It lives near water in forests, and leaves the forests during the day to allow light to shine on the plants on its shell. ”

I huddled up with my Pokémon. “That’s showing them, everyone!” My Pokémon all cheered their hearts out. I then felt a big head bump my leg, turning around to find Grotle. He earned a pat on the head. “You did amazing, Grotle. It’s nice to see you’ve evolved, and gotten so big! Man, you’re nothing like your Trainer.”

Paul crossed his arms in frustration. “He’s exactly like me, but just slacks off when he sees you.”

“Oh, shut it! Your Pokémon is still powerful, no doubt your strongest, and you know it.”

“Whatever. Return.” He recalled his Pokémon, and I did too.

Seymour stepped over to us. “Thank you both for saving me and the Fossils.”

I replied, “No problem.”

“We needed a warm-up for the Cerulean Gym anyways,” Paul said with a shrug.

“You should probably get some Pokémon to protect yourself if they try stealing them again, Seymour.”

He shook his head. “Well, seeing as I’m not too big on being a Pokémon Trainer, I got a much better idea. How about you both take them?”

“Really?!” Paul and I gasped, especially since Seymour was so defensive about them earlier.

“I can’t protect them very well here. Besides, you two will be able to travel the world and visit all sorts of incredible places. I heard that somewhere in Kanto, there’s a research lab working on restoring Fossils to life. I’d be more than happy to give you the Fossils if you promise to find that lab and try bringing these Pokémon into the modern world. Will you guys do that for me?”

Paul and I exchanged looks. “Sure, Seymour,” we replied.

“Great. Here, go ahead and pick.” He held out the two Pokémon Fossils.

Paul stepped back. “Ladies first, though I guess neither of us is much of a lady.”

“Very funny.” I looked at both Fossils several times each. It was the Dome Fossil against the Helix Fossil. “I know that the Dome is supposed to be a fossilized Kabuto and the Helix is supposed to be Omanyte.”

“That’s correct, and then Kabuto becomes Kabutops and Omanyte becomes Omastar.”

I considered Seymour’s comment, looking up all four Pokémon on Dex. Both of the Pokémon turned into dual Rock and Water-types when evolving. A voice in the back of my head told me to choose the Helix Fossil, but the idea of seeing a Pokémon like Kabutops weighed heavily on my final decision. I showed them my choice by grabbing the Dome Fossil. “I’ll take this one.”

Paul took Helix. “Then this one is mine.”

“I do hope you both will take care of those Fossils, and the Pokémon you revive from them,” said Seymor.

I smiled at my new rock. “We promise.”

Seymour guided me and Paul out of the cave. A dirt trail ran straight down the hill off into a group of trees. He pointed at them. “If you follow that path, it’ll lead you straight into Cerulean City.”

I grinned back at him. “Thank you so much, Seymour. I’ll try to send a postcard once I get this Fossil revived.”

“I’d like that. Thanks!” We shook hands, and then I waved goodbye.

Walking off, I thought about the fun day we just had, looking at my new Fossil. “This is exciting. In a way, we have another new member of the family, huh?” Shinx and Pikachu both agreed. “And Seymour was a very nice person, though I’ll be the first to admit I lied about sending a postcard.”

Paul laughed. “You’re pretty cruel, aren’t you?”

I glared at him. “Well, I seriously doubt I’ll ever see him again. Maybe I’ll send a picture of my Kabuto to the Pewter Museum once it’s revived, but there’s no guarantee. It is now my Pokémon, after all.”

“Then you should probably put it away before heading into town.”

“You think? Well, I guess some people would freak out if they saw it.”

“Or they might even try to steal it.”

“Good point.” I wrapped the Dome Fossil in a spare shirt and then carefully packed it into my bag. “There!”

We made it to a signpost with multiple signs pointing in all different directions. “Seymour was right. If we keep taking this path, we’ll be in Cerulean City. Yeah, time for our next Badge!”

“Man, you sure are noisy.”

“You need to be noisier! I can’t even tell if you’re excited or not—Hey!” I turned to find him already heading down the path. “Wait for us, loser!” I rushed after him, and we headed to Cerulean City together.

Chapter Text

With such a straight path from Mt. Moon, we quickly reached Cerulean City. It was a mid-sized city with a channel of water just to the north. Downtown consisted of several popular shops and attractions, while the outskirts contained most of the residential buildings. Best part, the little amount of trees allowed the bright, warm sunshine to be felt from anywhere in the city.

“So this is Cerulean City, huh? Pretty nice place, isn’t it?” I said. Pikachu and Shinx agreed.

“Yeah, whatever. I’m not here to sightsee,” Paul said.

“Then go to the Gym. It’s not like I want to sightsee with you anyways.”

Not even hesitating, he headed off to the Gym.

Watching him walk away, I sighed. “Why is he always like that?” Pikachu and Shinx both shrugged their shoulders.

Entering the heart of Cerulean City, we saw a big crowd of people circling a machine shop with lots of police cars. “I wonder what happened,” I said.

We joined the crowd of people and worked our way to the front. I asked the first person I came across, “Excuse me. Do you know what happened here?”

“Oh, some burglars broke into that store last night,” replied the man.

“Burglars?”

A voice called over to me, “What do you know about burglars?” A lady with blue hair in a police uniform approached us with a very skeptical look on her face. “You look very suspicious to me.”

“Hey, didn’t I see you patrolling the streets of Viridian City on your motorcycle?” I asked.

“Oh, you’re mistaking me for my sister-in-law Officer Jenny. If you were patrolling the streets keeping an eye on the police, then maybe you were trying to avoid them for some reason.”

“What? No, that’s not—”

She wouldn’t hear me out. “Now, maybe you wanted to ask for directions, or maybe you found a wallet on the street and needed to hand it in, or maybe you’re a criminal who broke out of jail!” She showed me a pair of handcuffs.

I gulped. “I’ve never even been to jail, ma’am!”

“That’s what they all say,” said Officer Jenny.

“We just got into town. We saw the crowd, so we came over to see what was going on.”

She grinned. “The criminals always return to the scene of the crime.”

“Maybe this will help clear things up,” I said and pulled out my Pokédex.

Clicking a button, my Pokédex began, “ I’m Dexter, a Pokédex programmed by Professor Rowan for Pokémon Trainer Rosa of Sunyshore City to use. ” It showed my photo ID as well.

“Well, that’s enough evidence for me.” She put away her handcuffs. “I’m sorry if I was suspicious. I’ve been working round the clock to catch these burglars.”

“What exactly did they steal?” I asked.

“That’s the strange thing about it. They didn’t take any money. Just a massive vacuum and a giant hose.”

“What would anyone want that stuff for?”

“I’m sure I don’t know, young lady, but I do know I don’t have time to play guessing games with you because I’ve got a job to do and it’s time for you to move along. Come on! Let’s go!” She pushed me back into the crowd. Then she began working with the other cops to clear the scene entirely.

★

Time to get another Badge, we ate a quick lunch to prepare for our upcoming Gym battle. I grabbed a map to guide us there. According to it, Cerulean Gym sat in the center of a park. “It says the Gym should be right around here,” I muttered, turning a corner. Pikachu cried out and pointed straight ahead.

Directly in front of us, we found a large, colorful, dome building in the exact center of the park. Someone painted a giant Pokémon above the doors. With Dexter, I examined the Pokémon, a big white sea lion. “ Dewgong the Sea Lion Pokémon. This dual water and Ice-type Pokémon can easily resist extreme cold weather. ”

“This must be the Gym if they’ve got a giant Pokémon on the front,” I said.

I went inside, finding myself in a lobby. “Weird. It’s totally quiet in here.”

Suddenly over an intercom system, I heard a voice, “ Ladies and gentlemen, in just a few moments, we will begin our wonderful swimming show! ”

I looked around. “A show? In here?” Then we heard lots of roaring and cheering, but it was somewhat muffled. “What is that?”

We stepped down a hallway past the front counter. Shinx investigated a pair of doors and called back to me. Poking my head through, I found a huge pool with a diving board at the far end. Bleachers lined the walls. They were packed to the brim with a thunderous all-male crowd. “I don’t know what’s going on here, do you?” Pikachu and Shinx didn’t have a clue.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed on everything but the pool. A single spotlight lit up the diving board. Three girls smiled in the spotlight and waved to the crowd; the first had blonde hair, the second had dark purple hair, and the third had pink hair.

The voice from earlier called out again, “ Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the stars of our show, the Sensational Cerulean City Synchronized Swimming Sisters! Daisy! Violet! Lily! ”

All at once, the three sisters took a magnificent dive into the pool below, making the fans go completely wild. The girls resurfaced and began their performance. The crowd clapped, cheered, and whistled.

None of this thrilled me. Instead, I felt baffled. “Man, I thought this was the Cerulean Gym. I don’t understand any of this.”

Suddenly, I heard yelling coming from the lobby. Being nosy, I went to look.

Some guy in a suit was trying to kick out a younger boy. He seemed very upset. “Listen! All I’m asking for is the chance to battle and earn a Badge!”

I recognized his purple hair and frowned. “Well, we found Paul.”

The suit guy ignored everything Paul said to him. “The Gym Leader has already asked that you get out of here, so go!” The front doors automatically opened. Paul got shoved outside.

Running outside, I saw Paul quickly pick himself back up. “Well, that ended well,” I said.

He wheeled around to see me. “Rosa. What are you doing here?”

“Did you already forget I was in the city to get another Badge too?”

“Well, you’re wasting your time. You’re better off getting Badges from somewhere else.”

“What do you mean? What happened in there?”

“I got here a little bit ago to challenge the Gym Leader. But when I did, they gave me some lame excuse on how they didn’t feel like battling. Then they tried to give me the Badge for free.”

That shocked me. “No way! You mean they tried to give it to you without battling for it?!”

“Pathetic, right? Then when I protested for an actual battle, they wanted me to leave.”

I got annoyed. “I can’t believe this. A Gym Leader can’t refuse a Gym challenge simply because they don’t want to battle. It’s their job as Gym Leaders to battle all challengers that come to their Gyms looking for one.”

“Yeah, well obviously someone didn’t get the memo.”

“Well, I’m going to give them a memo they won’t forget!”

“Why are you so upset about it?”

I looked at him, realizing that I quickly got upset. Shinx told me to calm down. “Ah, those details don’t matter! Right now, I have to go in there and challenge the Gym Leader! I’m winning a Badge fair and square!”

“Well, then, I’ll take you inside.”

“Really! Won’t you get kicked out again?”

“Not a problem. You’ll be with me, right?”

“Oh, you mean I have to vouch for you. Great.” I was not at all happy about that.

Paul took me and my Pokémon into the lobby. We headed down a long flight of stairs that led backstage. Getting to the bottom, we found a long hallway with large windows on either side. Those windows provided stunning views of fish tanks teeming with life.

“Whoa!” I ran over to get a better look at the Pokémon swimming in the tanks. “It’s like an aquarium. How can this be a Pokémon Gym?”

“Gyms come in all shapes and sizes, I guess,” Paul said.

True.

We heard chatter from down the hall, and it steadily approached us. We found the three sisters from the underwater show earlier. They talked about the performance they just gave.

“That one was totally awesome.”

“I know. That was so great, and Daisy, the dive you did was super.”

“The practice really paid off.”

“Totally!” They all giggled.

I ran over to the three sisters and shouted, “Excuse me!”

The pink haired girl, presumably Lily, interrupted me and said, “I’m sorry, but if you want an interview, you have to, like, call our manager.”

I shook my head. “No, that’s not it.”

“We don’t do autographs.”

“I don’t want one. I just wanted to know if this is a Pokémon Gym.”

The purple haired girl, who I guessed to be Violet, replied, “It sure is.”

“Well, I’m looking for the Gym Leader.”

The last sister, Daisy, smiled and said, “You’re looking at them. The three of us are the Gym Leaders here. We’re the Sensational Sisters. We’re world famous!”

“Huh? But what’s with all that swimming?”

“It’s, like, our hobby. Our fans love to watch us perform. We pool our talents to make a big splash.” They all giggled loudly at the pun.

“Yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention that there are three Gym Leaders here,” Paul said.

“Hey, you’re that boy!” Lily shouted.

“We’ve had enough of you. You need to leave,” Violet jumped in.

“Now, wait! Hold on!” I shouted before they could have Paul thrown out again. “The only reason he’s even here is that he wants to earn a Gym Badge. That’s why I’m here too.”

“We figured that, but, well, there’s a problem,” Daisy said.

“And what’s that?” I hoped it would be a good answer.

The three sisters looked awkwardly at each other before Daisy continued. “We don’t feel much like battling anymore.”

Wrong answer!

“What do you mean? You’re supposed to be the Gym Leaders, which means you’re supposed to accept every challenge you get!”

“Give us a break!” Violet barked. “We just got beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town.”

I frowned. “Of course, it’s because of Gary and the other two.”

“It was just one defeat after another. My eyes were spinning from all the losses.”

Lily added, “We had to, like, practically rush all our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center every single time, and we just got tired of it.”

“So, there’s no point in battling. Now instead of having matches, we have time to make ourselves look more beautiful than ever,” Daisy said.

My temper snapped again. “That doesn’t matter! You’re Pokémon Trainers, aren’t you?!” I roared.

“Who’ve lost all interest in Pokémon battling, yes.”

The building rage made my blood boil. “You’re pathetic excuses for Gym Leaders! That’s what you are!”

“Whoa, like, chill out!” Lily groaned.

“Seriously, what’s gotten you so upset?” Paul muttered.

I snapped at him, “Butt out! I just am, okay?!”

“It’s alright. I know what you want,” Daisy said. She pulled out two blue Badges from her pocket and held them out. “A Cascade Badge. This is what you both want, right? You can have them.”

“That’s not how you win a Gym Badge! You have to earn them!” I barked.

“Hey, a Badge is a Badge,” Paul noted.

He surprised me. “Really? After everything?! I can’t believe you, of all people, would give up just like that. No way! I am not accepting this without proving that I deserve it. Otherwise, it’s a meaningless paperweight.”

“Would you maybe consider doing something other than a Pokémon battle?” Violet asked.

I raised an eyebrow. “What else did you have in mind?”

The three sisters discussed amongst themselves real quick before Daisy spoke. “You see, we need a fourth person for a new show we’ve had in mind. We need a girl our age who’s pretty and has long hair,” explained Daisy.

“Pretty and has long hair?” I repeated.

“And likes to swim,” Lily added.

“And likes to dress up in costumes too,” Violet said.

“Dress up? No way! I’m not entering any stupid underwater show!” I replied.

“If you do, the Badge is yours,” Daisy bribed. “And we’ll throw in one for your boyfriend too.”

Feeling my cheeks turn red, I shook my head. “He’s not my boyfriend!” I didn’t want to perform, but I wanted a Badge more than anything. “Alright! How about a deal?”

“We’re listening.”

I pointed a finger at them. “I challenge all of you to three Pokémon battles in a row, one Pokémon each. If I can beat all of you with just one of my Pokémon, then I win a Badge for myself and a badge for Paul!”

Paul and the three sisters all gasped in shock.

“What are you doing?” Paul asked.

“I know what I’m doing!” I hissed back.

“And if you lose?” Lily asked.

I gulped. “If I lose, I’ll accept the Badges after I perform in your dumb show.”

The three sisters exchanged looks. “It’s a deal,” Violet said after a slight pause.

“But don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because we’re cute,” Daisy noted. The three sisters headed off towards the battlefield.

“Do you think you can beat them all with just one Pokémon?!” Paul asked.

“I know I can. Shinx! Let’s do it, just like old times!” Shinx nodded his head.

“Just like old times?” I ignored him and went to catch up with the three sisters.

We all gathered at a pool separate from the one we found earlier. Paul sat on the sidelines to watch with Pikachu, who was upset that she couldn’t battle. “Sorry, Pikachu. This is something Shinx and I have to do. It’s important for us. You can battle next time.”

“And why’s that? Won’t you tell me?” Paul asked.

I gazed at my opponents. “It bothers me that there are some Gym Leaders who take their job for granted.” Shinx and I headed to our end of the pool.

The Sensational Sisters stood on the other end of the pool. Lily stepped forward. “It’s agreed that everyone uses one Pokémon each, and if you beat all three of ours with your single Pokémon, you win the challenge.”

“That sounds perfect to me!” I called back.

“Then I’ll be going first. I’ll use for my Pokémon, Seaking!” Lily threw a Poké Ball, calling out a giant fish with beautiful, flowing fins and a tail.

Dex scanned it, “ Seaking the Goldfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Goldeen. Its sharp, drill-like horn is capable of crushing even stone. ”

I looked down at my Pokémon. “Shinx, it’s showtime!” Shinx barked and jumped out onto a floating platform.

“Now, we’re ready. You’re free to attack however you want!” Lily shouted.

“All we need is one. Shinx use Shock Wave!” Shinx launched a powerful Shock Wave.

“Seaking use Horn Drill!” Seaking deflected our attack by spinning its horn like a drill, sending the attack back at Shinx.

Shinx took a direct hit from his Shock Wave, but he dug in his heels to stay up on the platform. “That won’t stop us. Hit them with Swift!” Shinx attacked with Swift.

“Dive underwater!” Seaking disappeared under the water’s surface to avoid Swift. “Come up with Horn Attack!” Shinx was launched high into the air after Seaking destroyed the floating platform with its powerful horn.

“Don’t let it get away! Grab it with Bite!” Shinx clamped down on Seaking’s horn with his teeth, and he wasn’t letting go. “Finish with Spark!” Shinx covered himself in electricity. Being directly connected to Seaking, the Goldfish Pokémon took a direct hit from Spark. Shinx then tossed Seaking into the water.

When Seaking resurfaced, it was unconscious. “No, Seaking!”

The Sensational Sisters were all speechless.

“Good job, Shinx! That’s one down!” Shinx barked loudly, landing on another platform.

“That wasn’t half bad,” Lily said as she recalled her Pokémon.

Then Violet swapped places with her younger sister. “I’m up next. Shinx must be worn out and won’t be able to last much longer,” she said with a grin.

I glared, totally determined to win. “We’ll see about that!”

“I’m going to call Starmie! Go!” Violet called out a purple sea-star Pokémon with a jeweled core, who stood on the floating platform despite being a water-type.

Dexter scanned it, “ Starmie the Mysterious Pokémon. Starmie’s central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. It swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. ”

“Shinx, you can blow that thing away with one attack! Hit it with Spark!” Shinx hopped across the floating platforms as he glowed with electricity. He tackled Starmie and then jumped away.

“Starmie use Rapid Spin!” Starmie leaped towards Shinx, spinning its body just like Dexter said it would.

“Dodge!” Shinx jumped out of the way just in time. Starmie instead crashed into the platform.

“Starmie use Water Pulse to knock those platforms away!” Starmie formed a big ball of water in front of its core and threw it into the pool. A colossal shockwave rippled through the water’s surface to knock all the platforms and Shinx off balance. Shinx fell into the pool.

“Shinx, swim out of there! Quick!”

“Not so fast! Tackle it!” Starmie jumped underwater. In the blink of an eye, it came back up and threw Shinx straight into the air, inflicting some significant damage. Shinx fell back on a platform.

I couldn’t believe it. We were not going to lose. “No, Shinx! Get up!”

“It looks like this match is finished. Swift attack, Starmie!” Starmie fired a Swift attack.

“Come on, Shinx! We’re not losing! You can do it!” Shinx heard me and dodged Swift just in time by leaping high above Starmie’s head. “Thunder Bolt!” Shinx let loose a massive bolt of lightning, striking a direct hit on his opponent. Starmie fell back unconscious.

“Starmie!”

“That’s two! One more to go, Shinx!” However, our odds weren’t looking so good when you saw how tired Shinx was at that point.

“I think you might want to call it off, Rosa. Shinx looks too exhausted to continue,” Paul said.

“No, I know Shinx can go on, right, pal?” Shinx gazed back at me and nodded his head, knowing full well how much I believed in him. “We’ve had Gym battles like this all the time in the past.”

While switching with Violet, Daisy heard what I said and asked, “So that must be what this is really about. You’re a Gym Leader too, aren’t you?”

The others were all shocked, everyone except Shinx and me.

“I am a Gym Leader, thanks to my family, anyways. I used to have unofficial Gym matches with the actual Gym Leader, my brother, and I always watched him battle. Sure, I may not have ever battled as an official Gym Leader. However, I’ve seen enough Gym battles to know the rules and how Gym Leaders should act!

“To give up battling is to give up on your Pokémon, and to give up everything you worked so hard to achieve! You’re letting everyone around you down, including yourself! That’s why I’m going to win this challenge, Daisy, to prove it to you!”

She smiled and said, “You know, a part of me wishes you were one of my sisters too.”

Violet and Lily both agreed with head nods.

“That sure sounds nice. I’ve never had an older sister, just a brother. I appreciate the compliment.”

“Now then shall I introduce your last opponent? Go!” Daisy threw a Poké Ball. A white sea lion appeared in the water.

I sighed. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“It all comes down to this. Feel free to go first, Rosa!”

“It’ll be our pleasure. Shinx use Shock Wave!” Shinx lit up the surface of the water with his signature electric attack.

“Jump, Dewgong!” Despite its size, Dewgong jumped high into the air. “Headbutt!” Dewgong came down straight for Shinx, and with the sharp horn on its head, painfully knocked Shinx right into the pool.

“Swim out of there, Shinx!” Shinx struggled to find a nearby platform.

“Not so fast! Dewgong use Aurora Beam!” Dewgong blasted Shinx with a multi-colored beam, sending it crashing into another platform.

“You’ve got to get up, Shinx! We can’t lose!” Shinx reached his limits. He could barely stand up. I could see Paul off to the side, looking disappointed. The two other sisters looked happy soon to be avenged. “Please, Shinx, I believe in you! You can do it!”

“Well, I guess this challenge was still a little too much for you. Dewgong finish it with Ice Beam!” Dewgong scored a direct hit with Ice Beam. The attack froze Shinx in a solid block of ice.

“Shinx!” I couldn’t tell whether Shinx had been knocked out or not, just frozen. I waited for a response but got nothing. I couldn’t bear to think or look at what just happened. “Oh, what have I done—?” Then I heard Pikachu’s cry, telling me to look at Shinx.

Shinx’s block of ice started to glow brightly. Then the ice shattered. A glowing figure leaped out onto another floating platform, and then it changed its shape. The paws got slightly more prominent and dark fur sprouted from its usually blue forehead and face.

When the light faded away, a new Pokémon stood in place of my Shinx. “Shinx?” He shook his head vigorously before roaring. It made me so happy. “You evolved into Luxio!”

Dex scanned Luxio, “ Luxio the Spark Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shinx. Luxio’s sharp claws conduct electricity, and the slightest scratch can knock out an opponent. By touching friends with its front paws, Luxio is able to communicate through the sparks it emits. ”

Everyone was speechless at the incredible evolution.

“That means we still have a chance.” Luxio looked back at me and nodded.

“Dewgong use Aurora Beam before it gains any momentum!” Dewgong readied its attack.

“Show them some of your new power with Spark!” Luxio hopped across the floating platforms at lightning speed. He narrowly dodged Dewgong’s powerful Aurora Beam before leaping high over its head. However, instead of covering himself in electricity, his tail lit up. He came down and smashed his tail into Dewgong’s head, the impact so hard that it broke the platform in half. “What was that?!”

“That was an Iron Tail!” Paul shouted.

“Awesome! A powerful new move!” I cheered as Luxio jumped back to my side of the pool, doing a graceful flip.

Dewgong jumped out of the water and landed on a platform. We thought it had enough strength to carry on, but then it grinned before slumping onto its belly. It was knocked out for good. “Dewgong!” Daisy cried out.

“And that’s it! That’s three for three!” Paul cheered alongside Pikachu.

“We did it?” I could hardly believe it. Three Pokémon against one, and we proved victorious?! Luxio ran to my side and jumped into my arms, knocking me down. “We actually did it, Luxio! We did it all because of you! Thank you so much!” Luxio purred against my face. I found myself tearing up, and Luxio wiped the tears away with his paws. “I love you.” He licked my cheek.

Pikachu rushed over to our side and joined the group hug. “Thanks for leading the cheer section. It helped, and next Gym, I promise you’ll get to battle.” She jumped for joy.

Looking past my Pokémon, I watched Paul come over to me. He handed over my bag.

“Thanks for watching that, and for watching our battle.”

“No problem.” Of course, he wasn’t smiling.

I raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”

“No.” He nodded his head, and then grinned! “Well, you won.”

His smile made mine grow even wider. “That’s right. What? Did you think we wouldn’t?”

“I had my doubts. If Shinx hadn’t evolved though, I don’t know if you would’ve won.”

“Oh, say what you want. A win is a win, which means we both get a Badge and I don’t have to perform in some stupid underwater ballet.”

“Then it’s a double win.”

I smiled at my Pokémon. “Yep!”

★

The Sensational Sisters, Paul, and I stepped outside. Daisy held out two Cascade Badges for us. “Here. As promised, you both get a Badge,” Daisy said. “A win is a win.”

“Thanks, Daisy,” I replied.

“Yes, thank you,” Paul said. Pikachu and Luxio smiled.

“Still, it’s too bad we have to keep searching for a fourth performer,” Lily noted.

“You know, maybe if you guys get desperate, I might help you out with that,” I said.

“Really? You’d consider it?” Violet asked.

I nodded my head.

“Well, we’ll let you know when we’ve thought about it more,” Lily added.

“Until then, Rosa, you go to work on being the best Pokémon Trainer, and Gym Leader, too. We’ll work on our Pokémon training too,” Daisy said.

“Good. That’s what I like to hear. One fellow Gym Leader to another,” I smiled.

“Well, I better get going. Nice seeing you, Rosa. Thanks for the Badge,” Paul said before walking away.

“Oh, looks like I have to go now too. Wait up, Paul!” I waved at the three sisters before catching up to Paul.

He glared at me as I walked beside him. “You’re not following me, are you?” he asked.

“What? Got a problem with that? We’re both heading back to the Pokémon Center.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. You’re the one that battled not me.”

Oh yeah, I forgot.

I jumped in front of him so he wouldn’t ignore me. “Then you could at least tell me where’s the best place to go for my next Gym Badge.”

He frowned. “You have a map, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Here.” I pulled out my map and opened it for him.

“Here’s us, at Cerulean City.” He pointed at our location, and then at a town farther south. “I think this would be the best place to go, the closest city with a Gym. It’s where I’m going right now.”

“Hey, great! I’m going with you!”

“I thought you were heading to the Pokémon Center. Luxio looks exhausted.”

Feeling guilty for forgetting, I turned back to Luxio. “Oh, Luxio, do you want to go rest up at the Pokémon Center before we take off?” Pikachu patted his head. Luxio wanted to keep on going, but his sluggish movements told me otherwise. “Well, it is my job to make sure you’re in tip-top shape.”

“Then that settles that.” Paul started walking away again.

“You’re not going to wait for us! How rude! It’s not like we’ll take forever!”

He stopped, dropping his head. “How long are you going to be?”

“It shouldn’t be too long. Maybe a few minutes. It’s just Luxio, not my whole team.” I could see he was more inclined to walk away. “Hey! You still owe me for that Badge we just won for you!”

Paul sighed. “Well, since clearly, it wasn’t just out of the goodness of your heart…” He looked back at us. “I’ll be waiting at the edge of town. If you’re not there in an hour, I’m leaving!”

I nearly jumped for joy. “Yes! Let’s hurry, guys!” The three of us took off.

Luxio, Pikachu, and I headed straight to the Pokémon Center, no detours. As politely as possible, I begged Nurse Joy to take care of Luxio quickly. While waiting, Pikachu and I checked over our supplies and rushed to the store for a few things.

When we returned to the Pokémon Center, Luxio sat happily on the counter and wagged his tail. “Perfect timing!” I cheered.

“In a bit of a hurry?” Nurse Joy said with a giggle.

“Like you wouldn’t believe! Thank you!” I rushed back out the door with my Pokémon, crossing my fingers as we bolted for the southern edge of town.

★

Stepping just past the gate, I stopped and looked around, panting heavily from all the running around I just did. Of course, there was nobody else in sight. Disappointed, I checked the time on my Pokétch. “That loser! Where could he be? It hasn’t even been an hour yet.”

“It was close though,” a voice said from behind me.

Recognizing the voice, my heart felt unexpectedly warm. I spun around to see a head of purple hair approach. “There you are!”

Hands stuffed in his pockets, Paul made a slight frown. “I was kind of hoping you weren’t coming.”

I pouted. “Hey, you’re not going to be a sore loser about not getting to have a Gym battle, are you?”

“That depends. You’re welcome to leave if it bugs you.” He walked past me.

I whispered to Pikachu and Luxio, “I’m suddenly tempted for some reason.”

“You coming or what?!”

Grinning, I caught up with Paul. Then, as loud as I could, I cheered, “So now then it’s onto Vermillion City!”

He grumbled to himself. “Could you at least keep it down a little?”

“Nope! Haven’t you ever been excited about anything?” I talked for the rest of the night, though Paul wasn’t much to make conversation. It was still fun and exciting that I’d be traveling around with someone for a bit.

Chapter Text

Marching towards Vermillion City, I thought that a shortcut would serve us best. I wanted to get to the gym as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the quickest ways don’t end up always being the easiest.

“You’re not even using a compass. Are you sure this is the right way?” Paul asked.

I shoved my way through some thick foliage, wishing for a machete. “I’m positive this is the right way!” I called back.

“And I’m positive that we’re now lost. Am I wrong?”

After inspecting our surroundings, my shoulders slumped. “No. We’re lost…”

He swiped the map from my hands. “See? If you had just let me lead, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Now, let’s get to Vermillion City, the right way.” He stepped off and poured over the map.

I scowled and tapped my foot. “It’s his yelling that got me all confused in the first place.”

“Well, according to the compass,” Paul started, “south is this way, and there’s a river just up ahead. Since we’ll get to the Pokémon Center later than we’d like, it’ll be a good spot to take a break and eat some—Ah!”

There was a sudden loud crashing noise.

Rushing ahead, I couldn’t find Paul anywhere. “Paul?”

I received no response.

“Paul?” I frantically walked around, worried about Paul. “This isn’t funny. Where’d you go?”

A faint voice called back, “I’m not playing pranks! I fell!”

“Fell?”

Luxio barked and brought me over to some bushes ahead. Just beyond them, we found a large pitfall trap. Paul sat at the bottom. “Paul!” I gasped, relieved to see him mostly unharmed.

He sat up, clenching his teeth. “Who the hell digs a hole out in the middle of the forest?”

“I don’t know. It sure is a weird spot to go digging.”

Suddenly, there was a cry from the other side of the hole. Slowly looking up, I stared into the sharp, red eyes of a green Pokémon with a pink bulb on its back. Meeting my eyes, it cracked a grin.

“What was that?” Paul asked.

“Uh, I don’t know,” I muttered back. “Dex?”

My Pokédex quickly replied, “ Ivysaur the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Bulbasaur. The bulb on its back absorbs nourishment and will eventually bloom into a large flower. When it starts swelling, a sweet aroma wafts to indicate the flower’s coming bloom. ”

“An evolved Bulbasaur?”

“A what?!” Paul shouted.

Ivysaur laughed again.

Its behavior made me suspicious. “You dug this hole, didn’t you?”

It nodded its head.

“An Ivysaur that knows Dig? You don’t see that every—”

Paul suddenly scrambled out of the hole, startling me so much that I fell backward. “You little punk!”

“AH!” I shrieked.

Ivysaur raced away.

“I won’t let you! Beedrill standby!” He called out an all-too-familiar bee Pokémon.

“When did you catch that?” I asked.

“Caught it in Viridian Forest. Strongest one there is.”

A groan escaped my lips. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

“Beedrill use Poison Sting!” Beedrill fired multiple purple needles at Ivysaur.

Instead of dodging the attack, Ivysaur took in a deep breath and exhaled, blowing away the Poison Sting. Then it released a cloud of Sleep Powder, putting Beedrill straight to sleep. It collapsed on the ground before us.

“Come on, Beedrill! Get up!” Beedrill struggled even to crack an eye open.

Not giving it a chance, Ivysaur tackled Beedrill and sent it flying. With its only threat out of the way, Ivysaur made its escape into the forest.

“Don’t think you’re getting away that easily!” Paul yelled before chasing after it.

“Wait, Paul!”

He completely ignored me.

“He sure has gotten worked up over that Ivysaur, huh?” Pikachu and Luxio agreed with me. We chased after him.

★

Following Paul through the forest, we came to a bridge. My eyes widened at the sight of it, and at the terrifying fall sitting underneath. “Oh, great. An old bridge in the middle of the woods. What can go wrong?” I faltered.

“Well, suck it up, because we’re crossing,” Paul replied.

I anxiously tugged on Paul’s arm to keep him back. “What are you thinking? We can’t cross that thing! Why would you even want to cross it?!”

“Look!” He pointed at the bridge.

On the other end, Ivysaur had just made it across the bridge. It taunted us, beckoning us to cross the creaky bridge, before disappearing into the trees again. Paul looked ready to leap clear across the canyon in one jump.

“Don’t, Paul! That’s just what it wants you to do!”

“Yeah, so? What’s the problem?”

The suspicious planks worsened my anxiety. “Don’t you watch movies?”

“Just stay behind me and don’t look down, okay?” He continued.

Reluctant, I crept across the bridge, keeping a firm grip on the ropes at either side of me. “But where even is this place? I don’t think there was a bridge like this anywhere on the way to Vermillion City,” I said to Pikachu and Luxio.

“It didn’t,” Paul noted, “but the elevation markings seemed a little funky around this part of the river and hinted at some high cliffs.”

“I guess that makes sense then.”

Thanks to some sudden gusts, the bridge violently rocked back and forth. This tension made one of the lines snap. The bridge tipped over, knocking everyone to the side. Paul grabbed a rope. I latched onto his foot, both Pokémon clinging to my body.

All four of us now dangled over a watery grave. “Paul, you have to pull us back up! It’s our only chance!” I screamed.

Paul growled back, “I’m trying! You’re too heavy!”

That got me angry. “Are you implying that I’m fat?! I don’t weigh that much!”

“Quit whining and return your Pokémon to their Poké Balls!”

“He’s right. You two, get inside the Poké Balls!” They didn’t want to do it. “What was the one rule about staying outside?! It’s the only way any of us will make it!” They exchanged sad looks, and with big frowns, retreated into their Poké Balls. “There! Now pull me up, Paul!”

Paul used all his strength to lift himself higher so I could grab onto the rope and pull myself up. My nails dug into my skin from gripping the rope so hard, and my toes pressed indents into the planks. “You alright?” Paul asked.

“Yeah,” I panted, sweat trickling down my face. “Let’s just get off this bridge.”

He started swinging across the rope to the other end. “Here. This way. The bridge is still intact enough for us to cross...”

Paul spoke too soon as the bridge started rocking back and forth. This time, the wind came in so quickly and violently that the force knocked us off. The color left my face when the ropes were no longer within my grasp.

We clung to each other as we fell into the river below. Resurfacing quickly, I paddled my arms and legs, still holding onto Paul. We worked together to reach the shore and pull each other up out of the water. I never thought I’d miss dry dirt so much. “Phew... That was too much,” I said through gasps of shortened breath.

“Was that bridge a trick too?” Paul muttered.

“What makes you say that?”

“That.”

Standing before us, a small blue turtle cackled with a wide grin.

“It’s a Squirtle!” I gasped, rushing to my feet.

Paul searched the Pokémon on his Pokédex. “ Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. This Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful. ”

“You must be working with that Ivysaur, huh?!” Paul snapped at it.

Squirtle ran away.

“Get back here!” He angrily chased after it.

I hurried after him. “Paul! You’ve got to slow—AH!” Chasing after Paul, I suddenly fell into another pit trap, landing hard on my rump. It really hurt too.

Paul’s sarcastic voice burst down into the hole. “Hey, how’d you get down there?”

“Don’t start with me. It’s another trap!” I bounced up on my feet. “Now, help me up!”

He helped me climb out. “Maybe I should’ve just left from Cerulean by myself.”

“What? Are you calling me a bad luck charm?”

“I mean…”

“Don’t answer that! Let’s go find those two little brats!”

“What got into you all of a sudden? I thought I was the only one interested.”

“When it was just Ivysaur, yeah, but if there’s a wild Squirtle running around here, I want to catch it! I’ve wanted one ever since I heard about them!” I made an enthusiastic grin. “So, let’s catch those two troublemakers!”

He cracked a smile. “Let’s go.”

We ran along the riverside, hoping to see a sign of either Ivysaur or Squirtle. “Do you think maybe they ran away for good this time?” I asked.

“Not a chance. With all those pranks, they wouldn’t have gotten far,” Paul replied. We both screamed when a net suspended us in a tree, squashing us together. “Hey! How’d we end up here?”

“It’s another trap, and it’s so cramped.”

“Well, we can’t just sit here!” He started wiggling around. He flailed his arms and legs around, trying to break the net, but the violent shaking didn’t get anywhere. It only earned Paul a slap in the face. “Hey! What was that for?!”

Arms wrapped around my torso, I viciously glared at him. “Watch your hands!”

His red face turned away. “Sorry… If you have any bright ideas on how to get us out, I’m all ears.”

“I don’t,” I admitted.

We heard a cry from down below and looked at the ground to find Squirtle. “Well, look who it is,” Paul grumbled. Squirtle laughed at us, overjoyed that we ended up in the trap. “Get us down from here, Squirtle!” He started thrashing again.

“Ouch! Quit it, Paul!”

Suddenly, another cry sounded from down below. An Ivysaur walked up beside the turtle. “It’s Ivysaur!” Paul and I shouted.

Ivysaur extended a green vine from its bulb and exchanged a high-five with Squirtle.

“What's wrong with you? We didn't do anything to you!" I barked.

Squirtle angrily remarked that being trainers made us a target.

“Being trainers? Why is that so bad?”

Ivysaur growled at the mention of the word.

“Are they hateful towards trainers for some reason?” Paul asked.

“I’m not sure, but that’s what it seems like.” I turned back to the Pokémon, eyeing us from below. “Well, we didn’t do anything to you. Look. Just let us down from here, and we’ll be on our way?”

Ivysaur somewhat begrudgingly released a Razor Leaf attack to cut through the net. We were unprepared for the fall that came afterward.

“We have to get better at landing on our feet,” I groaned after slamming into the ground.

“There’s something we can agree on,” Paul said before grabbing a Poké Ball and charging at the two wild Pokémon. They prepared to counterattack.

“Wait a minute!” I barked, jumping in between everyone.

Paul seemed shocked by my actions. “What are you doing, Girlie? We finally have a chance to beat these two thugs and put an end to all these stupid jokes!”

“Yes, I get that, but you heard it yourself, Paul! Ivysaur and Squirtle don’t like Pokémon Trainers. No, they hate them! Battling them and catching them wouldn’t seem right. There’d be all sorts of issues.”

Ivysaur started shouting all kinds of nonsense at Paul.

“See?”

Soon, Ivysaur got so worked up that Squirtle had to hold it back.

“You really hate trainers, don’t you?” Paul asked.

Squirtle calmly nodded. When I noticed the tears forming in Ivysaur’s eyes, I finally understood what they tried to tell us. My heart shattered. “You two were abandoned, huh?” I muttered.

They both turned and gazed at me.

“I get it now. Your trainers abandoned you. One day, for one reason or another, they just left without you. Then, you both started pulling pranks on other trainers because of how your trainers treated you.”

Their silence spoke volumes.

“How’d you figure that out?” Paul whispered.

I whispered back, “Just a feeling.”

Approaching the Pokémon slowly, I dropped to my knees in front of them. “I’m sorry for what happened to you both. I can only imagine how much pain it put you through, and neither of you deserved any of it. The anger. The sadness. When someone important like that just leaves you behind, never to return, I don’t think there’s a right way to feel.”

Squirtle asked if I had ever felt like they did.

A frown crept onto my face. “Yes. Once. I won’t talk about it, just as I won’t ask you two to talk about the details of what happened to you. I will say that I understand your pain, and those trainers deserve whatever bad stuff comes their way.

“I will also say that not all trainers are like that, so there are better ways to handle being so heartbroken than playing pranks on everyone. It’s not a great way to process your grief since all it does is remind yourself of what happened.”

Squirtle demanded to know what to do instead.

“This may sound a little cheesy, but you have to let them go. Forget about those trainers and move on. They forgot about you, so why should you keep remembering them? They certainly don’t deserve it.”

Ivysaur and Squirtle exchanged sad looks.

“I promise. If you can move on from the sad parts of your past, it’ll make things much easier for both of you.”

After a moment of silence between everyone, Ivysaur and Squirtle nodded their heads in my direction and then spoke amongst themselves. In the meantime, Paul came over and knelt beside me. “What was that?” he muttered.

“Just speaking from the heart.”

“Have you… been abandoned before?”

I locked eyes with him for a split second before turning away. “I’d like to not talk about it.”

Paul seemed ready to pry further, and I expected him to, so it surprised me when he replied with a simple, “Okay.” His attention suddenly turned to his Pokédex, allowing me to gaze at him in awe.

Usually, people keep at it until they get answers. My mouth curved into a grin. I guess Paul’s not normal, but I already knew that.

“What’s so funny?” Paul asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked away and stifled my laughter. “Nothing.”

There were two clicks right before two Poké Balls opened up from my belt. Luxio and Pikachu appeared before me. Frowning eyebrows were the most apparent features on their angry and adorable faces. “Sorry, guys. We got a little distracted,” I sheepishly admitted.

Suddenly, a drop of water tapped my hand, then another, and another. My gaze drifted up to the sky, nearly allowing a raindrop to hit my eye. A sigh escaped my lips. “And it’s starting to rain.”

“Then that means the storm is almost here,” Paul said.

As I rose to my feet, my eyes drifted back to the two wild Pokémon. “Well, we need to get going. This storm is supposed to get pretty bad, so we want to find the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible.”

Without warning, Ivysaur took off into the forest.

“Where is it going?” Paul asked.

Squirtle barked at us, grabbing my leg and insisting that we follow. We all then chased after Ivysaur.

★

Ivysaur and Squirtle led us through the trees, taking a rather tricky path that no human could remember even after writing it down first. Paul and I ducked or leaped high over obstacles a few times, obstacles that our small Pokémon troupe could avoid.

A quick moment later, we finally burst back out of the forest and came to a hill. Ivysaur stood before us, pointing down the path with a green vine. Squirtle beckoned us to come closer and see for ourselves.

We spotted a cabin at the very bottom of the hill. It looked cozy and warm inside the logs intricately stacked together to form a building, and the building possessed a bright red roof with a large P just above the front entrance. “There it is! The Pokémon Center!” Paul exclaimed. “We made it!”

“Perfect timing. The sun’s about to set,” I added, kneeling to lock eyes with our two Pokémon guides. “Thank you for showing us the way. We can handle it from here. Now go find some shelter before this storm blows you away.”

Squirtle grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically.

I laughed. “And maybe once it’s over, you both can go find a new trainer.”

“We better hurry, Rosa, if we want to make it before the sun goes down,” Paul warned, already heading down the hill.

Nodding, I stood back up and waved. “Thanks again, you two. Take care of yourselves.”

Ivysaur and Squirtle waved back to us. Then Ivysaur pulled Squirtle onto its back and raced into the woods. I gave one final look at the forest before rushing after Paul. It started to sprinkle, so we made a desperate break for the Pokémon Center.

However, my eyes caught sight of Pikachu stopped midway down the hill. I came to a stop and looked back. “Pikachu, what’s wrong?” I called.

She barked at me before gesturing off to the side of the path.

“What’s wrong now?” Paul asked, pointing towards our destination. “It’s that way.”

“Pikachu’s spotted something. I have to check it out.”

Luxio and I went back to Pikachu. We then followed her gaze. An orange lizard sat on a rock, and judging by the faded glint in its eyes, it appeared distraught. “It’s a Charmander!” I gasped.

The three of us approached the Charmander carefully. It noticed us. “Hey, what are you doing out in the rain like this?” It looked at me and moved further away. “What’s wrong?” Pikachu and Luxio stepped forward. They greeted Charmander and talked to it.

“They’re probably trying to find out what it’s doing here,” Paul said. “A Charmander shouldn’t be out in the rain for too long.”

That fact didn’t comfort me at all. “Why’s that?”

He pulled out his Pokédex. “ Charmander the Lizard Pokémon. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth, and its health can be gauged by the fire, burning brightly when in good health. It is said that a Charmander will die if its flame ever goes out. ”

The hairs on the back of my neck sprung up like needles. “That’s not good!” Pikachu and Luxio returned to me, explaining the situation, and I translated for Paul. “So Charmander is waiting on that rock for somebody to come and get it.”

“You mean it belongs to somebody?”

“That’s what it seems like.”

“Well then, if it’s waiting for someone, I think we better leave it here.”

“What? We can’t just leave Charmander here alone. It’s starting to rain.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Besides, Charmander probably won’t come with us in the first place.” He gestured towards the fire lizard, who kept a sharp eye on all four of us. “It’s probably best if the trainer takes care of it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Still…” I couldn’t help but worry about Charmander’s condition. I went over to a tree and grabbed a big leaf, handing it to Charmander. “Here. Use this to cover your tail and protect it from the rain.” It hesitantly accepted. “I hope your trainer comes back real soon.” We left Charmander alone and then continued to the Pokémon Center without any more detours.

★

Paul and I found the Pokémon Center warm and comfortable, along with many other trainers who had been unfortunate to be out in this forest. By now, it poured buckets, sounding like rushed drumming on the windows. The wind howled and tried beating down the doors.

“Finally, the warmth of a Pokémon Center!” I cheered, my hair dripping wet.

“You say that like you’ve never been to one,” Paul grumbled after booking us the last available room.

After getting our Pokémon treated, I fetched dinner for everyone. “I hope you guys like soup because that’s all they were serving in the cafeteria today,” I said, setting down four steaming bowls on the table.

Pikachu and Luxio started eating right away.

Unable to stop thinking about Charmander, I ignored my soup and instead gazed out at the raindrops racing down the window. Charmander’s condition worried me, hoping that its trainer had returned for it.

“What’s wrong, Rosa?” asked Paul suddenly. “You should eat before it gets cold.”

“Sorry. I’m worried about Charmander. Do you think anyone picked it up? What if it was just left there?” My hands balled into fists. “What if it’s been abandoned, just like Ivysaur and Squirtle?”

“Well…” Paul took my bowl and pushed it closer to me. “I don’t think Charmander would wait around this long. Do you?”

After a moment, I smiled. “Yeah, I don’t. Its trainer must’ve gotten it by now.” With that, I dug into my lukewarm soup. “It doesn’t taste the same when it’s not hot.”

“Shouldn’t have let it sit there for so long then, huh?”

I nearly threw my spoon at him.

Some obnoxious laughter nearby disturbed our dinner. A group of Pokémon Trainers sat around a table littered with twenty or so Poké Balls. Among them was a boy with brown hair, the tallest in the group, who appeared to own all of them, and possessed an ego more enormous than an Onix. “Look at them. It’s a pretty cool collection,” he bragged to his fan club.

The fans gave a vast collection of ego-boosting responses:

“Yeah, way cool!”

“You’re the man, Damian.”

“You’re the best Pokémon Trainer ever.”

It disgusted me to watch Damian boast so much. “I don’t like his attitude,” I grumbled.

“His Pokémon probably aren’t even that good,” Paul said.

One of Damian’s friends said, “Yo, Damian, I thought you had a Charmander too.”

“Yeah, I had one, but that puny thing was so weak, it couldn’t even beat a tiny Poliwag. I ended up ditching it on some rock in the woods.”

Paul and I looked at each other. “Charmander?” I muttered in shock.

“That thing is so stupid,” Damian continued. “No matter what I did, it kept on following me. I finally got rid of it by promising that I’d come back for it. It fell for it. It’s probably still there waiting for me.” Damian and his group of idiot friends all started cackling.

“Then that means he’s the one who left that Charmander—no, he abandoned it! And that means it’s still waiting for him,” I said, clenching my fists. Before I even had a chance, Paul shot up from his seat and stomped over to Damian. “What are you doing, Paul?!”

Damian kept up the annoying chatter. “I bet it’s still there wagging its tail. It’ll probably wag it so much it’ll put the flame out—!”

Paul lunged at Damian, picking him up by the collar of his shirt. “Go and get it!” Paul snapped.

“Huh?” Damian squeaked, looking surprised.

Paul looked angrier than I’ve ever seen, scaring even me. “That Charmander is still waiting for you! Go and get it now!”

“Why should I?”

“You lied to your Pokémon and said that you’d be back. Now it’s waiting out there in the rain for you. If Charmander’s flame goes out, it’ll die!”

Damian pried himself out of Paul’s grip. “What I do is none of your business!”

Before Paul could say anything, I stepped up beside him. “Do what he says!” I barked.

Damian said to me, “What’d you say to me, bitch?”

Paul angrily yelled back, “Watch your mouth!”

I growled, “You heard what I said! And you want to be a Pokémon Trainer? You’re disgusting!”

Damian grabbed one of his Poké Balls. “You want to fight with me?”

“It’d make my day!” Luxio and Pikachu growled at him.

His friends all called out threats, words that went in one ear and out the other:

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with!”

“Yeah, you don’t want to mess with Damian!”

Paul quickly replied, “We’ll see about that!”

Before we could continue, a voice called out to us. “Let’s break it up! Break it up! You know the rules!” Nurse Joy approached us, sternly looking at everyone. “Pokémon are never to be used in personal fights. It’s disrespectful to the Pokémon and the trainers.”

Damian turned away, “Yeah, well, tell them. They’re the ones who started it.” He walked away with his crowd of idiots.

“I think you’d be better off not to get mixed up with them. They have a bad reputation.”

“Uh, sure, thanks for the advice,” I said, watching Nurse Joy walk away.

“We’d wipe the floor with those losers. Easily,” Paul muttered under his breath.

I snapped him back to reality. “Oh, forget about them! We need to go find Charmander!”

“That’s right! We’ve got to help it!” Paul and I borrowed heavy-duty raincoats and raced out of the building.

The sheets of rain made it impossible to see. While stumbling through the trees finding our way back to Charmander's rock, I tripped on a branch and fell right into some mud. "What the..?" I growled, struggling to sit up.

"You okay?" Paul asked.

“Yeah.” With his help, I found my footing again, trying to see what tripped me. “I just need to stay on the lookout for—”

Luxio and Pikachu barked at me, alerting me to someone’s presence.

As it turned out, the branch was a vine. It retracted to a small body hiding in the shadows nearby, and I recognized the creature’s voice. “It’s Ivysaur,” Paul said, both of us noticing a second figure. “And Squirtle too.”

Even in dim lighting, their wide grins were easy to identify.

“It’s nice to see you,” I admitted with a weak smile, “But we don’t have time for any games. We need to find someone. A Charmander. It’s out here somewhere abandoned by its trainer, just like you two. If it stays out in this rain any longer, no doubt it’ll die! So either help us or get out of our way.”

Rather than stepping aside, Ivysaur waved a vine like a hand beckoning us all to follow it, and then rushed off up the hill. Everyone sprinted after the Pokémon, keeping close to avoid getting lost in the trees.

We somehow made it back to Charmander’s rock. Our arrival couldn’t have been better timed, as a gang of Spearow swooped down to attack Charmander. The Spearow brushed aside any of the Fire-type’s attempts to defend itself, thanks to its exhaustion, and clawed at it with their sharp talons.

I grabbed a rock and threw it at the Spearow. “Knock it off, Spearow!” I yelled. They ignored me completely. “Pikachu and Luxio use Thunder Bolt!” My two Pokémon attacked the Spearow with a super-effective electric attack.

Squirtle and Ivysaur helped us out with Water Gun and Razor Leaf attacks. It worked to at least get the Spearow away from Charmander. Instead, the flock charged at us. “Squirtle, and Ivysaur, can you guys help us out?” Paul asked.

They both jumped forward to stand in line with Luxio and Pikachu.

When a single Spearow launched at Squirtle, it tucked everything inside its shell and spun in a circle. The collision sent Spearow flying backward while leaving Squirtle completely undamaged.

“Rapid Spin. Nice!” I cheered.

Another couple of Spearow came into attack Ivysaur with Peck, but on Paul’s command, it fought back with a mighty Razor Leaf. Luxio and Pikachu launched one more Thunder Bolt, and it successfully drove everyone away.

Unfortunately, Charmander fell unconscious during the chaos. Paul dashed over to its side and immediately covered it with his raincoat. “The flame on its tail is almost out! We’ve got to bring it back to the Pokémon Center!”

Wrapping Charmander with my raincoat, I took extra care shielding its tail. “I’ll make sure the flame stays lit!” I said.

Still nearby, Ivysaur and Squirtle insisted on helping somehow, same with Luxio and Pikachu.

“Get us to the Pokémon Center,” Paul and I said together.

Just like we discussed, the Pokémon led the way. Paul carried Charmander, and I kept an eye on its tail all the way back to the Pokémon Center. It was a feeble flame, but it was still alight. I shielded it from any water. “You can make it, Charmander!”

We burst through the Pokémon Center’s front doors, taking a moment to catch our breath. I rang my hair out and called, “Nurse Joy, can you please help us?”

She came running out to see us. “What’s wrong?” Nurse Joy asked.

“This Charmander’s in bad shape,” Paul replied. “The flame on its tail is almost out.”

She looked at Charmander, who visibly struggled to remain alive. “There’s not much time. Let’s hurry!”

We brought Charmander to an examination room, laying it on a soft, warm bed. Nurse Joy kept the tail raised while she performed a quick check-up on Charmander’s vitals. “Will it survive?” Paul asked.

“Charmander is very weak,” she replied before turning on us. “How could you let it get in this condition?!”

“It’s not our fault. Damian was the one who abandoned it,” I retorted.

“What?!”

“That’s right. Damian promised Charmander that he’d come back for it. Charmander is loyal to its Trainer, so it believed him,” Paul added.

“Poor Charmander, and Damian just left with the rest of them.”

“Nurse Joy, I’m begging you!” I cried out, locking eyes with hers. “Please save this Charmander! It’s got to get better!”

She looked at me and frowned. “I’ll do what I can,” she said before taking Charmander into the emergency room.

Paul and I anxiously waited outside the door with all the Pokémon. I walked around in circles and tapped my foot on the ground, not wanting to think about anything else but Charmander. Eventually, my exhaustion forced me to sit down, so I sat right before the door propped up against Luxio. I must’ve sat there for three hours straight, and I ended up dozing off at some point.

When I returned to consciousness, all the Pokémon had surrounded me to keep me warm and from falling over. I turned my head back and forth to see where Paul had gone off.

Not two seconds later, I heard a voice: “Oh, you’re awake?” Paul sat right behind me.

I sleepily replied, “Did you sleep too?”

“A little. They convinced me.” He gestured to the Pokémon around us. “They wanted me to keep you from falling backward.”

“Thanks, I guess.” My thoughts quickly returned to Charmander, and my shoulders drooped.

Surprisingly, Paul leaned back just a little to bump me. “Charmander will be fine.”

“How do you know?”

Suddenly, the sign above the door beeped, taking my breath away. We jumped to our feet and watched it open. Nurse Joy stepped out and looked at us, standing not a foot in front of her. She smiled and made a peace sign, making us smile too.

Nurse Joy let us peek our heads through, explaining, “Charmander’s recovering. It should be fine by morning.”

Charmander slept on top of a table lined with soft bedding, its tail flame slowly growing.

I smiled widely. That’s the spirit, Charmander!

With no other trainers staying at the Pokémon Center that night, Nurse Joy let us camp out in the lobby. That way, we could be close to Charmander in case anything happened. I eventually fell asleep on the couch.

The next morning, it was quiet and peaceful. Then all of a sudden, “Wake up, Rosa!”

The voice made me jump so high that I fell off the couch.

I stood up. “What’s wrong?!”

“It’s Charmander! Charmander’s disappeared from the ER!” Paul replied.

I gasped. “What? But how?”

We rushed over, finding Nurse Joy beside an open window and an empty bed. “I bet it went back to that rock to wait for Damian,” Paul guessed.

“We’ve got to go back!” I suggested.

“But that’s no use. We can’t force Charmander to come with us if it wants to wait for Damian even if he is a lying creep.”

“She’s right,” Nurse Joy said. “There’s nothing you can do until Charmander realizes the truth.”

With nothing left to do, Paul and I decided to continue to Vermillion City. We said goodbye to Nurse Joy, Ivysaur, and Squirtle, and left the Pokémon Center after a quick breakfast. I still felt down in the dumps over Charmander going back for Damian. “I thought Charmander understood that we cared about it,” I said.

“Rosa,” Paul began. “Charmander knew that we cared about it, but don’t you see? It couldn’t forget about Damian. It’s still loyal to him. That’s why it went back for him.”

I nodded my head, but my frown remained.

“Oh, come on. What’s gotten into you? You know that everything will be fine, and soon enough, Charmander will realize the truth and leave to find a better Trainer.”

“You don’t understand!”

“No, I do understand. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize how much you care about that Charmander, and from what I’m getting, it’s all Charmander you care about! Am I right?”

His deduction surprised me, but I stayed quiet for a moment. Then I nodded. “You’re right.” I gazed back at him. “I’m sorry for snapping. I care about Charmander and Charmeleon, and Charizard. They’re important to me.”

“Why do you care so much?” I didn’t reply at first, which made him take back his statement. “Uh, well, you don’t have to tell me.”

Wrapping my arms around myself, I nodded. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, he came around and stood in front of me. “Look. I get how you feel, but you shouldn’t let it worry you. Charmander will be just fine. After all, it’s already proven to be a pretty tough Pokémon.”

“You think so?”

“Well, see for yourself.” He pointed behind me.

A small orange Pokémon approached us. It stood beside our Ivysaur and Squirtle friends. “It’s Charmander!” I gasped.

“What are you guys doing here?” Paul asked.

Ivysaur and Squirtle explained that they brought Charmander to us.

Then Charmander smiled and released a powerful stream of fire from its mouth, burning us all to a crisp. Luxio and Pikachu coughed out ash from their lungs. “See? What’d I tell you? Tough,” Paul sputtered before collapsing.

“You got that right. That was an awesome Flamethrower.” Charmander jumped for joy from the praise given by myself, Ivysaur, and Squirtle. “Well, then I’ve got an offer. How would you like to come with us, Charmander? I’m afraid your trainer isn’t going to come back.”

Paul looked at Charmander. “She’s right. You’d be much better off with us.”

Suddenly a voice called out to us, “Hey, Charmander! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

It was none other than... “Damian!” Paul growled.

“What do you want?” I barked.

“I came back for Charmander, just like I promised,” Damian replied. “So, let’s go then!”

Charmander looked hesitant, and it looked at me and Paul for help. “Be careful. This Trainer’s already abandoned you once before,” Paul warned.

“Charmander is mine. I’m the one who caught it. Remember?”

“Damian, you bragged about how you abandoned it!” I yelled.

“Good thing I did, too. It toughened Charmander up a whole lot. Besides, what’s wrong with dumping all the weak Pokémon?” Charmander gazed up at Damian, extremely hurt by his words. “I wasn’t going to come back for it, but now that I’ve seen what it can do, I’m really glad I ran into you guys. The best thing is I didn’t have to raise it myself.”

Charmander looked like a kicked puppy, and I suddenly wanted to beat the crap out of the bastard. “That’s terrible!” I shouted. “Raising a Pokémon is the best part of being a Pokémon Trainer!”

“You wish! It’s the most boring part!” Damian laughed.

“How dare you call yourself a Pokémon Trainer!” I knelt down beside Charmander. “You see, he doesn’t care about you at all. He just wants to use you to win matches.”

“Oh, I’ve had enough of this. Charmander return!” Damian took out a Poké Ball and threw it. To our surprise, Charmander smacked it with its tail, sending it flying back to Damian and hitting him right on the nose. “Dammit, I’ll crush you with every Pokémon I—!” Charmander blasted him with Flamethrower. Squirtle used Water Gun, and Ivysaur used Razor Leaf. Pikachu and Luxio joined in the attack with Thunder Bolt and Shock Wave.

Now burnt to a crisp, Damian ran away.

“Yeah, good work!” I cheered.

Our cheer got cut short when a light came from Squirtle’s body. It spread until you could no longer see the blue turtle. “And not a moment too soon,” Paul announced.

Ontop of getting bigger, Squirtle sprouted fluffy ears, and its tail also got fluffy. The evolution light faded, and it made a happy cry while jumping around excitedly. Dex immediately retrieved the information on the new Pokémon: “Wartortle the Turtle Pokémon, and the evolved form of Squirtle. Its long furry tail is a symbol of age and wisdom. A well-groomed tail is said to bring good luck to its trainer.”

“You feeling a little stronger, Wartortle?” I laughed, purely amazed at what I witnessed.

Charmander looked back at us, showing that it wanted to come along. “Well, Rosa, there’s a new Charmander for you,” Paul said.

“Don’t forget the other two.” We looked back at the other new friends. “Something tells me they’d like to join the team. Is that right?”

Everyone cheered loudly.

I smiled at Paul. “You did say you wanted to catch Ivysaur.”

“True. How about it, Ivysaur?” The Pokémon smiled and nodded.

“And Wartortle? That leaves you for me.” It and Charmander exchanged a high-five. I threw Poké Balls at them both and caught them easily. Paul begged us to bring the cheering volume down, but I ignored him.

Chapter Text

After a week of traveling through the woods, seeing Vermillion’s front gate put a smile on my face. “Hooray! We finally made it!” I cheered. “I can’t wait to take a bath!”

“I can’t wait to hit the laundromat,” Paul said, trying to brush some of the dirt off his jacket.

“But first, we’re going to find the Vermillion Gym!” I tried sprinting away.

Paul grabbed my backpack to stop me. “Hey, you’re forgetting something!”

“What’s the matter?” He pointed down at the ground. I found Luxio and Pikachu lying on their stomachs, looking terrible. “Pikachu! Luxio!” We picked them up. “Oh, you both must be starving.”

“Well, it’s not like we’ve eaten anything decent for the past few days.”

Then my stomach growled so loud that Paul could hear. Blushing, I grinned. “I guess we all could use a good meal, and a bath. Right?” My Pokémon agreed.

★

We headed over to the Pokémon Center right away. Paul and I placed our Poké Balls on the counter, right alongside my starving Luxio and Pikachu. “Can you make sure they get something to eat?” I asked. “We haven’t had lunch yet.”

“We’ll fix them right up,” replied Nurse Joy.

“Thank you!” Paul and I said.

Suddenly, a young kid and a Chansey rushed into the Pokémon Center, with a Rattata knocked out on a stretcher. The boy screamed, “Hurry! You’ll be okay, Rattata! Hurry!” They all rushed past us to the ER.

“That Rattata was in rough shape. I wonder what happened,” I said.

“Oh, that’s the fifteenth one this month!” Nurse Joy complained.

“What do you mean?” Paul asked.

Nurse Joy brought us to the Pokémon Center recovery room. Several Pokémon laid out on beds with bandages covering their various injuries, including a Caterpie, an Oddish, and a Sandshrew. Young trainers sat at their Pokémon’s bedside, eyes tight and full of concern. “This is terrible,” I muttered

“They all lost to the Vermillion Gym Leader,” explained Nurse Joy.

“Wow. How tough is he?”

“He’s one of the best in all of Kanto. Trainers rarely get a badge from Lt. Surge.”

“Wait.” My head snapped to look back at her. “Lt. Surge is the gym leader here?”

She seemed a bit surprised by my comment. “Why, yes. Do you know him?”

“Know him?” Stars filled my eyes. “I know everything about him! Lt. Surge is one of the greatest users of electric-type Pokémon in the world! My brother learned all sorts of techniques from him when he went on a journey! His nickname is the Lightning Lieutenant, and he was a pilot in a war!”

“Uh, Rosa,” Paul muttered.

Not hearing my friend, I continued to babble: “As a member of the army, Lt. Surge was a very strict commanding officer, though he was also known to be cautious and even a little paranoid. Electric-type Pokémon saved his life during the war. It’s really no surprise since they’re so amazing, and—”

“Rosa!” Paul’s voice snapped me out of my muttering phase.

“What?” asked myself, shooting him an ignorant look.

“Might want to watch how you praise the man who just beat these trainers senseless.”

All the trainers in the room heard my outburst and weren’t pleased with it. Multiple pairs of enraged eyes burned holes into my body. It felt a little uncomfortable. “Whoops. Sorry,” I apologized with a slight bow.

They all accepted my lame apology and went back to worrying over their Pokémon.

Getting a little nervous, I tapped a hand to my chin. “But man, I have to fight Lt. Surge today. I don’t know if it’ll be possible with my current team.”

Paul picked up on my worry somehow. “Scared yet, Rosa?” he asked.

I hid my nervousness by clearing my throat and standing up straight. “No way!”

“Well, you talk big, but you and I both know how tough it’s going to be challenging someone as powerful as Lt. Surge. I wouldn’t be surprised if you turn chicken. Maybe you should just quit now.”

“Chicken? Remember that I got you a Badge too!”

He suddenly flicked my nose.

“Ow!”

“The last gym doesn’t matter. From the looks of things here, this Lt. Surge seems a lot stronger than the Cerulean sisters, so you’re going to be in for one hell of a battle.”

“You have nothing to worry about except seeing my incredible strength!” I lunged at him.

Nurse Joy stopped me from attacking Paul. “That’s enough,” she said.

“He started it!” I quickly spat.

“No fighting. Remember that this is a hospital.”

My shoulders slumped forward. “Oh, right.”

“Duh,” Paul hissed. I almost attacked him again.

Nurse Joy giggled. “They say if two people fight then they really care about each other.”

I scoffed at the comment. “Me care about him?”

“Me care about her?” Paul retorted, before we turned away from each other.

A bell chimed overhead. “That signal means your Pokémon have recovered,” Nurse Joy announced.

Luxio and Pikachu waited for us in the lobby beside several Poké Balls. They finished the last few bites of some apples. “Hey guys!” I called as I hopped over to them. “I hope you’re full because we’ve got ourselves a Badge to win!” They both looked ready for a good fight, especially Pikachu. “That’s right. A promise is a promise. You get to battle next, Pikachu.” She jumped for joy.

Suddenly, another trainer and a Chansey darted past us with a Pokémon. The kid screamed at the top of his lungs, “Just hold on, Pidgey!” They rushed straight into the emergency room.

“They must’ve come from the gym,” Paul said.

Pikachu suddenly had a meltdown, demanding to skip out of today’s battle.

“What? Don’t be a coward. You’re the one who wanted to battle today?” She cried at me and pointed towards the emergency room doors. “Well, no, I don’t want you to end up like that Pidgey.”

Pikachu sighed in relief.

I made a wide grin. “That’s no problem because you’ll win!” I grabbed her arm and wanted to take her to the gym, but she hung onto a bench. “Don’t be a scaredy cat!” Pikachu stuck to that bench like glue. When I tugged harder, she zapped me with Thunder Bolt.

“The way those two fight must mean they care a lot,” Paul said to Luxio, who nodded in agreement.

“Stop! Pikachu!” I shouted.

She stopped shocking me.

My hair sprung up in all directions. I pat it down quickly before kneeling before my frightened Pokémon. “Look. I know it seems scary battling such a powerful opponent, but you have to remember that you won’t be alone. I’ll be right there with you the whole time, and together, we’re going to win our next badge.”

Pikachu hesitated before making a confident smile and raising a fist.

“That’s the spirit.”

“You two remember who you’re about to fight, right?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, of course we do. That’s why we’re so pumped.”

“I hope you don’t plan on using that Pikachu for your match,” sneered an approaching kid.

I quickly got up in his face. “Well, yeah, I did plan on it. She wanted to battle in our next gym match so I’m going to let her. So what?”

Making a cocky grin, he folded his arms. “Then that’s going to suck for you.”

“What makes you so sure? Just a minute ago, you rushed in here with that lame Pidgey of yours,” Paul growled. “A flying-type in an electric gym isn’t a smart choice either.”

“I’m just saying that Pikachu is just as bad a choice as a flying-type.”

“Why? Because of Raichu?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Raichu?” Paul repeated.

The kid laughed out loud. “Of course because of Raichu. Your puny Pikachu doesn’t stand a chance against its evolved form. It’ll get knocked out before it even manages to land an attack.”

“Who do you think you are giving advice on Pokémon battles when you yourself made a terrible decision?!” I snapped. Luxio and Pikachu had to hold me back.

“Hold on,” Paul said. “What’s this about a Raichu?”

I was surprised he didn’t know. “Raichu is Lt. Surge’s primary Pokémon and his strongest without a doubt. He’s used it in every battle since he first became a gym leader, and it remains undefeated to this day. In some matches, Raichu has won matches 3-0 without even breaking a sweat.”

“That good?” Paul seemed surprised.

“Well, yeah. Sure, all of his Pokémon are top-notch, but Surge has had his Raichu as long as he’s been a trainer. Everyone knows it’s a tough Pokémon to bring down.”

“Right, so everyone knows that a wimpy Pikachu doesn’t stand a chance against Raichu,” added the kid.

I barely managed to keep my cool. All my anger channeled into my words rather than my fists. “Don’t you dare talk about my Pokémon like that! Now get the hell out of here!”

The kid walked off cackling to himself.

My body trembled. “What a bastard. I feel sorry for his Pokémon.”

“He seems to have a good point, though,” Paul noted.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s simple. Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu, so it’s bound to have power and moves that Pikachu can’t access. You should be well aware of the challenges Pikachu will face if it battles. It’ll be totally overpowered.”

“Hey. It may be hard but it won’t be impossible. Pikachu and I can win! Right, pal?”

Pikachu jumped onto my head and yelled at Paul.

“You both are crazy! Do you even have a plan?!”

“Well...not really. But we just need to train a bit more. That’s all!”

Paul rolled his eyes. “That’s not a plan.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re winning us a badge today!”

“How?!”

Now, I wanted to beat Paul up.

“There is one way you could win against Lt. Surge with Pikachu,” said an approaching Nurse Joy. She frowned at our surprised faces. “I’m sorry, but I overheard your plan for the gym and thought I could help you out.”

Though I started to get sick of everyone’s opinions, I knew deep down to listen to any and all options. “What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“A while ago, I just happened to come across this.” She opened a small box.

We saw a bright green stone inside. “A Thunder Stone?!” Paul gasped.

“I’ve never seen one in person,” I muttered, taking the stone in my hand. “How did you even come across this?”

“Well, there’s a settlement called Stone Town in southern Kanto. It sits right at the base of Evolution Mountain where there’s a large deposit of evolution stones. I stumbled upon this stone while crossing over the pass, and though I never had a Pokémon to use it on, maybe one day I’d find a trainer who could use it.”

“Wow. That’s incredible. I have to make sure to visit that place.”

“This means you can evolve Pikachu into Raichu!” Paul exclaimed.

I gazed at the stone. “Then Pikachu could beat Lt. Surge and his Raichu.”

“You have to think hard before using the Thunder Stone,” warned Nurse Joy.

Knowing the risks of using an evolutionary stone, I nodded. “Right.”

“Why’s that?” Paul asked, earning himself a look from me.

“I’m surprised you didn’t know. Using a stone to make a Pokémon evolve is like any other evolution. If I make Pikachu evolve…” A knot formed in my stomach. “...I can’t change her back.”

My head drooped to gaze at Pikachu.

“And then, Pikachu will never be the same,” added Nurse Joy.

The stone glimmered in my hands. “If Pikachu becomes a Raichu, I might be able to win that Badge. On the other hand, to make her evolve just to fight, I’d be just like Lt. Surge.” This whole situation had me feeling uneasy.

★

Outside, Paul and I had a bit of lunch before the gym battle. We let our Pokémon run around in the park while we feasted on some sandwiches. The entire time, the thunder stone sat in my hand and stared me in the face.

“I don’t know what to do, Paul,” I admitted.

“About Pikachu?”

“Pikachu. Surge. The gym battle. Everything.”

“Weren’t you set on using Pikachu?”

“I still am, but now that I have this stone, I’m on the fence on whether to use it or not.  mean, I’m still set on using Pikachu.”

“Do you really think Pikachu is going to be a good matchup against Surge’s electric-types?”

“I don’t really have any choice, Paul. You’ve seen my whole team. The only Pokémon on my team that can face electric-types are, in fact, electric-types. Everyone else is either a flying or water Pokémon. I do have Charmander, but she’d need backup. Besides, Pikachu is very strong and wants to fight.”

“It doesn’t matter how much she wants to fight. Surge’s Raichu is exceptionally strong. Using a Pikachu is not a very wise decision. The best option is to just evolve it.”

“I don’t care about any of that! Besides, I’ve figured out the only reasonable action.”

“And what’s that?”

Singling Pikachu out from the crowd of Pokémon, I walked straight to her. “Pikachu, come here for a second.”

She dashed over.

I knelt down and held out the stone. “What do you want to do?”

Pikachu seemed taken aback by my question.

“I want to beat Surge more than anything! Evolving you would make this battle a sure thing, but I also don’t want to force you to evolve if you’d be happier staying the way you are now. A Pokémon evolving is up to the Pokémon and the Pokémon alone.”

She thought about it for a while, gazing at the stone.

Then, after a long moment, Pikachu slapped the stone out of my hand. “Pikachu?” She went into a long tirade, explaining that she wouldn’t change. She wanted to fight Raichu as herself, in the name of all Pikachu.

Nearly driven to tears, I grabbed both of her paws. “Pikachu, I’m sorry I got discouraged there. You’re right. We can’t just give in. We have to fight Surge our own way. Not the way everyone tells us. Together, we’re going to make a plan and beat Lt. Surge and his Raichu!” She enthusiastically nodded her head.

“You’re both crazy!” Paul barked.

“Like I said, it’ll be hard, but it’s not impossible! Pikachu and I will find a way to win!”

Pikachu also yelled at Paul, pointing at herself and at me. He seemed a little nervous at her outburst. “What’d she say?”

I sniffled. “She said that she’s going to prove she can beat Raichu, and she’s going to defend her honor, and mine too.” Tears went down my face as I picked up Pikachu and squeezed her tight. “Oh, Pikachu! I love you!”

My other Pokémon rushed over. “Well, gang, are we all charged up?” They all cheered.

“So, who’s on the team then?” Paul asked.

“Standard gym leaders usually don’t use more than three. I pick Luxio, and Charmander, and Pikachu is exclusively for Raichu.” All the Pokémon not selected were totally bummed out by my decision. “Sorry, guys. I know you all love to battle, but I can only pick three, and it’s an electric-type gym.” They accepted my excuse.

“Do you have any strategy formulated?”

“Well, Luxio has several non-electrical attacks in his arsenal, so he’ll be fine, and he also can’t get paralyzed. Charmander can use her flames to keep the opponents at bay. Nobody likes being burned.”

“And for Pikachu?”

Exchanging looks with her, we both grinned. “I have something awesome in mind. You’ll have to wait to see it.”

He stared at me, confused.

★

After lunch, and a bit of training, we all headed to the Vermillion Gym. I admired the appearance of the gym, an enormous warehouse with lightning bolts painted all over it. “So this is the Vermillion Gym,” I said. “A user of Electric-type Pokémon. My kind of opponent!”

“It’s not too late to back out,” Paul laughed.

“Why should I back out when I’m going to win? Just stick around and watch me!”

“I’ll stick around to see your face when you get creamed.”

“If you think we’re going to get creamed, you’re going to be disappointed!”

I marched up to the front doors and opened them up, stepping inside. We came upon two trainers wearing military-style uniforms. Slightly intimidated, I stood my ground. “Hello! I’ve come to challenge the Vermillion Gym for a Badge!”

One of the trainers called back behind them, “Hey boss! Another victim for the ER!”

A huge muscular man stepped forward, wearing a high-ranking uniform: Lt. Surge! He smiled and greeted us with, “Welcome to Vermillion Gym!” He then reached out and gave me a hug, scaring me to death. He stood back after a moment. “My next challenger is a cute one. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you, sweetheart.” He patted my head.

I pushed his hand away. “Watch your mouth! My name’s Rosa!”

“Well, I call everyone who loses to me a baby. Would you prefer that?” He then looked down at my two Pokémon, taking an interest in my Pikachu. “Hey, look! A Pikachu!” He turned back to his fellow Trainers. “Isn’t that great? The baby brought along a baby Pokémon.” They all started laughing.

“Quit it! Don’t make fun of my Pokémon!” Pikachu got angry and yelled at them.

“But it’s funny. Here. I’ll show you why.” He tossed a Poké Ball. An orange mouse with a long tail and curly brown ears emerged from it.

My heart started to race. “There it is.”

Dex scanned it. “ Raichu the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pikachu. Raichu can shock with more than 100,000 volts, enough to render a Dragonite unconscious. ”

“I’m flattered you know about my prized pupil here. All the more reason to back out of your challenge. If you want to quit, now’s your chance,” laughed. Lt. Surge.

My eyes narrowed. “There’s no way we’re quitting now!” I announced with Pikachu at my side.

“Ha! You’re battling with that! What could a baby like that do? If you want to ever become a Pokémon Master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it.” He patted his Raichu on the head.

“There’s more to a Pokémon than forcing it to evolve, and I like this Pikachu just the way she is.” Pikachu smiled at me.

Lt. Surge and his friends all laughed. “Wrong, baby! Electric Pokémon are only useful once they’ve learned all the different Electric-type attacks.” He wagged his finger, and Raichu did too. “You keep it puny like that and it’s no more than a little pet.”

Pikachu got mad and sparked her cheeks. Passionate flames engulfed my vision. “We’ll see about that. Nobody insults my Electric-type and gets away with it!”

“Okay, baby, did you just come here to show off your little pet?”

“We came here to earn a Thunder Badge!” Pikachu jumped in front of me and angrily sparked her cheeks even more than before. “Pikachu?”

“That’s unusual. Pikachu really wants to battle,” Paul said.

“That’s no surprise. Pikachu, I’m counting on you.” She looked back and nodded her head.

Lt. Surge and his Raichu both shrugged their shoulders. “Oh well. I guess you’ll learn the hard way that playing with the big kids can be a shocking experience.”

We headed over to the battlefield, a dimly lit stadium. Pikachu and I stood opposite the Gym Leader and his Raichu. Paul and Luxio stood behind us to watch. Lt. Surge had one of his friends be the referee. “This Pokémon battle will now begin. Only one Pokémon may be used for either Trainer!”

“One Pokémon?” I repeated.

“Go Raichu!” Surge barked, and his Raichu raced out onto the battlefield.

“The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, has chosen Raichu. Challenger Rosa, what Pokémon will you use?”

I nodded towards the one Pokémon I wanted to battle Raichu. “Pikachu, it’s just you and me this time. Let’s beat them down and win our third badge!” Pikachu nodded her head before running out in front of me.

“The challenger, Rosa, has chosen Pikachu. No time limits. Let the battle begin!”

“Go Pikachu! Give ‘em Thunder Bolt!” Pikachu raced forward and blasted Raichu with a powerful electric shock. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to do a thing. “What? It must’ve done something!”

“Raichu, show them a real Thunder Bolt!” Raichu returned the favor with its own powerful attack. It scored a direct hit.

Pikachu collapsed in front of me. “Pikachu!”

“It’s over. You didn’t really think that your Pikachu could beat my Raichu, did you?”

“Call it back, Rosa!” Paul yelled.

“But—!”

“Raichu’s shocks are too powerful! This is a mismatch!”

I didn’t want to surrender, but Paul made a good point. However, before I could call anything, Pikachu pushed herself back onto her feet and glared at Raichu. “You still want to fight?” She viciously sparked her cheeks and growled.

Lt. Surge and Raichu laughed. “It’s pretty gutsy for a toy.”

“Pikachu use Iron Tail!” Pikachu leapt forward with a glowing tail.

“I enjoy playing with toys, but playtime’s over. Mega Punch!” Raichu dodged Pikachu’s tail and then punched her with a power-packed fist. “Now use Mega Kick!” A powerful kick knocked Pikachu away, leaving her severely injured.

“He won’t give us the chance to attack,” I muttered, losing my will to battle the more hits my Pikachu suffered.

“Give us the big finale, Raichu! Thunder!” Raichu unleashed the most powerful Thunder Bolt I’d ever seen.

My Pokémon laid in the attack’s path, barely able to move. Though I could tell she wanted to continue, I wanted to give up and avoid her taking anymore damage.

Your Pokémon’s power is proportionate to your power, I suddenly heard in my head.

And suddenly, that strange voice had flipped on a switch, reminding me to not give up the battle. If I didn’t give up, then Pikachu would be able to win. “We’re not going to lose, Pikachu! Quick Attack, go!” Pikachu summoned all her strength and dashed out of Thunder’s path just before it landed. “Yes! That’s the way, Pikachu!”

“I see you planned a new way to lose! Go Raichu! Use Slam!” Raichu used its tail to bring my Pikachu down to the ground. “Now give it a Body Slam!” Raichu jumped up and fell on top of Pikachu.

“Hang in there, Pikachu!”

“Finish with another Body Slam!” Raichu jumped up and came down once more.

“Dodge it!” Pikachu dodged Raichu’s attack, allowing it to take some damage from slamming into the ground. “It’s showtime, Pikachu! Agility!” Pikachu ran circles around the battlefield, picking up speed with every step.

“Raichu use Body Slam!” Raichu tried hitting Pikachu with Body Slam over and over, but it kept missing due to Pikachu’s incredible speed. Thus, Raichu kept crashing into the ground and hurting itself. “Uh, Raichu?”

“Your idea is working!” Paul cheered.

I grinned like a madman. “Of course it did. Since Lt. Surge evolved his Pikachu as soon as he got it, Raichu never learned any of the speed moves it could only learn back in the Pikachu stage. That would give us the advantage! Now use all the speed you got! Quick Attack again!”

Pikachu accelerated to full speed as she ran laps around Raichu. When it got dizzy enough, Pikachu tackled Raichu and sent it flying back.

“Yeah! Your Raichu is way too slow, Surge! That’s it’s weakness!”

“Okay Raichu, give it a Thunder Bolt! Shut it down!” Raichu let loose a powerful Thunder Bolt to fill the entire battlefield. The attack ripped up the floor and blew out all the windows in the room, leaving only a cloud of dust. Lt. Surge laughed. “The end of the match!” However, when the dust cleared away, Pikachu revealed herself to be standing on her glowing tail, completely unaffected by the attack. “What?!”

“Way to use Iron Tail, Pikachu! Just like we talked about!” I cheered, noticing how she used her tail as a ground to keep herself unaffected.

“Raichu, give it another Thunder Bolt!” Raichu tried attacking again, but it seemed unable to muster up the electricity. “Do something!”

“It’s over. Raichu ran out of electricity,” Paul laughed.

“Pikachu, finish it with another Quick Attack!” Pikachu raced forward.

“Raichu use Take Down!” Raichu quickly responded.

Unfortunately, my quick Pikachu struck first and slammed into Raichu’s stomach. “One more Iron Tail!” She then slammed Raichu in the head with Iron Tail. Raichu fell back on the ground.

Lt. Surge watched his Pokémon fall and screamed, “Unbelievable!”

I jumped for joy. “We did it, Pikachu!” She ran over and leapt into my arms.

“That was great!” Paul cheered, running over with Luxio. Pikachu smiled at them.

With the match over, Lt. Surge and I shook hands. “Congratulations on winning. Rosa, nice job, and Pikachu too. As proof of your victory, here’s a Thunder Badge.” He held out an orange and yellow Badge shaped like a sun.

“Thank you!” I replied happily, taking the Badge with a bow.

“You should be proud. You and your Pikachu really fought well together.”

“Thanks a lot. Yeah, I got a Thunder Badge!” Pikachu, Luxio, and I all cheered.

Lt. Surge and his two friends clapped. “Nice job, Rosa. You’re definitely no baby,” he laughed. His Raichu clapped for Pikachu, making her blush. We both learned an important lesson that day: there’s more to a Pokémon than just evolving.

Chapter Text

The next day, Pikachu, Luxio, and I wanted to explore Vermillion Pier. Paul won his Badge early that morning, but then he decided he’d rather continue his Pokémon training than go sightseeing. We parted ways, promising to meet again soon, and then he left town via the western gate.

Luxio, Pikachu, and I crossed a short bridge to get to Vermillion Pier. We knew we stood in the right place when we spotted several luxury cruise liners sitting in the harbor. “Let’s go get a closer look,” I suggested.

We took a look around at all the ships. “Wow! They’re all beautiful!” I said. Luxio and Pikachu agreed. “I’d love to cross the ocean on a ship like these. Just think of all the Pokémon we’d be able to see along the way, and imagine sunbathing on the deck all day.” Pikachu tapped my forehead, reminding me that I could never afford a cruise like that. I frowned. “Reality sure can bum you out.”

Exploring more of the pier, a couple of ganguro girls stopped us, one with short, blonde hair and another with long, red hair. “Congratulations! You’re way lucky! You get to go on a super deluxe sea cruise!” they hollered in my face.

Startled out of my skin, I stepped back and muttered, “A sea cruise?”

“Well, it’s just like, you know, we have these super cool incredible tickets for you!”

“Tickets?”

“These are tickets for the biggest party ever aboard the St. Anne cruise liner.”

I vaguely remember hearing that ship before. “The famous St. Anne?”

“The coolest ship in the sea! Everyone is going to get together and have the coolest party! And the party is for Pokémon Trainers only! Step this way! It’ll be a radical party! All of the most radical Pokémon Trainers will be there!”

I whispered to my Pokémon. “Does anyone say radical anymore?” They both shrugged.

“Okay, dude, like, here you go.” She handed me a ticket.

“Well, I’d love to go on a luxury cruise, but I really don’t have the money to pay for it.”

“Oh, wow! Like, you don’t understand. This ticket is totally free!”

“For free? Why are you giving them away?” I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“Well, we’d love to go, but we already had plans to go on a trip with our boyfriends, so we wanted to give our tickets away to cool Pokémon Trainers. We saw you and thought you’d be really cool with taking one. We still have to find a second Trainer to take the other ticket. Just take this and have a really cool time!”

“Thanks a lot!” I took the ticket.

“No sweat. Now have a nice day!” The two girls skipped away.

I looked at the ticket in my hand. “This really is cool, isn’t it?” My Pokémon agreed.

We searched around for the ship in question. They didn’t have any signs, so our search proved to be as difficult as could be. “How are we supposed to know which ship it is?” I felt Pikachu tap my head. She pointed at the ship parked at the very end of the dock. Although not the biggest, it certainly looked the fanciest. “You think that’s it?”

Luxio then barked at me. “What’s wrong, Luxio?” He pointed left.

A group of kids walked into view, admiring the ship: a young redhead girl and two boys all about my age. One of the boys gasped and said, “Wow! It’s huge!”

I recognized the Pikachu on his head, and the other boy’s spiky brown hair. “It’s Ash, and Brock too! Let’s go say hi!” The three of us ran over to them. “Hey, Ash! Brock!”

They turned just as I walked up. “Hey, Rosa! It’s been a while,” Ash said.

Ash’s Pikachu jumped onto my shoulder. I scratched his head. “I see you’ve been doing well, Pikachu. Say hi to my Pikachu.” He greeted my Pikachu, ecstatic to have a new Pika pal.

“Nice to see you,” Brock said.

“Back at you. I thought you weren’t traveling around because of the Gym and having to take care of your siblings.”

“Actually, the day after you left, Ash and I had a Gym match. Then my father showed up, and long story short, I decided to travel with Ash on his journey.”

“You mean your good-for-nothing father that left to become a Pokémon Trainer?”

He laughed. “That’s the one. He promised he’d take care of my siblings, leaving me free to travel.”

“Well then that’s awesome, Brock. Congrats!”

The redhead stepped forward. “So you’re Rosa? I’m Misty.”

“Nice to meet you, but how’d you know who I was? Did they tell you?”

“Actually, my sisters told me about you. They talked about how you challenged all three of them to battles using only one Pokémon, a Shinx that evolved into a Luxio.”

“Your sisters?” I remembered the three Gym Leaders back in Cerulean City. “Does that mean you’re a Cerulean City Gym Leader too?”

“That’s right. I’m the fourth Sensational Sister.”

“Actually, like they said, there’s only three Sensational Sisters and one runt,” Ash laughed.

Misty got really upset. “Oh, you better watch it, Ash!”

“So, what are you doing here, Rosa?” Brock asked.

“Well, I was just looking around at all the cruise ships. I don’t have a ton of money so I didn’t plan on getting on one or anything. But then these two weird girls gave me this ticket for a party on the St. Anne, for free.” I showed them the ticket in question.

“Really? That’s funny,” Ash said. “Because we just ran into a couple weird people who gave us these tickets for free too.” He showed me three of the exact same tickets. They looked official and everything too.

“Seriously? That’s interesting. Why’d they give them to you?”

“They told me that I was the one millionth person to walk across the bridge.”

I thought about the situation. “That’s really strange. Something weird is going on.”

“Well, for now, all we know is we have free tickets to a cruise!” Misty cheered.

I laughed. “I guess you’re right. Well, then that means we all get to hang out for a little while.”

“Awesome!” Brock said. “Let’s get going then.”

We made our way over to the St. Anne, which turned out to be the nice ship we spotted earlier. I got a chance to catch up with Ash and the others, talking about my travels so far and the Gym Badges that I’ve earned. I also mentioned how I caught Pikachu back in Viridian Forest, and that I had a few other Pokémon too.

Ash told me that he had only won two Badges so far, but he planned to get his third at the Vermillion Gym after the cruise. He met Misty back in Viridian City, after Pikachu accidently destroyed her bike. He had a Gym battle against Brock at the Pewter Gym, and then Misty at the Cerulean Gym.

“It sounds like you guys have had a lot of adventures already,” I laughed.

“We have. It’s been quite a journey so far,” Ash replied.

“Rosa, what happened to the friend you’ve been traveling with?” Misty asked.

“Oh, well, he wanted to work on his Pokémon training, so he wanted to get to the next town as soon as possible. On the other hand, I wanted to go sightseeing. He left town this morning.”

“Too bad. I sure would’ve liked to at least say hi,” Brock said.

“Ah, oh well. I’m sure you guys can meet him some day.” A part of me felt glad Paul wasn’t there to meet them. I don’t know how well they would’ve liked him.

After having our tickets checked, we boarded the St. Anne and headed up a flight of stairs to the main deck. The ship looked spectacular from every angle. “This is an awesome ship!” Ash gasped in surprise.

“I’d love to travel the whole ocean on this,” Misty added.

Getting to the top of the stairs, we headed into the main ballroom.

We came upon the sight of thousands of people gathered for a party. Tons of people dressed up in costumes, laughing and talking and playing games. Several booths lined the outer walls, selling all sorts of Pokémon-themed merchandise. Plus, just about everyone here had a Pokémon with them and showed them off to everyone else. “It’s like a giant Pokémon convention,” Brock said.

“It’s a Poké Con,” I replied.

“Poké Con?” The trio repeated.

“Right. These are parties where everyone who attends are Pokémon Trainers. It’s kind of like heaven with everything based around Pokémon.”

We passed by a couple of Trainers showing off their Charmander. “Take a look at the smooth skin on my Charmander. That shows how healthy it is.”

Another boy said, “Yeah, well take a look at my Charmander’s flame. There’s orange mixed in with red. Cool, huh?”

A third boy ran over with a Squirtle in his arms and a big grin on his face. “Lame! Just look how hard the shell is on my Squirtle. That means it’s tough.”

“My Charmander and my Wartortle are way better,” I said with a grin.

We heard a commotion in the distance and rushed to check it out. A young Trainer and his Starmie battled against an old man and his Pokémon. “Starmie use Rapid Spin!”

“Raticate use Jump Kick!” Raticate collided with Starmie, their attacks negating each other. “Now use Super Fang!” Raticate gnawed down on Starmie’s red core, breaking it and knocking out Starmie to give the old man the win.

The young boy picked up his Pokémon. “Are you okay, Starmie? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t feel too bad, young man. It was only a practice match, and I just happened to be real lucky. Keep on building your Starmie’s strength.” The boy nodded his head before walking off. The old man turned to the crowd. “Anyone brave enough to challenge my Raticate?”

“I’m fired up!” Ash yelled, scaring me after I saw flames in his eyes. He ran up to face the old man. “How about battling my Butterfree?”

“As you wish.”

Ash called out his Butterfree, and they began. “This should be good. I’ve never seen Ash battle before,” I said.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Misty grumbled.

“Raticate use Jump Kick!” Raticate jumped high into the air.

“Butterfree use Tackle!” Butterfree charged for Raticate. The two Pokémon exchanged moves.

“Raticate use Hyper Fang!” Raticate tried chomping down on Butterfree.

“Dodge it!” Butterfree narrowly avoided Raticate’s strong teeth. “Stun Spore!” Raticate got paralyzed and writhed in pain. “Yeah! Let’s finish this u—!”

“Hold on!” The old man called off the match and went to pick up his Raticate. “That’s enough battling. Why don’t we just call it a draw?” With a bow, he walked away.

Ash didn’t look too happy. “But I was winning...”

★

Soon enough, the ship sailed out of Vermillion City. The ship’s crew served lunch in the dining room. I joined Ash, Misty, and Brock for a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. We stuffed our faces with everything you could imagine: gourmet sandwiches, soups, cakes, turkey legs, and much more.

I gathered up as many bowls of noodles as I could find and chowed down. “I do love noodles!” I happily cheered. Luxio jumped for joy, sharing a giant strawberry cake with Misty and the two Pikachu. Ash and Brock enjoyed the gourmet collection of sandwiches and rice balls. An endless supply of juice, soda, and water kept our thirst level way down.

During our meal, the old man from earlier stepped over to us. “So are you all having yourself a good time?” he asked.

“Yes, sir, we’re having a great time,” Ash replied.

“You know, the Butterfree you’ve got is quite strong.”

The lady hanging off the old man’s arm smiled and added, “It’s incredible.”

“She’s beautiful,” Brock muttered, his face completely red.

Misty waved a hand in front of Brock’s face. “Hello? Anyone home?” Misty giggled. Brock didn’t answer her at all, like she didn’t exist. “Here we go again.”

I was confused. “What’s up with Brock?” I asked.

“It’s best not to ask. Just watch.”

“Well, I put a lot of work into raising my Butterfree,” Ash said.

The old man asked, “What did you think of my Raticate?”

“It looked great, and it really put up a tough fight.”

“In that case, I’ll be direct. Why don’t we trade?”

“Trade Pokémon?”

“When two people find that they each like the other’s Pokémon, they trade. It’s quite a common practice everywhere.”

“Everywhere?”

“You see, friends who trade will then trade with their other friends, and so friendships grow deeper and continue to spread wider and wider. Trading and making new friends is one of the best things about having Pokémon. That’s how Pokémon friendships get to spread all around the world.”

The lady next to him said, “Friendship is wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, why don’t you and I start a friendship right now?” Brock asked her.

“Oh, I see what’s happening,” I laughed, remembering my first meeting with Brock. At least he won’t act like that around me anymore.

“What do you guys think?” Ash asked. “Should I trade?”

Brock answered, “Oh yeah. You’ve got to trade. Everybody should trade. Let’s start trading!”

Ash looked at me. “Rosa?”

“It’s up to you, Ash. It’s an offer for you, not me. If you want to trade, go for it.”

“Ok then.”

The old man brought us to a trade machine in the hallway. Both him and Ash put into trays the Poké Balls containing the Pokémon they wanted to trade, in this case Raticate and Butterfree. The old man said, “Ok. Here we go,” and flipped a switch.

The two Poké Balls went inside the machine. The images of the Pokémon swapped places on the screen overhead. Then two Poké Balls popped out in the exact same spots. Each trainer took one. “Well, that’s all there is to it. Raticate is your new Pokémon.” He waved and walked away, leaving Ash gazing down at his new Poké Ball.

★

Later that evening, the four of us all decided to take a break before dinner’s events. We checked into our rooms, requesting that they be right beside each other. I dropped my bag on the bed and let everyone out of their Poké Balls.

While they all ate, I took a bubble bath and washed my hair, loving the chance to feel fresh again. “This water feels so nice. I never got a chance to take an actual bath in Vermillion City,” I told Luxio, who curled up on the bathroom rug beside the tub. When I flicked water on him, he growled in annoyance. “Relax. You should take a bath too. There’s plenty of room.”

Luxio aggressively shook his head. I gave up and relaxed in the water for a little longer.

After my bath, I got dressed and went out onto the deck. Ash gazed out at the sea, with his Pikachu at his side. “What’s the matter, Ash? You look so serious,” I said. Luxio stepped up beside me.

“I was just thinking about my trade earlier. I wondered if that guy is going to take good care of my Butterfree,” Ash replied.

“I see.”

“I traded my Butterfree to someone I don’t really know just because he seemed to like trading so much. I really don’t even know if he’ll take care of it the way I did.”

“Well, look on the bright side. You got a new Pokémon in return, a Raticate.”

“It’s just when I was trading it away I remembered the time when it evolved into Butterfree from a Metapod, and when it evolved from a Caterpie. You know, Caterpie was the very first Pokémon I ever caught.”

“Hey. Caterpie was my first Pokémon I ever caught too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Here. You can see all my other Pokémon too.” I ran over to my room’s door and propped it open. “You guys want to come out and say hi.” Without a second thought, my other six Pokémon all rushed out. “Introducing Rosa’s amazing Pokémon team: Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Zubat, Charmander, Wartortle, Pikachu...and Luxio.”

Butterfree flew down to Ash, letting him pet her. “Hey. Your Butterfree’s pink instead of purple.”

“Yep. She’s one of a kind.” Butterfree happily fluttered around my head. “And being the first that I ever caught in the wild, it’s really important that I know what’s best, for her and the others too.”

“Know what’s best for them?”

“That’s right. Everything from deciding the best food for them to who they should be trained by, or even if they should be released back into the wild. It’s a Pokémon Trainer’s job to make the best possible decisions.”

“The best possible decision?” He thought about it, gazing down at Raticate’s Poké Ball.

★

We all went back to the main ballroom for more party events, including a band playing live music, a series of exciting Pokémon battles, and the chance to interact with lots of Pokémon Trainers. Just as the clock hit six for dinner, however, the room locked itself down. Every door slammed shut, and curtains covered the walls to prevent anyone from escaping.

Then the entire ship’s crew ripped off their uniforms to reveal black uniforms underneath, all with big red R’s on the front; the ship uniforms were just a disguise! “Team Rocket?!” I exclaimed.

The lights dimmed. A single spotlight shone down on a table, where a man and woman dressed in white Team Rocket outfits stood. They started shouting to the crowd:

“To protect the world from devastation,

To unite all peoples within our nation,

To denounce the evils of truth and love,

To extend our reach to the stars above,

Jessie!

James!

Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light

Surrender now or prepare to fight!

Meowth, that’s right!”

The pair shouted one line after the other. The last line was said by a Meowth, one that could talk! The woman, who I guessed to be Jessie, shouted, “Team Rocket will now take possession of everyone’s Pokémon!” The Team Rocket grunts all around the room turned on vacuum backpacks to capture everyone’s Poké Balls, while the Pokémon Trainers were all too scared to do anything.

One of the grunts approached me and barked, “Give me your Pokémon!”

“No way!” I replied, shoving him to the side.

Another grunt came up from behind Misty and Brock. “Don’t make me take them!”

A third grunt reached out to grab my arm. An enraged Luxio jumped forward and attacked the grunt with Shock Wave, standing in front of me and flicking his tail back and forth. I turned to Ash and the others. “If they’re going to try to rob our Pokémon, we might as well make this a battle.”

“Yeah, we can’t just surrender!” Ash added.

“Let’s fight back!” Brock yelled.

“Yeah!” Misty cheered.

The four of us spurred the other Pokémon Trainers to fight back. Everyone sent out Pokémon left and right. Thus, Team Rocket only captured the empty Poké Balls with their vacuum packs. “We’ve got to fight them together!” I shouted. “Pikachu go!”

“You too, Pikachu!” Ash sent out his Pikachu as well. Several other Pikachu joined in to attack with one giant Thunder Bolt.

“Wartortle, it’s showtime!” I sent out my Water-type, who joined up with other Wartortle and Squirtle. They attacked Team Rocket with a powerful Water Gun combination, with the help of Misty’s Staryu and Starmie. My Charmander, Zubat, and Pidgeotto also joined the fight, together with Ash’s Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Brock’s Geodude. When a swarm of Butterfree attacked a group of Team Rocket thugs with Confusion and Stun Spore, my Butterfree helped out.

“Now it’s my turn. Go Butterfree!” Wanting to help out the Butterfree, Ash threw what he thought was Butterfree’s Poké Ball. However, Raticate came out instead. “What?”

“Ash, you traded Butterfree for Raticate. Remember?” I reminded him.

“Oh yeah.” That left Ash with a blank face as he watched the Butterfree swarm. The look on his face told me that he deeply missed his Pokémon. He then sternly glared at his hands. “I raised Butterfree all by myself. I have to get Butterfree back!”

Suddenly, another Team Rocket grunt attacked Ash. “Hand over the Pokémon!” he demanded.

Ash ignored him completely. “Pidgeotto go! Give them Gust!” His Pidgeotto began summoning a powerful tornado.

I called out to my own bird Pokémon. “Pidgeotto, help out Ash’s Pidgeotto!” She flew off and began flapping her wings with all the strength she could muster. Several more Pidgeotto joined in. Soon, all the bird Pokémon had summoned the biggest tornado any of us had ever seen, sending a good portion of Team Rocket blasting off. Luxio and our two Pikachu worked with all the other Pikachu to deliver the finishing Thunder Bolt.

Just like that, everyone worked together to get rid of Team Rocket for good. All the trainers cheered.

“I think we all should be very proud of our Pokémon, and we taught Team Rocket a lesson they’ll never forget,” I said to the crowd of Pokémon Trainers. They all agreed, thanking each other for the excellent teamwork and great battle.

However, in the midst of the battle, the ship sailed directly into a storm. Strong waves tossed around the ship like a ball. “Ah! Those waves are getting...pretty rough,” I muttered as I recalled everyone but Pikachu and Luxio to their Poké Balls. My stomach did backflips, making me feel a little queasy.

“Hey Rosa!” Ash said. Without warning, he grabbed my arm. “Come with me!”

He dragged me along behind him. “Where are we going?!”

“We’re going to get back Butterfree!”

I realized that Ash must’ve decided on going back on the trade, considering how much he loved his Pokémon.

We found the old man, the original owner of Raticate. I held Luxio and both Pikachu in my arms while Ash explained the situation. “So, you want to go back on our trade?” asked the old man.

Ash deeply bowed his head. “Butterfree was the first Pokémon I ever captured. I worked very hard training and raising it. Please! Can I have it back?” Ash begged.

The old man smiled. “You leave me no choice.”

“I’m sorry.” They began to execute the reverse trade.

Just then Misty and Brock burst into the room. “Come on, you guys! We have to go! The ship is sinking!” Misty yelled.

“Hold on!” The trade just finished, allowing Ash to grab his Poké Ball. “Butterfree, please forgive me.” However, another powerful wave rocked the ship, causing Ash to drop the ball. “No, come back, Butterfree!” He chased after it.

“Ash!” Misty, Brock, and I all screamed, following him as the ship threw Butterfree’s ball all over the place.

Ash eventually managed to grab Butterfree’s Poké Ball. However, the ship rocked once again, throwing myself and all my friends straight into another room. I slammed into a wall, and everything went dark...

Chapter Text

When I came to my senses, I heard voices. “Hey, Rosa, wake up! Wake up, please!” It was a girl’s voice, and several Pokémon too.

I opened my eyes to find Misty, Luxio, and two Pikachu leaning over me. “Misty?” I said.

“Oh thank goodness.” She helped me sit up.

Hugging my Pokémon, I looked around the room. “Where are we?”

“Take a look.” She pointed at the porthole.

I gazed outside and found fish swimming. “What? How can fish be swimming?” I looked at the floor and jumped back, discovering a light fixture beneath my feet. “Are we in the St. Anne?!”

“Yep, and it looks like it sunk.”

“Sunk?!” Ash sprung up beside us, dashing over to look for himself. “How could this be?”

“That wave must’ve knocked us all unconscious, and then the ship capsized,” Brock said, struggling to his feet.

Everyone ran out into the hall, noticing that everything turned upside down. We headed out into the stairwell. The water level prevented us from going down to the deck. “What do we do? The ship’s leaking everywhere,” Ash said.

Misty replied, “We’ve got to stay calm. As long as there’s air in here, it’ll take time for it to fill up with water.”

“Sure, but we better not waste any time here,” Brock noted.

“Well, we can either go up or down,” I said. “If we’re sinking, up would definitely be better, but if the ship is flipped upside down…”

Misty continued, “The deck is below us, and the ship’s body is up above our heads.”

“So we have to dive down to the deck!” Ash suggested.

“But if we dive down to the deck and come across a dead end, we’re done for,” I squeaked, panicking at the thought of hitting a locked door.

Ash frowned at the thought. “Then how are we supposed to know?”

“Water’s my specialty,” Misty replied. She took out a Poké Ball and called out a beautiful Goldeen. “Please dive down to the deck, Goldeen. If you find a way off the ship, bring something back from outside.” It nodded its head and then disappeared underwater. We were left to wait.

Our group waited there for a few short moments. Those short moments turned into long ones. “What’s taking Goldeen so long?” Ash asked.

“Maybe it’s having trouble finding a way out. This is a big ship after all,” I replied.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the water, and then a single blue head. Everyone screamed in terror. Goldeen then came into view as it pushed three bodies, who were all blue in the face from nearly drowning, up onto the deck. It was the man, woman, and talking Meowth from earlier. “It’s Jessie, James, and Meowth,” Brock said.

“Do you know these guys?” I asked.

“They’re always trying to steal my Pikachu,” Ash replied.

Just then the trio all spat out water from their mouths. “Prepare for trouble,” said Jessie.

“Yes, and make...make it double,” coughed out James through lungfuls of water.

They looked up at us, recognizing everyone but myself. “Twerps!” The trio popped up onto their feet and grabbed a couple Poké Balls.

“We’ve got you right where we want you,” Jessie laughed.

“Who’s the new twerpette?” Meowth asked.

“Ah, who cares? We’ll just get her Pokémon too!”

“So you followed us all the way to the bottom of the sea!” Brock snapped.

“Ekans! Koffing! Go!” Jessie and James called out two Pokémon to battle, a purple snake and a floating purple ball that spat out smoke clouds.

“Here we go!” Ash and Brock sent out a Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Geodude.

Before anyone could launch an attack, the ship began to tip, sending everyone sliding down the hallway. We all crashed into a wall. “The ship will flip over if we don’t do something quick!” Misty yelled.

Ash called out, “Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Ekans, Koffing, Geodude, and Luxio, go to the other side now!” Every Pokémon except for the two Pikachu and Meowth ran to the other side of the hall. That only caused the ship to tilt the other way.

After sliding back and forth several times, I had enough of it. “You guys, call back all your Pokémon!” I barked to Jessie, James, Ash, and Brock.

“But Team Rocket will beat us if we call back our Pokémon,” Ash said.

“He’s right,” Brock added.

“We can’t worry about that right now. We’ve got worse troubles!” Remembering our current situation, Ash and Brock recalled their Pokémon as ordered. I looked over at Team Rocket. “Call your Pokémon back too, or I’ll throw you into the water!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Jessie and James squeaked, recalling Ekans and Koffing.

The ship immediately leveled out, giving us the chance to stand up again. Misty stood at the head of the group. “Okay then, we all agree that there won’t be any battles for now. Let’s work together!” Misty suggested.

“Uh, Misty, I don’t think that’ll work,” I said.

Ash, Brock, and Ash’s Pikachu growled at Jessie, James, and Meowth.

“Come on now. Shake hands!” Misty and I barked.

“This is a truce. It’s not like we’re making up,” Jessie said.

“I know that,” Ash mumbled.

James and Brock stood silently, looking ready to have an arm wrestling match.

Meowth and Pikachu shook hands, but then Pikachu used Thunder Shock to fry the cat.

“Pikachu!” I barked. Ash’s Pikachu looked immediately guilty.

“All right, we’ll cooperate,” Jessie said.

“What should we do to escape?” Ash asked.

“Leave it to me!” Misty cheered. “A long time ago, I built the St. Anne.” We all gazed at her in awe. “But it was only a model.” We all frowned, no longer amazed. “But I know the interior’s layout. If the way out through the deck is cut off, then we need to go up and cut a hole into the ship’s hull to escape.”

“Go up?” James repeated.

“There are some stairs on the ceiling over there,” I said, pointing down the hall. A stairway sat on the ceiling, going up into the bottom of the ship.

“Onix, form some stairs!” Brock called out his Onix, who used its rocky body to make a staircase up to the next level. “All right, let’s go!”

Ash and Brock climbed up Onix, closely followed by our Pikachu and Misty. I looked over at Team Rocket. “Aren’t you guys coming?” I asked.

The trio replied, “Right!” and climbed up to the next level. Once Luxio and I got up, Brock recalled Onix.

Racing down the hallway together, we reached a section where the power cut out. “I can’t see anything,” Meowth growled.

“All right, leave it to me,” I said, sending out Charmander. Her tail flame illuminated the hallway as we proceeded. “When we get through here, where will we end up?”

Misty replied, “If we keep going straight, we’ll reach the engine room. In there, the metal plating might be the thinnest. We can break through that somehow and escape.”

Stepping into an adjacent room, we all came upon a terrible sight. A stairwell used to cross to the engine room broke at some point during the ship sinking. Way below us, a fire broke out on the floor. The flames tried reaching up to lick the small platform where we stood.

“It’s no good. We can’t get to the engine room like this!” Brock cried out, wondering how we could get across to the other doorway safely.

“Jessie,” James said. I glanced back to see him holding hands with his partner.

“Yes, James?”

“ The beautiful die young. Those words were meant for us, weren’t they?”

They tearfully gave each other a big hug. “I won’t forget about you.”

“Me neither.”

I got furious. “What the hell are you two doing?!” I hissed. “There’s sure to be a way out of here. I’m not dying in a place like this!”

“Darn it!” Ash cursed. He held a hand out to his Pikachu. “Give me a jolt.” Pikachu happily obliged and took Ash’s hand, giving him a small zap. Not a moment later, Ash made a fist and smiled. “Pikachu, that’s it!” He called out a Bulbasaur. “Bulbasaur use Vine Whip and extend the vines all the way across.” Bulbasaur sent out two vines from its bulb, reaching all the way to the open doorway on the other side. “All right!”

His creativity impressed me. “Good thinking, Ash!”

“Let’s go, everyone!” Misty and I went across first, stepping nice and slow. Falling into the pit of fire below sounded not so fun. Luxio and the Pikachu followed, then Ash and Brock right after.

Before I knew it, everyone safely crossed to the other side. Ash recalled Bulbasaur to get him across too. “What about Team Rocket?” I asked.

“Oh, right,” Brock groaned.

The trio stood back on the platform, unaware of our movement to the other side. “Hey, Team Rocket, are you still there?” Misty asked.

Realizing their position, the color left their faces. “Don’t abandon us!” they screamed.

Ash used Bulbasaur once more, safely getting Team Rocket over to us. They seemed grateful about it anyways, and collapsed once we finally reached the engine room. “For a moment, I thought it was all over back there!” James sighed.

“Now I know what a toasted marshmallow feels like,” Meowth said.

“Well, come on. Let’s hurry,” Misty said. “We need to cut a hole in the ceiling. The best way to do that is with some firepower.”

“Right! I’ll use Charmander again,” I replied.

“I can help too!” Ash called, calling out a Charmander of his own.

“Great!” I sent out my orange lizard and knelt down beside them. “Listen up. We need you both to use your fire to weld open the metal plates in the ceiling.” They both nodded their heads. As a team, they launched powerful Flamethrower attacks, focusing their fire on a single point in the ceiling. We watched the burnt hole get progressively bigger.

“All right! Listen up, everyone,” Misty said. “We all need to grab a water Pokémon and swim to the surface as fast as possible.”

“I’ve got Squirtle,” Ash replied.

I said, “My Wartortle will be good.”

“And Brock, you can use Starmie,” Misty said, calling out her two starfish. 

“Wait a minute! What are we supposed to do?” Jessie yelled.

“Just grab a Water-type Pokémon,” I replied, sending out Wartortle.

“A Water-type?!” Meowth repeated.

“They’re almost through!” Ash announced.

Just as he said that, the two Charmander finished torching a hole in the ceiling. The metal plating burst open, and a funnel of water came crashing into the room. Our fire lizards dashed away before their tails got soaked.

I recalled my Charmander. Then I looked at Luxio and my Pikachu. “It’s up to you guys if you want to stay outside or go into the Poké Balls. What’s it going to be?” They both looked at each other and clung to Wartortle. “Okay! Just hang on tight!” Taking extra precautions, I used some rope to tie us all together, and then made sure my bag closed up tight. Good thing Volt thought ahead and got me a waterproof one...

Misty headed up through the hole in the ceiling with her Staryu, followed by Ash, his Pikachu, and Brock. I looked back at Jessie, James, and Meowth. “Team Rocket, follow us!” I yelled before Wartortle pulled everyone through the hole.

The second I left the boat, my lungs got painfully caught in a vice grip. I slapped a hand over my mouth to resist opening it. Wartortle felt me struggle and hurriedly swam for the surface. Misty, Brock, and Ash swam at my side, clinging to their Pokémon for dear life. The light steadily got closer, and so did my limit for keeping that one breath of air in my tiny body.

Just as I couldn’t hold it in any longer, my head popped up above the water. I gasped for air and looked around, one arm slung over Wartortle’s back. Luxio and Pikachu sat on our heads. “I think… we made it,” I coughed.

Luxio pointed out a drifting platform nearby.

“Oh… Great find, Luxio... Let’s go, Wartortle...” He dragged us over to the driftwood. I scrambled up onto it with my Pokémon, untying the rope keeping us all together.

Resurfacing quickly, Ash, Brock, and Misty all followed my lead. We sat for a few minutes to catch our breath, exhausted after fighting against the underwater pressure. While doing so, I noticed our group lacking a few heads. “Hey, where’s Team Rocket?” I asked.

Everyone exchanged the same looks, gazing back at the water.

“They’re not anywhere,” Ash muttered.

“And it doesn’t look like they’re coming up,” Misty added.

“I wonder if they couldn’t get out before the boat fell deeper,” I said, remembering the boat tip off a rocky shelf and fall into the cavern below.

“Well, I’m worried about Team Rocket, but look at our situation,” Brock said. “It’s nothing but ocean no matter where you look.”

“Which way should we go?” Ash asked.

“Long ago, someone named Noah had a bird come back holding a twig in its mouth, and he seemed to find land that way.”

“I see. Then let’s try it.” Ash called out his Pidgeotto. “Go and look for land. If you find any, bring us back a twig or something for proof.” It cawed before flying away. “I’m counting on you!”

Several minutes later, Pidgeotto returned. It didn’t bring us back a twig though. Instead, it hauled over three drowned bodies tied to a Magikarp. We tugged all four onto the platform, identifying them as Team Rocket. “They didn’t make it after all,” I frowned.

“Like this, even they’re pitiable,” Ash noted.

“Being that they died at sea, it’s at least proper to bury them in it,” Brock said.

We all lowered our heads. “You’re right. Though they were enemies, may they find peace after death,” Misty said.

We tried pushing the Team Rocket trio into the water.

At the last second, they sprung to life. “Zombies!” I screamed alongside the others.

“What are you trying to do?” Jessie asked.

“We’re not zombies!” James barked.

I saw Ash’s Pikachu snap his fingers, looking a little disappointed that the trio didn’t really die. “That’s a little much,” I muttered with a frown.

So we were left to drift silently together for the rest of the day. Without much to eat, and nothing to do, we left it up to our flying Pokémon to find land for us. Our Pidgeotto handled the daytime scouting mission, and Zubat flew at night. Of course, they eventually got tired and needed to rest. That was about the only thing to do, actually. Sleep!

That night, I entertained myself by staring up at the sky, identifying Pokémon constellations in the purple and blue void. “I wonder what Paul’s doing,” I muttered. “I’m at least glad that he didn’t come with us.” Lying at my side, Luxio and Pikachu agreed with nods. I proceeded to stargaze until I fell asleep once more.

The next morning, everyone sat in a circle and stared at the flopping Magikarp in front of us. “I’m so hungry,” Ash groaned.

“I wonder how many meals we had to skip already,” Brock said.

“If things were going to turn out like this, I would’ve stuffed my face back on the ship!” I shouted.

“I’m starving,” James muttered, actually crying.

“Don’t cry!” Jessie barked.

“Yeah. Crying will only make you more hungry,” Meowth said.

Looking at Magikarp, Ash and Brock started drooling. “I want to eat sliced carp,” Ash moaned.

“Or carp miso soup,” Brock suggested.

Ash, Brock, Jessie, James, and Meowth inched closer and closer to Magikarp.

“Uh oh, should we stop them?” I muttered.

“They’ll find out one way or another,” Misty grumbled, folding her arms.

Suddenly Meowth shouted, “I can’t stand it anymore!” and attacked Magikarp, biting down on its scales. However, he sadly watched all his teeth turn to dust. “My teeth! What the heck?”

“You shouldn’t try that again. Magikarp is nothing but skin, bones, and scales,” Misty snapped.

“You could have said that sooner!”

James shook with rage. “Above doing nothing but splash around, you can’t even eat it!”

“That’s why I said you were scammed!” Jessie said.

“I’m not your master anymore! Go elsewhere!” James stood up and kicked Magikarp, sending it into the water.

We watched Magikarp helplessly flail about. “I feel bad for it. You could’ve at least released it like a normal Trainer,” I said.

“It doesn’t deserve my kindness! Not after being so pathetic!” He then took a Poké Ball and broke it in half, tossing the pieces into the water. “There!”

“Hey, Magikarp’s glowing,” Misty said.

Just as she said, Magikarp glowed a bright light. It drastically changed shape, turning into a giant blue serpentine Pokémon that towered above us. Once done evolving, it glared down at us with one of the scariest faces that could ever be found on a Pokémon.

“What is that?!” James shrieked.

“Oh now you’ve done it! Magikarp just evolved into Gyarados!” I barked.

“It looks really powerful,” Jessie said, gulping.

Ash looked up Gyarados on the Pokédex, “ Gyarados the Atrocious Pokémon. This Pokémon has a vicious temperament, so use extreme caution. Its fangs can crush stones and its scales are harder than steel. It is capable of destroying entire cities when enraged, especially in harsh storms. ”

James patted his chest. “I’m your master. Listen to my voice.” However, Gyarados roared at James, making him recoil in fear.

“You moron! You broke its Poké Ball!” Jessie hissed.

“But…”

“And it looks a little offended,” Ash muttered.

“Luxio, Pikachu, try a Thunder Bolt!” I yelled. Knowing nobody else touched the water, my two Pokémon jumped up and scored a direct hit on Gyarados.

However, Gyarados simply shook off the attack and continued to roar. “What? It didn’t seem to do anything!” Brock gasped. “That should’ve done lots of damage too.”

“Let’s see if it did! Go Poké Ball!” I chucked the Poké Ball at Gyarados. Rather than it hitting, the angered Pokémon slapped the ball with its huge tail, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. My jaw hit the floor. “What the hell?!”

“Goldeen, Starmie, Staryu!” Misty called out plenty of water Pokémon, requesting that I send out Wartortle as well.

“Are you planning to fight too?” Brock asked.

“Heh, of course we’re running!” Misty screamed. She quickly fastened the drifting platform to our Pokémon using rope. Then, all at once, they took off, pulling us all along. We used pieces of driftwood as oars to speed along the process.

Unfortunately, Gyarados kept up a speedy chase, making our getaway rather difficult.

“It’s no use!” Jessie and James screamed.

Thanks to some miracle, Gyarados stopped chasing us. It came to a halt and started roaring at the sky. “What’s it doing?” Ash asked.

“Could it be tired? It did just evolve, and after that combined Thunder Bolt,” Brock said.

“We’re saved!” Jessie and James cheered.

“It couldn’t be…” Misty said. We all looked at her.

“What’s wrong, Misty?” I asked.

“I’ve heard rumors about Gyarados. Could this possibly be… D-Dragon Rage?”

Everyone repeated, “Dragon Rage?” as the color left our faces.

“If it is Dragon Rage, then we have to stop this now!” I barked, pulling out another Poké Ball to give it a second try. I pulled my arm back and chucked the Poké Ball, scoring a direct hit to Gyarados’s head. It went inside. The ball landed in the water, and Wartortle retrieved it. The ball never shook in my hands, meaning that the catch already succeeded. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “That actually worked?”

“How can we ever thank you?” Jessie and James said, patting my shoulders.

“Unfortunately, you only stopped that Gyarados,” Misty said. She pointed up ahead.

The waves got higher and higher around us. Storm clouds rolled in over our heads. Then a good five or so Gyarados appeared right before our eyes. There wasn’t any possible way I’d be battling and catching all of them. “We’re done for!” James screamed.

Suddenly, the Gyarados grouped together and started swimming in a circle. I felt Luxio and Pikachu shakily cling to my legs. “Wh-What’s that?” Ash asked.

“Dragon Rage is a finishing move for a group of Gyarados,” I said, gulping loudly.

A watery vortex rose up around the Gyarados, cutting straight through the clouds. The vortex barreled right towards us. “It’s coming! Let’s get away!” Brock yelled.

“It’s no use! Nobody can run away from Dragon Rage!” Misty replied.

“No way!” Ash gasped.

“It’s coming too fast!” I screamed, recalling Wartortle, Luxio, and Pikachu to their Poké Balls without hesitation.

The swirling vortex ripped our platform to shreds, easily pulling everyone up into the air like paper bags. My friends and I hurtled through the air. The violent wind gusts knocked me out cold.

Chapter Text

When I came to my senses, the sun greeted me first. Sunlight poked through my eyelids, forcing me to open them. Then, I felt the air around me: hot, humid, untainted by civilization. I clenched my fists around soft sand and forced myself up. “An...island?”

Licking the salt from my lips, I took a shaky breath, looking around to see where I washed ashore. Palm trees circled around me, steadily leading into a thick jungle. Rocks dotted the sand, and waves rolled up the shore, nearly touching my toes several times. “Tropical, great. Completely deserted, not so great.” I coughed when my dry voice escaped my lips, warning me to drink water. “Man, exactly how long have we been out?”

It took me a second to realize that I received no response to my question.

My head turned left and right, scanning the beach around me. No sign of human life anywhere. “Where’d everyone go?” With the harsh sun beating on my face, I carefully rose to my feet. I nearly fell over a few times from the pain in my knee, looking down to find a large bruise. “That’s just great.” Still, I forced myself to move forward.

Trudging across the sand, I brought my hands to my lips. “Ash? Misty? Brock?”

Still, no response, and no sign of them.

I stopped and looked around. “I hope they at least landed on the same island. If not, this is going to be a pain. Luxio, could you come out and help with your excellent hear—” When I reached for my belt, I found only a single Poké Ball attached to it. “Eh...?”

Last time I remembered seeing my belt, three Poké Balls sat there instead of one; the rest of the team I stowed in my bag after catching Gyarados. “So there should be three, but there’s only one…?”

Hurrying back to the spot where I woke up, I shuffled around in the sand, hoping to uncover the other two Poké Balls. “Why would I be that lucky?” I sat back and let out a disappointed sigh, drooping my head.

The single remaining Poké Ball glared at me, the red coloring slowly becoming painful to the eye. “It’s definitely not Luxio. Actually, I can’t even remember whether it’s Pikachu or Wartortle.”

Without hesitation, I chucked the ball. My blue turtle popped out, rubbing his head like he just got off the Gravitron. “Wartortle!” I rushed over to his side, squeezing him tight. “Are you alright, Wartortle? You didn’t get injured, right?”

Other than an obvious headache, he made a weak smile.

“Yeah. We have seen better days.”

He then asked about my condition.

“My leg’s a little bruised, but otherwise, I’m fine. I thankfully landed on the sand, on my ba—Ah! Crap, I landed on my back, huh?!”

Remembering the bag glued to my back, I ripped it off and frantically shuffled through its contents. “Please don't be broken! Please don't… Oh... Phew, thank goodness!” My fossil still sat at the bottom of the bag, tightly bundled and in one piece.

Wartortle stepped over for a closer look, wondering what I freaked out about.

“Oh, right. This rock is a Pokémon Fossil. It's said to contain the DNA of a Pokémon that’s been extinct for millions of years. Long story short, a scientist gave it to me. I’m supposed to bring it to a lab where supposedly they can bring the Pokémon back to life.” He gasped in surprise. “I know. Cool, right? I’ll better explain the details later. Right now, let’s focus on finding the others and getting off this island.” He nodded his head.

Taking a moment, I quickly rearranged my bag, first stuffing my jacket at the bottom of the bag to better cushion the fossil. “Not like I’ll need it on a tropical island anyways.”

Wartortle helped me collect the five occupied Poké Balls. I summoned everyone to do a quick headcount. Butterfree, Charmander, Zubat, and Pidgeotto all stood in a line. “Plus Wartortle, that’s five Pokémon. Six with this guy.” I timidly stared at the sixth Poké Ball. “I hope I don’t regret doing this.” I tossed the Poké Ball.

The minute Gyarados emerged, he fired off a massive beam of energy from his mouth. I narrowly avoided being obliterated, unlike the trees to my immediate left. I faced my Pokémon and raised my hands. “Gyarados, it’s alright! I’m sorry we attacked you before! You can stop attacking!”

Ignoring me, Gyarados fired off another attack. The sheer power knocked me off my feet. “Dex, please tell me you know what that move was!”

“ Hyper Beam, an extremely powerful move. It contains so much power that the Pokémon who uses it must rest for a while afterwards. ”

I froze. “That powerful...?” When Gyarados roared again, I quickly called him back into the Poké Ball. A bit shaky, I then collapsed on the sand. “Okay, let’s try some other time…”

The rest of my Pokémon gazed at me, hoping I didn’t try that ever again. “Sorry! Well, why don’t you guys get some rest for now?” I recalled everyone except Wartortle, who insisted on staying outside. “Fine. Just stay close. I don’t want to lose anyone else today.”

Wartortle looked around the beach.

I tapped a hand to my chin. “Let’s see. Luxio and Pikachu are the only ones gone from the team. Ash and his crew are missing too, of course, but to be perfectly honest, I’d love to find my Pokémon before anything. So, where to start?”

It was silent for a while, trying to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, many questions circled my head, one more concerning than the rest. “Man, I don’t even know if we all landed on the same island or not! Did they?!”

Suddenly, Wartortle tugged on my skirt. “Hmm? Did you find something?” He pointed off towards the water. A medium-sized pink Pokémon sat on a rock nearby, dipping its tail into the water. “Good eye, Wartortle! Maybe it can help us out. You think you can ask?” Wartortle jogged over to the Pokémon. “What is it though?”

From in my bag, Dex answered the call. “ Slowpoke the Dopey Pokémon. Incredibly slow and sluggish, this Pokémon remains in a daze even when fishing with its tail, rather pleasant to chew on but not very nutritious. If something bites its tail, it won’t even notice for a whole day. ”

I frowned. “What a Pokémon…”

Wartortle approached Slowpoke and greeted it with a friendly smile.

However, Slowpoke didn’t respond.

Taking a second chance, Wartortle said hello again.

Slowpoke still didn’t respond. It didn’t move, speak, even turn its head to acknowledge his presence. It just sat there and remained in a daze, exactly like the Pokédex explained.

Getting desperate, I called, “Excuse me, Slowpoke!” When it didn’t respond, I went over and crouched down, waving a hand in its face. “Hello? Can you even hear us?” Even though it had very large ears, Slowpoke still didn’t reply. “I guess we chose the wrong Pokémon to ask for directions…”

I stepped away and turned to the rest of the island. “Let’s just keep walking. Hopefully we’ll find someone.”

As we strolled along the beach, a gentle breeze flowed past us. Wartortle liked the feeling of his fluffy ears and tail being caught in the wind. He stepped over to the shoreline and danced in the water, a big smile appearing on his face. I smiled back, removing my shoes to dip my toes into the water. “It is nice here, I a—COLD!!”

Wartortle laughed at me before continuing.

“Ha ha, very funny. I can’t adjust to it as quickly as you can, you know—”

He suddenly made a loud yelp.

“What’s wrong?!”

Dismissing my worry, Wartortle pointed towards some nearby trees. A body lay face-down in the sand.

I recognized his spiky, black hair easily. “Ah! No way! It’s Ash!” We rushed over to Ash’s side, where I anxiously shook his shoulder. “Hey, are you all right, Ash?! Come on! Wake up!”

It started as breathing being his only movement. Slowly, though, he stirred, twitching his fingers. “What… what is it?”

Hearing his voice let me relax. “Oh good. You’re fine.”

He struggled to sit up, and I gave him some space. “Ro… Rosa? Where… are we?”

“Not sure yet. A deserted island from the looks of it, but don’t ask me how we got here. I still wonder how we survived that cyclone.”

“We must’ve been lucky, but I don’t see Misty or Brock anywhere…”

“Nope. Luxio and Pikachu are missing too...”

“Luxio and… Pikachu?!” He shot up onto all fours, looking around. “Pikachu! Where’s Pikachu?! Not just yours! My Pikachu’s gone too—Ow!” He slapped a hand to his forehead.

I gently put my hand on his shoulder. “Hey, take it easy! You might’ve hit your head when you landed!”

“Yeah, I think I did… Oh no!” Glancing down, he also lacked Poké Balls on his belt. “Not just Pikachu! I only have two Poké Balls!”

“Oh no! Who’s all missing?”

“Er… Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander it looks like.”

I frowned, exchanging looks with Wartortle. “This day just keeps getting worse and worse. Okay, we’ll add them to the list. Let’s just get going, Ash. We have to find everyone as quickly as we can.”

“Right.” Ash checked over his bag and put on his hat.

I looked at my Pokémon. “Why don’t you go inside now?” He immediately voiced his opinion on that one. “I know you want to help search, and I really appreciate it. I just want you to get a little rest first. That’s all. Plus, who knows who or what we’ll run into here?” Wartortle made a frown before letting himself into his Poké Ball. I rubbed my cheek against it. “Thank you, Wartortle.”

Ash stood up beside me. “Hopefully, none of our Pokémon got split up like we did.”

“I sure hope not.” We headed off into the thick jungle.

★

It was long past sunset before I snapped out of a trance. We walked all through the night without a single sign of our friends, neither Pokémon nor people. Ash and I paused when my Pidgeotto finally returned from a scouting mission. Judging by the look on her face, “You didn’t find them, did you?”

She looked upset and apologized.

“It’s alright, Pidgeotto. This isn’t your fault, and you searched your hardest. Go ahead and take a rest in the ball now.” I recalled my Pokémon.

“Man, where did our Pokémon end up?” Ash groaned.

I made a pouty face. “I’m so worried. And this island isn’t helping. They could literally be anywhere!” My hands yanked on my long locks, and I felt my sanity fading fast.

“Maybe they all got eaten by wild Pokémon…?” Ash muttered.

I nearly smacked him. “Why would you even joke about something like that?!”

He grinned. “Sorry.”

I looked at the ground. “But, what if the Pokémon think we abandoned them? I mean, we all got torn apart by accident. It’s not like we wanted that to happen, but the Pokémon may or may not understand that.”

Ash stepped in front of me. “Come on, Rosa. Don’t start acting all gloom-and-doom about it now. The Pokémon know that’s not even a possibility. I know I’d never ever abandon them, in a million years! Don’t you feel the same?”

Taking a breath, I looked at him and smiled. “Sorry. You’re right, Ash. I’m worrying for no reason. I’d never ever abandon my Pokémon either. Luxio of all Pokémon should know that, so if the others start doubting, he can talk some sense into them.”

“You and Luxio are really close, aren’t you? More than just a Trainer and first Pokémon.”

“I’ve known Luxio practically my entire life. My brother gave him to me before I could even walk. We grew up together, and did everything possible together. You couldn’t separate the two of us with a crowbar.”

“You have a brother?”

I nodded. “His name is Volkner. He’s a really powerful Pokémon Trainer who uses Electric-types. Actually, he’s a Gym Leader in my hometown, and a really popular one.”

“A Gym Leader?! That’s incredible! Does that mean you’re a Gym Leader too?”

“Well, not officially. I’ve never been old enough to be a Gym Leader, until now. I suppose whenever I return home though I could fight as a substitute Gym Leader, like if Volkner gets sick or something. It is the family Gym...”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem very thrilled about that.”

I nervously waved my hands. “Oh no, it’s not that I wouldn’t be excited. Being a Gym Leader sounds like a lot of fun. It’s just, it’s not my goal to become one.”

“Well, what is your goal?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “I want to become the Pokémon World Champion!”

“Pokémon World Champion?”

“It’s something I made up myself. Basically the strongest trainer in the world, the PWC is someone who can beat all current Regional Champions in full six-on-six battles. I always thought a person like that deserved a title worthy of the deed.”

“Well, you’d definitely need to be pretty powerful. All of the champions in a row?”

“No, not in a row. That’d be almost impossible. There are so many different Pokémon regions, and everyone has conflicting schedules. I just want to beat each one before someone new takes their place.

“This is how I figured it out. If you defeat a Regional Champion, your name is put onto a special regional plaque forever, right? Well, nobody in the history of Pokémon has ever gotten their name onto every regional plaque in the world. They’ve talked about it though, saying a person like that would need to be exceptionally strong.”

“So you plan to be that person?”

I clenched my fists. “Exactly! I want to be the first, and quite literally the very best. That’s been my dream for years now. You can imagine how excited I was when the day came to start my journey, and so...” I paused. Ash gazed at me with a big smile, making me nervous. “What’s wrong? You’re looking at me funny…”

After a moment, he replied, “You’re pretty amazing, Rosa.”

I didn’t expect to hear that. My face burst into flames. “Thank… Thank you, Ash… I don’t think anyone’s ever said that before—”

All of a sudden, we felt a tremor in the ground. It nearly knocked me off my feet. Then, just over the treetops, a gigantic creature appeared. It had glowing red eyes and a big horn on its forehead, a grey body glimmering under the moonlight. “Is that a...Pokémon?”

“Dex, what you got on it?!” I yelped, slowly stepping back.

Dex replied with, “ No Pokémon found. No data. ”

“No data?! There’s a Pokémon right there!” The Pokémon roared so loud my eardrums nearly burst. Then it started towards us. “And it’s the size of Godzilla!”

“I feel like I’ve seen that Pokémon before,” Ash noted. “Maybe it’s—”

Not wanting to be turned into a pancake, I tugged his arm. “We’re not going to stay and play 20 Questions with it! Come on!” We ran away.

Running away from the giant grey Pokémon, Ash skidded to a sudden halt, and I crashed into him. “What’s wrong? Why did you sto—”

He put a hand over my mouth. “Look… Over there…”

To my horror, a giant yellow bird stood up in the distance. It cawed loudly before lifting into the sky. A single flap of its wings nearly blew us into a tree. Then, even worse, the Pokémon somehow sensed our presence and turned in our direction. Ash and I bolted through the trees.

Chasing after us, the giant bird lit up the night sky with a Thunder Bolt. Ash and I found a cluster of trees and dove underneath them for shelter. We shielded our heads as the bird flew right past us. It continued on into the night, never turning around.

“So there really are more...on the island,” I panted, gasping for air.

“I’ve never seen a flying Pokémon like that before.”

“Me neither. It’s one of the most incredible Pokémon I’ve ever seen.” I looked over at him. “Ash, this place is extremely dangerous, and now it’s too dark to see. We should find a safe spot to crash for the night.”

He nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

We found a tiny cave hidden away in the side of a mountain. My Charmander helped start a fire. “Thank you, Charmander.” I patted her head before sending out Zubat to go on a night scouting mission. “If you see any giant Pokémon, don’t hesitate to come right back.” She nodded and flew off.

Ash sat back by the fire, removing his jacket, bag, and hat. “Man, I’m starving.” We both heard his stomach protest.

Rummaging through my bag, I found a bundle of snacks neatly stashed away. “Here.”

His eyes lit up when he saw the small parcel. “You have food?!”

“It’s not much.” I showed him the package’s contents.

A big smile appeared on his face. “Rice balls!!” There were four total, so I split them evenly, plus two apples. Ash seemed to really like the rice balls. “These are delicious! Did you make them yourself?”

Nodding, I looked away. “Sorry I hid them back when we got stranded. I just wanted to save these for a crucial do-or-die moment. We were only out on the water for a day, honestly.”

Ash suddenly looked guilty. “Hold on. If you put that much effort into keeping these for an emergency situation, are you sure they’re okay for me to just eat?”

I waved a hand at him. “Of course. Please do. They were about to go bad anyways, and there’s no way I’m eating them by myself. It should be enough for two people stranded on an island like ourselves.”

“Two people? Oh yeah! You said earlier that you traveled around with someone, just before you got on the St. Anne. Is that when you made these?”

“Yep...”

“Wow. Your friend must be someone special.”

I nearly choked on the rice. “Well… not totally special... I mean, I’ve only known him for a couple weeks now. Plus, we don’t really see each other all that much. He’s always on the move, and I just can’t seem to keep up with him.”

“Well, you don’t seem like the kind of person to make good food for just anyone.”

“Really? I mean, we don’t even get along very well. Now that I think about it, we fight a lot over the littlest things. Sometimes I think we wouldn’t last five minutes in the same room.” I gazed at the ground, thinking of all the exchanges I’ve had with Paul and feeling a little sad.

“You know, Misty and I fight a whole lot.”

“Huh?” I glanced up at him.

“It’s true. I don’t think a day’s gone by that we haven’t argued, ever since Pikachu destroyed her bike on that first day we met. We bicker constantly, and she gets on my nerves all the time. Needless to say though, she’s still a part of the group. Brock too. We all have our bad moments, sure, but nothing so bad that I can’t stand to be around them anymore.

“To be completely honest, I’ve had plenty of fun days with them. I’ll always remember the Gym battles with Brock and Misty both. They’re excellent Trainers, and they both love Pokémon so much, just like me.”

“So, even if you fight, you still somehow have a lot of fun with each other?”

He happily nodded. “Hey, like I said, if you’re willing to make food for someone, how bad can they really be?”

I laughed. “Especially if they have Pokémon with them.”

“See? That’s the spiri—Ahhhh…” He suddenly let out a big yawn, stretching his arms wide. “Man, that rice really hit me hard.”

“It’s called a food coma,” I then noted the black sky peeking into the cave, “though it is really late.” I stood up and stretched too. “Well, why don’t you get some rest now? We’ve got a busy day tomorrow after all.” I headed over to the mouth of the cave.

“What about you?”

“I want to wait for Zubat to get back. Don’t worry. Just get some sleep.”

Nodding his head, Ash sprawled back on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow. He fell asleep in a matter of seconds, snoring like a grandpa.

I sat out on the edge of the cave, dangling my feet. A patch of grass sat just a bit below me, close enough I could jump straight down without hurting myself. We actually scaled a short cliff to reach this cave.

“I wonder what the others are doing right now,” I muttered.

Wartortle popped out of his Poké Ball.

“What are you doing out?”

He grumbled and rubbed his eyes.

“Worried about Luxio and Pikachu too, huh? I understand.”

Wartortle cuddled up to me.

We gazed up at the stars together. “I hope they’re watching this same sky. With the lack of buildings, you can really see everything, and it’s gorgeous.” Wartortle nodded his head in agreement.

Thinking about Ash’s words, I gave a deep sigh. “Honestly, hearing Ash talk that way about his friends, I feel a little jealous.” Wartortle turned his head. “I want to be friends with someone the way he has friends. Having fun each day, with Pokémon, even if some fighting is involved. It doesn’t even have to be Paul, just someone. I’ll be the first to admit it gets a little lonely not having someone who can talk back.”

Wartortle made a small whine.

Realizing that I accidentally hurt his feelings, I panicked. “Oh, wait! I didn’t mean it like that, Wartortle! It’s just, however way you look at it, you can’t speak my language, and I can't speak yours. It’s just a bunch of interpretation.” He nodded his head with a frown. I patted it. “I love being with you and the other Pokémon, more than anything. I just need a human companion too. Does that make sense?”

He nodded. Then Wartortle popped onto his feet and yelled at me.

I staggered. “What? Where’s this coming from?”

Ignoring me, Wartortle ordered me to ask about becoming traveling companions with…

“With Paul?! What kind of suggestion is that?”

He argued Paul as a really good candidate, and that’s after knowing him for only a few days. Plus, he reminded me of what I said a few seconds ago, about wanting a human companion the way Ash has Brock and Misty.

“You’re crazy, Wartortle! No way I can do that! I mean, that’s true. And sure, Paul and I’ve already traveled together for a little while, but I don’t think we could go on for too long without killing each other. He’s so… He’s so...” I stopped, unable to put together the right words.

Wartortle gave me a look.

I blushed. “No! It’s not like that! Paul just… doesn’t seem like the guy who’d even listen to that sort of request. After all, we conflict on every level. I like to take my time, and go sightseeing. He doesn’t. He treats his Pokémon a lot harsher than I do, and he seems to always be in more of a hurry. I’d probably just slow him down, honestly.”

Wartortle jumped in my face, asking what other option I had.

“Ah… Well…” I couldn’t respond. “I haven’t exactly made too many friends so far. I don’t have a pool to pick from.”

My Pokémon folded his arms.

I turned away to process. Traveling with someone else would be a lot of fun, even if it ended up being Paul. Plus, he’s right; Paul isn’t the terrible guy I make him out to be. And after what Ash said, I know deep down that I like him enough to be friends with him.

After a moment, I turned back to my Pokémon. “You think it’s worth a shot?”

He noted how well we got along despite having our differences.

“True. We did get along decently enough those few days. It could’ve been worse.”

Wartortle explained how it’d just be like asking someone to be your friend.

“That’s easier said than done…” My anxiety wanted to stubbornly refuse. Deep down though, I knew Wartortle argued a good point. And I’m sure he’s just trying to help… Knowing I couldn’t win, I sighed. “Fine. You win. Next time I see Paul, I’ll talk to him about it. He may shoot me down in an instant, but I’ll try. Is that enough for you?”

Wartortle happily nodded.

I stroked his ear. “So stubborn. Definitely my Pokémon.”

We heard tiny wings flapping. Zubat flew down to us. “Did you find anything?”

She regretfully shook her head.

“That’s alright. At least you didn’t run into a giant Pokémon.” I looked at them both. “Well, let’s get some sleep then. Shall we?” Wartortle stepped over to the fire and put it out. Then he and Zubat went back inside their Poké Balls.

Heading back into the cave, I stopped and looked back towards the stars. I held a hand to my heart. Be careful, Luxio, and Pikachu. All of you! Stick together, and I’ll find you first thing in the morning! I grabbed my jacket, bundled it up underneath my head, and fell asleep on the rocky ground.

★

After a good night’s sleep, Ash and I got up the moment light touched our noses. “Let’s go. We have to find everyone as quickly as we can,” I said, packing up my things.

“Before they all get eaten,” Ash muttered.

I angrily tossed his hat at his face. “Not helping!”

We hurried into the forest, searching high and low for all our friends. I repeatedly sent Pidgeotto, Butterfree, and Zubat on scouting missions, but they all kept turning up without any clues to the others’ location.

“Luxio! Pikachu!” I called.

“Squirtle! Bulbasaur! Charmander!” Ash shouted.

"Misty!"

"Brock!"

No matter who we called, we never got a response.

I nervously fiddled with my hands. “Where the hell could they be?”

Suddenly, another giant Pokémon stomped into view. “What’s that?!” we screamed. A giant dragon roared and shot a massive Flamethrower at us. We ducked behind a rock for cover.

“A Charizard?!” I gasped, peeking around the rock.

“The final form of Charmander?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think they got that big! Dex!”

My Pokédex beeped. “ No Pokémon found. No data .”

Ash gave me a look. “Still no data? Rosa, I think your Pokédex is having issues.”

Frustrated, I grabbed my Pokédex and manually entered in the name. “ Charizard the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon. The final evolved form of Charmander, its fiery breath reaches incredible temperatures. It can quickly melt glaciers weighing 10,000 tons, and it is known to cause forest fires unintentionally. ”

“There!” I cheered, happy to see my Pokédex still working.

Ignoring me, Ash grabbed my hand. “Enough research! We have to get away!” We narrowly got away from another Flamethrower.

We scaled a short mountain to get away from Charizard, running into a giant Venusaur along the way. “A Venusaur is the final evolved form of Bulbasaur, I think!” Ash called.

I looked it up. “ Venusaur the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ivysaur. It is the final evolved form of Bulbasaur. Venusaur uses its large petals to capture sunlight and transform it into energy. As a result, it is more powerful in the summertime. ”

Racing across a stone bridge, which lacked handrails, we suddenly came face-to-face with another giant Pokémon. I gasped, nearly staggering right over the edge. “Is that a…”

“Pikachu?!” Ash screamed, falling down in shock.

The Pikachu stepped so close it's nose nearly touched the bridge.

Then we heard another scream. Misty and Brock came charging straight at us from the other side of the bridge. Behind them, a massive blue turtle steadily approached. “It’s Brock and Misty!” Ash cheered.

“And company!” I shrieked. “What even is that?!”

Dex answered. “ Blastoise the Shellfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Wartortle. Blastoise is the final evolved form of Squirtle. Its strength lies in its power, rather than its speed. Its shell is like armor and attacks from the cannons on its back are virtually unstoppable. ”

“Ash! Rosa!” Misty and Brock called, racing over to us.

“Are you guys doing alright?” I shouted back.

They stopped to catch a quick breath. “As well as we can. Where’s Pikachu, and Luxio's gone too?” Misty asked.

I frowned, looking at Ash. "We've been trying to find them, and that eventually brought us to that!" I gestured to the giant Pikachu staring us down.

"Pikachu?!" Misty and Brock screamed.

“What’s that?” Ash muttered, looking past Pikachu. 

Off on the horizon, a dust cloud hurtled towards us. Another giant Pokémon got dragged along a set of train tracks, which happened to run underneath the bridge. As it pulled closer, its massive body cause a series of earthquakes. The tremors destroyed the bridge right under our feet.

The four of us all fell down into a trolley cart, coming face-to-face with the duo of Jessie and James. We screamed out in horror and pointed, not at Team Rocket. We screamed after seeing the giant Pikachu get dragged alongside the other Pokémon; this was all thanks to a thick cable caught on the trolley cart.

“Now we’ve got you twerps right where we want you!” Jessie laughed.

“So hand over Pikachu!” James ordered. However, they both noted our gaze and looked back, staring right into the lifeless smile of the giant Pikachu following us. “But not that big one!”

Then, I noticed more giant Pokémon approaching in the distance. At their feet, several regular-sized Pokémon ran away as fast as possible. I recognized pointy, yellow ears and black fur amongst the rest. “Ash, look!” I yelled, pointing out the Pokémon.

“Pikachu!” Ash screamed.

The giant Pokémon chased the little ones, quickly catching up. “At that rate, they’re all going to get run over!” Brock growled.

Ash looked at Jessie and James. “Stop the trolley right now!”

They grinned at us. “About that,” Jessie muttered.

“We can’t stop. The brake’s broken!” James admitted, holding up a broken lever.

“Give me a break,” I frowned.

“Look, guys!” Misty yelled, pointing up ahead.

A big loop-de-loop sat in the tracks. “What the hell?!” Brock asked.

“Prepare for big trouble!” James shouted.

“Make it double, and I can’t stand roller coasters!” Jessie screamed.

“What do we do?!” Misty called.

“Hold on tight!” I barked, bracing myself inside the cart.

Jessie screamed her heart out as we entered the loop. “Stop the ride! I want to get off!”

When we finished the loop, which only took a few seconds, my stomach felt all jumbled up and terrible. Still, the loop bought our Pokémon time to catch up to the cart. They now ran alongside us. “Okay, everyone, jump!” I shouted.

All at once, the Pokémon took a great big leap, jumping into our outstretched arms.

I caught Pikachu and Luxio without any trouble, holding them against my chest and squeezing the life out of them. They aggressively brushed their fur against my face. “Pikachu! Luxio!” I cheered, nearly crying. “You’re okay!”

Pikachu suddenly tugged on my shirt. She held out two Poké Balls. One had the usual red and white coloring, while the other sported the colors belonging to Luxio’s Poké Ball. That’s when I let the tears stream down my face. “Pikachu, you mean you took care of them all this time?!” She smiled and nodded, reminding me that Luxio didn’t have opposable thumbs. “Oh, Pikachu, you’re the best! Thank you!”

“Is everyone here?” Ash asked, holding his Pikachu with tears in his eyes.

Brock and Misty held his Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.

Jessie and James had Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth too.

“Everyone’s alright now,” Brock said.

“Ah! They’re all after us now!” Misty suddenly screamed.

Our attention got pulled back to the giant Pokémon. The giant Pikachu and its friend tripped the evolved starter Pokémon. Soon all five of them dragged along behind our cart. It was a simply horrifying scene.

“Maybe our luck will hold out...” Ash suggested.

“Well, based on our recent run of luck,” James began, “I would say the cable should snap.”

“That should happen about now,” Jessie said. Instantly, the cable snapped, ending the chase.

“Next, we’ll be hurled into the air.” Approaching a small hill in the tracks, the trolley went so fast that it shot into the air.

“Then, we’ll probably crash into something,” said Meowth.

The trolley smashed right into the yellow bird Pokémon we saw last night. A waterfall of metal parts I would never be able to name fell around our heads. “Was that a fake Pokémon?” I asked.

“It would make sense why your Pokédex never worked then,” Ash noted.

“And then finally, we hit the water!” Meowth yelled. The trolley lost momentum, and began to fall. “After a really, really long drop!” We plunged into the ocean.

The fun wasn’t quite over yet. We ran into one final Pokémon robot: a Gyarados. The trolley cart smashed into the head, causing a massive explosion that sent everyone blasting off, not just Team Rocket.

★

I got blown to yet another beach, not sure on the same island or a different one. At least this time I ended up with my beloved Pokémon, no humans though.

Luxio, Pikachu, and I tried looking for Ash and the others. However, all my flying Pokémon searched the skies, and when they returned without any sign of them, we switched gears. I just wanted to focus on getting off the island.

The three of us trekked through the jungle, with Pikachu frequently running ahead. “I’d love to make sure Ash and the others are fine, but we should worry a little more about ourselves,” I said to Luxio. “We still have to get off this island somehow. It’s not like we haven’t found any—”

Suddenly Pikachu cried from the top of a hill. “Do you see something up there?” She waved for us to hurry up.

Rushing to her side, Luxio and I came upon a stunning sight. “...cities?!”

An actual city sat before us, right on the water. It had white, sandy beaches right next to towering office buildings, and clear blue skies watched over from above. “There’s an entire city on the island?!”

Pikachu tugged on my leg, pointing at the water. I smiled down at her. “Oh, we’re definitely checking that out!”

We raced down the hill towards the beach.

Chapter Text

“Blue skies, white sands, and that means…” I stepped onto the sand, wearing nothing but my swimsuit, with my bag slung over my shoulder, “...time to hit the waves and soak up some rays!”

Wasting no time at all, Pikachu grabbed an inner tube and jumped into the water with Wartortle.

Pidgeotto, Zubat, and Butterfree helped me set out a beach blanket. “There’s no need to rush, you guys! We have three days before the next ferry back to the mainland. Plenty of time for splashing in the water!” I hollered as I set up an umbrella. Then, I dismissed all my flying Pokémon to do whatever they wanted.

Charmander found a bucket and shovel in my bag and held them out to me. I let out a giggle. “You’re probably not planning on swimming, huh? I figured. Go ahead. Make me the best sandcastle ever!” She gave me a big smile before scampering off.

A fluffy head suddenly nudged the back of my leg. Luxio stood behind me, his brush in his mouth. I couldn’t resist his sweet face. “I know you won’t be jumping in the water anytime soon either. Okay, come here.”

Luxio sat patiently while I brushed him top to bottom. “It’s important for you to be groomed everyday, especially now that you’ve evolved. Your fur is much longer and thicker than a Shinx. Man, just wait until you become a Luxray!” He gave me a look, wondering if the idea excites me or not. “What are you talking about? Of course, I want you to evolve! I don’t care if I have to spend a little longer brushing you everyday. It’s totally worth it.

“And besides, it’ll always be more of a pain to brush my hair.” We both laughed.

After we finished up his grooming appointment, Luxio licked my face to express his gratitude. “Ha ha, of course!” He then sprawled out in the sun and dozed off. Pidgeotto decided to join him, while Zubat and Butterfree flew off to find decorations for Charmander’s castle.

I stepped over to the water’s edge. Pikachu happily paddled about, with the inner tube circling around her small body. Sometimes, she twirled her tail like a propeller, hoping to go faster. “You have to spin it super fast if you want that to happen,” I laughed.

Wartortle suddenly popped up beside my electric Pokémon, gleefully spraying a fountain of water into the air. “How’s the water? It’s still a little cold for me,” I admitted, standing knee-deep so far.

Of course, Pikachu repeated what I yelled at them earlier. “That’s right. With the time we’re going to spend here, I’ll definitely get used to the water.”

When we had arrived in civilization earlier that day, we had looked for a way off the island before anything. At a tourist information center, I discovered the name of the city: Porta Vista. I found out that the giant Pokémon we encountered belonged to an amusement park, Pokémon Land, on the same island.

That left me a little irritated. “Who on earth built that place, and why?” I grumbled down to my Pokémon after learning the truth.

This city split into two districts: Acapulco and Hutber Port. Acapulco is an extremely popular tourist destination all over the world, complete with beaches, restaurants, hotels, and resorts. Hutber Port contained the majority of the residential and business neighborhoods, in addition to more hotels and resorts. People can find ferries to and from the mainland in Hutber Port. Bingo!

Unfortunately, the ferry only gets to Porta Vista every three days. From the mainland, it has to stop at two other islands before reaching this one. Naturally, I always had impeccable timing. “The ferry won’t arrive for three days,” said a lady working the ferry ticket counter. “I’m afraid it just left this morning.”

I sighed in frustration. Of course, without any other way to get off the island, apart from getting my own boat, I admitted defeat. “Am I still able to purchase a ticket for the next ferry?”

“I have a few open spots left. Are you all by yourself?”

I nodded back. “Yep. Just me and my Pokémon.” Pikachu and Luxio jumped up to say hi.

She smiled back at them, sitting beside a Pidgey herself. “It’ll be a day’s trip. Are you okay with that?”

“Anything if it means getting off this island.”

The lady looked at me funny. “That bad, huh?”

I had panicked. “No… No, it’s just… Ah, forget I said anything… Yes! I’ll happily reserve a spot on the next ferry!”

“Wonderful!” She took in my information, and I had purchased a ticket for the ferry.

A stream of water suddenly struck me in the face. “No fair, Wartortle! You can’t use an attack on me!” I shouted, throwing my arm forward to splash him back. Pikachu splashed us both with her tail.

After a quick water fight, we ventured deeper into the bay. I rented out some breathing equipment for myself and Pikachu. We held onto Wartortle’s shell, and he dived underwater, happily leading us around. We explored a beautiful coral reef filled with life. Schools of Magikarp, Goldeen, and Seaking passed. I also discovered a new Pokémon, a red crab with large, red pincers, named Krabby. We didn’t get too close though, as those pincers looked a little scary.

We tried another fun activity: surfing. A popular sport around the world, we observed lots of Trainers using their own Pokémon to ride the waves rather than boards. Pikachu and I took turns using Wartortle’s back. He didn’t mind at all, appreciating the chance to work on his swimming skills. He handled the waves really well, and Pikachu did too. I couldn’t say the same about myself though, falling off several times. Still, we all had a lot of fun.

It didn’t take long before everyone got tired of swimming, and hungry.

The three of us trudged back to our spot on the beach. Luxio watched us approach, steadily wagging his tail back and forth. Butterfree and Zubat snoozed nearby, and Pidgeotto perched atop Charmander’s sandcastle, which had been completed.

“You did all of that by yourself?!”

Charmander stepped back to let us admire her work of art. The castle had many towers, spires, and turrets, at least seven, each rising taller than the last, and the details were nothing short of impressive. Windows, flags made from leaves, and a sturdy rampart going all around the property.

I slumped. “Great. My Pokémon can surf better and make better sandcastles too.”

Luxio nodded his head, both of us remembering my many awful attempts to make one.

“Not helping, pal…” I turned to the group. “So, anyways, who’s hungry?” They all jumped up and down, cheering at the top of their lungs. “Wow! I should’ve asked sooner. Well then, I’m going to get some food. You all can just stay here. I won’t be too long.”

Wartortle suddenly stood up, insisting he come along to help carry stuff back.

I grinned. “Not like I can refuse, I guess. Thanks.”

Also, Pikachu asked me to get a specific item on our way back, besides the food.

“You want me to find a beach ball?” She nodded her head. “Well, alright, I’ll see if I can find one somewhere.”

Leaving Luxio in charge, Wartortle and I went to grab lunch.

I seriously underestimated the number of restaurants, cafes, food trucks and vendors parked along the beach. Anything you could imagine, you could find. Cheeseburgers, pizza, hot dogs, barbeque, seafood, and a thousand different flavors of ice cream, including wasabi and squid ink. We even found a small hut where you could smash watermelons.

“There’s so much food here. What do you think we should get?” I said to Wartortle. We stuffed our faces with some squid ink ice cream, a treat to my Pokémon for coming along to help me out.

He asked what everyone on the team likes to eat.

I stood still for a moment, a hand to my chin. “Well, as far as I can tell, everyone likes sweet things, and fruits. Charmander prefers spicy food, and Luxio will eat anything that comes from the ocean. Plus, nobody can resist anything off the grill.” He agreed with that last statement.

After a moment, I clapped my hands together. “How about seafood? That restaurant back there smelled good, and the line of people going out the door means it’s worth a try.” He gulped down the last of his ice cream and approved my idea. “Let’s get a watermelon too. We can break it open and have it for dessert.”

Wartortle expressed his joy by smiling wide and excitedly dancing around.

We first stopped at the watermelon hut to acquire a melon, the biggest and most beautiful one they had. Wartortle carried it, looking forward to a fun game of watermelon splitting. Then, I got the rest of the food from a seafood shack. It proved difficult to narrow down a list of choices from the massive menu, but I somehow managed: grilled salted fish and squid on skewers, steamed oysters, fried shrimp, and crab legs.

Leaving the restaurant, I happily gazed at the boxes of food in my arms. It looked like enough food to feed six people, guaranteeing satisfaction for my Pokémon. “This should be good for everyone, right?”

Wartortle nodded.

“Did you happen to see any stores that sell beach balls by the way?” He frowned. “Hey, don’t feel too bad. Maybe we’ve just got to go a little farther up the road to find some. I’ve really been wanting to play ever since Pikachu suggested it!”

A voice suddenly barked at me, “Slacking off as usual, I see, Girlie?”

No way!

I froze, and slowly turned my head to the side. “It’s Paul!” I gasped, seeing his purple hair. Then I glared at him. “How many times do I have to say it? Don’t call me that!”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt your day off.”

“You expecting me to work? I’m on an island, and it’s sunny.”

“Perfect weather to do some Pokémon Training.”

I frowned. “Then why are you in swim trunks?”

He shrugged. “It’s hot out. Duh.”

“Really? You weren’t planning to swim at all ?”

After a second, Paul looked away. “That’s none of your business.”

His rude comment made me frown. “Well then, if you’re not on vacation, what are you doing here?”

“I came to this island to catch a water Pokémon.”

“A water Pokémon?”

“Yeah. I need one for my team, and thought an island like this one would be the perfect place to capture one.”

“Any water Pokémon in particular?”

“This one, actually.” He opened his Pokédex, showing me the file on Gyarados.

I gulped. “You’re looking for a Gyarados?!”

“Yeah. You haven’t seen any around, have you?”

“No… No, not really. I think I would’ve remembered seeing a Gyarados. Trust me. If I could see a Gyarados from here, you would’ve heard about it.”

“True.” He stashed his Pokédex away. “What about you? Did you actually come here for a vacation? Last time we saw each other, you were just having a look around Vermillion City.”

The color left my face. “Ah! Well, that’s a long story. Kind of boring, and I don’t wan—”

“I’ve got time,” he said flatly.

I hesitated, wondering what to say. When I looked to Wartortle for help, he replied by raising his eyebrow, reminding me of the deal I made to him just the other day. “This is not the time for that,” I muttered to him.

Wartortle glared at me.

“Time for what?” Paul asked.

I jumped out of my skin. “Uh, ha ha… listen. I’d love to sit and chat, Paul, but I have hungry Pokémon to feed. Let’s catch up later, okay? Bye!” I sped off with Wartortle. He gave me another look. “Not now…”

We returned to our spot on the beach, finding everyone lounging around. Pidgeotto cried out to alert the others of our return. “That’s right! We’ve got food!” Wartortle and I set everything in the center. Everyone admired the selection, starting to drool. “What are you all just standing around for? Dig in!” They attacked the food.

I sat back to watch my Pokémon stuff their faces.

Luxio stepped over to me with a grilled fish in his mouth. He swallowed it in one gulp and then wondered why I didn’t eat. “Oh, I’m not so hungry. I ate some ice cream earlier. That stuff’s all for you guys, so please, eat up.”

He went and grabbed a small fish, holding it out to me. I grinned. “Okay, just one.”

After I finished the fish, Luxio asked if I felt sick or something. He thought I’d been acting a little weird since I got back, initially thinking it was just my hunger.

I waved a hand. “I really appreciate the concern, Luxio, but I promise I’m fine. I’m just not too…” Luxio stared behind me, making me a little concerned. “Luxio? What’s wro—?”

Suddenly, someone stuck a large, black bowl on my head, sealed up with a clear lid. It looked like the ones that restaurants use for takeout soups. I stared at it, a little confused, and traced the arm with my eyes. The owner of the arm had purple hair. “He’s right, you know.”

I gazed up at him, slowly taking the bowl. “Paul?”

Paul sat down beside me. “You should eat something more filling than ice cream.”

“Are you crazy? I can’t eat this. It’s your food, and besi—”

He held up a second bowl. “I already have food for myself.”

“Huh?” I looked between him and the bowl he gave me. “Did you… buy me food?”

He never met my eyes. “Just eat it already.”

I grumbled, “What, before it gets cold? How nice of you!”

“No, before a Pokémon smells it and takes it from you.” He pointed out the many Pokémon inching closer to the container in my hands, drooling more than earlier. “And it’s already cold.”

“Already cold?” I opened the bowl, finding a heaping helping of noodles with sliced boiled eggs, beef, fresh veggies, and even a slice of watermelon, all dunked in a cold beef broth. My heart fluttered at the sight. “Noodles! And they smell so good! Where the heck did you find these?!”

“There was a noodle shop right next to the place where you got all the other stuff. I can’t believe you didn’t see it, dummy.”

I grit my teeth. “Hey, I got a little distracted by someone , if you forgot!” I took a fork and tried a bite, freezing up the instant I tasted the noodles. The taste… The taste…! My taste buds just entered heaven!

After a long pause, Paul asked, “Are you okay?”

I quickly shouted, “These are delicious!” and tore into the noodles. “The best-tasting cold noodles on the planet!”

Paul smiled. “Then I guess the signs really meant it. ‘Terribly mouthwatering’ is how they phrased it.”

“I couldn’t agree more!”

We ate our lunch peacefully, with Paul. I only let him stay since he bought me such delicious noodles. My Pokémon and I filled our tummies to max capacity. They ended up with a bit of leftovers, so Paul fed them to his Pokémon.

After eating, all my Pokémon went back to playing. I warned them not to push themselves too hard, since they just ate. “That goes for you guys, too! Don’t give yourself a tummy ache,” I said to Paul’s Pokémon, before they ran off to join the fun.

Grotle came over and sat right behind me, enjoying the sunshine on his back.

I leaned back against him. “It’s nice to see you too, Grotle.”

Ivysaur came over for some attention, climbing into my lap.

I scratched his head. “And you too, Ivysaur. It’s been a while. Has Paul been treating you guys well enough?”

“If you think I’ve been letting anyone take it easy with training, you’re completely wrong.”

Hearing that, Ivysaur and I smiled at each other. “You know, you’re welcome to come along with me whenever you want, Ivysaur.”

“Hey! Don’t try to take my Pokémon!”

We ignored him. Then Ivysaur ran off to splash in the water.

“Aren’t you going to splash in the water too?” Paul asked.

“Oh, I went swimming earlier, and I did just eat. Besides, it’s no rush. I have three days to play in the water.”

“Three days? So, you plan to head out on the next ferry, huh?”

“Yeah. The sooner I get off this island, the better.”

“That reminds me.” He narrowed his eyes, making me nervous. “You avoided the question earlier, about how you ended up on this island. It doesn’t sound like you’re very enthused about being here.”

I gulped and curled up in a ball. “I told you. It’s a long story...”

“I’ve got time. I’m not leaving for three days either.”

“You’re heading out on the same ferry as me then?”

He nodded. “I told you I came to get a Gyarados. Whether I catch one here or not, I don’t plan to stay here for very long. It’d put me too far behind on getting Badges, and I can always find a Gyarados in other places.”

I laughed. “That sounds like you.”

“So, will you tell me what happened?”

Thinking hard, I knew fighting was pointless. Admitting defeat, I gave Paul my account of the last few days: the St. Anne Pokémon party, Team Rocket’s attempt to steal everyone’s Pokémon, and then the sinking ship. Talking about my near-death experience freaked me out a little, especially when I mentioned nearly getting squashed by giant, robotic Pokémon.

“That’s why Pokémon Land is out of order?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You knew about that?”

“How could I not? It’s the talk of the town. The amusement park is completely shut down until further notice, they say.”

I nervously looked away. “Ha ha. Well, let’s just keep that secret between us, please…”

“Still, that’s one hell of a few days, and to think I spent all that time lounging around on a boat heading to Porta Vista. If I would’ve known…”

His attitude surprised me a bit. “Ah, you don’t have to look so upset about it. I appreciate the concern, really, but I’m fine now. See?” I pointed at myself, smiling.

He scoffed. “Yeah. If something that terrifying won’t wipe that stupid grin off your face, nothing will.”

Frustrated, I changed the subject. “Anyways, why aren’t you in the water?”

“Oh, I’m not a big swimming person.”

“But swimming is fun.”

“Not for me. I’m like Grotle here. We prefer sitting in the sun.”

“So then why are you trying to find a water Pokémon? You realize that if you want something like a Gyarados, you’re gonna need to swim pretty far out there.”

After a moment, he replied, “I’ll think of something.”

“Why are you always so difficult?” I stood up and stretched. “Well, I’m heading back to the water now. Are you going to hang out here?”

“I suppose so. Not much more than that, and you did pick a pretty decent spot on the sand, I’ll admit. I’ll watch your stuff as thanks for letting me hang out here.” Grotle assured me that he’d also keep an eye on my stuff.

“Thanks, Grotle. I’m counting on you more than someone just working on his tan.”

Paul lay back on the blanket. “It’s not like I’m trying to tan.”

I smirked and crossed my arms. “True. It’d be pretty weird to get a nice tan but not be much of a bodybuilder. That’s wasting your time at that point.”

“Oh, excuse me. Just so you know, you’re not much to look at either.”

Out of nowhere, Wartortle launched a stream of bubbles at Paul’s face.

He angrily wiped away the water on his face. “What was that for?!”

“You totally deserved it, jerk! Nice Bubble Beam, Wartortle. Now, ready for some more surfing?” He agreed.

Wartortle and I surfed some waves for a while. This time, I managed to get a better grasp of the sport. My balance improved a whole lot, and before you knew it, I started to prefer using my Pokémon’s back over an actual surfboard. Definitely a good team sport for a Pokémon and their Trainer.

When I returned to our beach spot an hour later, Paul spoke to an old man wearing a large hat, t-shirt, and shorts. “Who’s that?” I muttered. Wartortle had no idea.

Paul saw me approaching. “Oh, you’re back. What took you so long?”

“You know, surfing isn’t a quick game of volleyball.”

Ignoring my comment, Paul looked to his new friend, pointing at me. “Well anyways, this is the girl I talked about. This is Rosa. Rosa, this is Ryu. He owns a restaurant nearby.”

I bowed my head. “Nice to meet you, Ryu.”

The old man’s face turned red. “I look forward to you in a few years,” he mumbled, a creepy glint in his eyes.

I shivered, feeling his eyes all over my body. “Who do you think you’re—”

Paul suddenly threw his jacket over my head. “You’re soaking wet. Put that on before you get a cold.”

I grumbled, pulling the jacket onto my arms. “Don’t tell me what to do.” Paul’s jacket is really warm.

“Anyway, what did you need help with, sir?”

“Well, I mentioned owning a restaurant right on this beach. I’ve run it for years. Recently though, I’ve been having a difficult time getting customers, so I haven’t made much money. I could really use some part-time help for the day, just for today.”

“What happened to your other workers?”

“They all thought I wouldn’t pay them on time, so they all quit.”

Paul raised an eyebrow. “So, you have no help whatsoever?”

The old man clapped his hands together. “I just need it for today. Please!”

Paul looked back at me, asking for my opinion. I shrugged. “Just for today should be fine. I didn’t plan to do anything else anyways.”

“Thank you so much, both of you! And I’ll make sure you get paid well. Why don’t I lead you to the restaurant?” He walked off. Paul and I packed our things, recalled all our Pokémon, and followed after Ryu.

★

Ryu brought us to his restaurant, named Beach Shack Ryu, a tiny beach hut. He hired us on to help as a waiter and waitress, while he handled the kitchen. Unfortunately, not a single person came inside for a bite.

To attract customers, Paul and I stood outside the main entrance, using honeyed words to try reeling in some money. “This is the amazing two-in-one shower and ramen hut, Beach Shack Ryu! Anyone want to take a break here?!” I called.

“We have shaved ice, and steamed oysters! Try our squid-on-a-stick!” Paul shouted.

A young couple approached the shop, reading the menu and peeking inside. I waved a hand towards the door. “Welcome. A table for two?”

The dude said, “Wanna go in?”

Latched to his arm, the girl frowned and looked away. “Looks like a big dump! Why don’t we try that fancy hut over there instead?”

The couple headed to the beach hut nextdoor. Honestly, it looked a lot nicer, a much more modern feel to it than Ryu’s little shack. A tall woman with magenta hair greeted them at the door. “Welcome to Beach House Brutella. Party of two? Please proceed up the stairs.” After leading the customers upstairs, the lady met my eyes and stuck her tongue out.

“Team Rocket?” I gasped in surprise. “What are you guys doing here?”

Jessie called out, “A fashionable beach should have a fashionable hut with fashionable workers!”

James and Meowth stood up on the deck, smirking down at me. “Customers aren’t going to come to your hut,” James laughed.

“Serves you right for being friends with those other twerps, little twerpette!” Meowth said.

I growled at them. “Like I’ll lose to you guys!”

They all ignored me and returned to their work.

Angered beyond the breaking point, I looked down at Luxio. “After everything, and they have the nerve to act like that to me?! We’ll show them, won’t we?” He barked.

“What’s gotten into you two? Who even were those guys?” Paul asked.

“Tell you later! Right now, we have to make sure we get more customers than the clowns next door! I’m going to need everyone’s help for this. Give me a hand, guys!” I sent out all of my Pokémon, minus Gyarados. I don’t need Ryu’s restaurant to be destroyed...

We got Operation Attract-Customers underway in seconds, somehow getting Paul’s Pokémon to help out too. Pikachu, Butterfree, and Wartortle handed out fliers advertising the restaurant, as well as discount coupons. Pidgeotto, Zubat, and Charmander helped keep the grills going in the kitchen for Ryu. Luxio and Ivysaur helped me with my waitressing duties, and Grotle and Mankey helped set up tables and chairs outside.

“The number of customers suddenly multiplied thanks to my part-time Pokémon plan!” I laughed, running back and forth serving food and drinks.

“Not too bad,” Paul replied, having Grotle take food to people sitting outside.

However, our good fortune came to a quick end. Thanks to several accidents, like tripping on banana peels, and the grill spontaneously combusting, the crazy crowd left Ryu’s restaurant for the hut next door.

“No way,” I frowned. “What went wrong?”

“Absolutely everything,” Paul muttered.

Chapter Text

Everyone helped clean up the restaurant after the short rush. Then, we all moped around inside, trying to find a solution to quickly fix the dangerous lack of business. I racked my brain for answers, but it produced absolutely nothing useful.

“I’m sorry, Ryu. Because of us, your hut’s reputation has been ruined,” apologized Paul.

“You don’t need to apologize. You guys worked your hardest. I know that,” consoled Ryu.

Coming up with nothing, I slammed my fist on the table and fumed: “But isn’t it weird how we keep having accidents?”

“Well, when you consider the restaurant you’re working for, it’s no surprise,” cackled a voice. A grumpy, wrinkly old lady had just entered the restaurant.

“Brutella?!” Ryu gasped, knocking down his chair as he shot up.

I recognized the two bodyguards at her side. “Jessie and James too,” I scowled.

Brutella looked around Ryu’s sorry excuse for a restaurant. She possessed a scratchy voice that sent shivers up and down my spine. “As always, this hut has no customers. It wouldn’t be at all strange if it went bankrupt at some point.”

“What was that?!” Paul snapped.

She ignored him, all her attention focused on her rival restaurateur. “I don’t care if this dump does go bankrupt, but it would be troublesome if you couldn’t pay back all the money I lent you.”

“I… I know that,” Ryu admitted.

“The deadline is tomorrow. If you don’t pay up by then, I’ll be taking your boat.”

Suddenly, all the composure in his body left him. “Wait! Spare me the boat, at least!”

“No way! You can’t change my mind!” Brutella then left the restaurant, cackling.

“What she says goes,” James laughed.

“Too bad,” Jessie grinned.

“Our apologies,” Meowth said before they all followed after their boss.

“Those guys!” I cursed, understanding why Ash and the others hated them so much.

Ryu fell to his knees in despair. “The deadline is tomorrow. But we won’t be able to earn enough money by the end of the day. I’ll have to give that boat to Brutella, won’t I?”

I sharply turned to him. “That boat’s important to you, right, Ryu?”

“I’d been working forever and finally obtained it. It’s my dream to travel around the world in that boat.”

When his head drooped again, I raised my voice. “That’s why you can’t give up so easily!”

He seemed surprised by my passion. “Huh?”

“Don’t throw away your dream just like that!” I gestured to my Pokémon. “Since I met these guys, I’m starting to feel like my dream to become the world’s best Pokémon Trainer might come true. Ryu, your dream is on the verge of coming true too, right? It would be a waste to give that up.”

“It’s just as she says,” Paul added. “You can’t hand the boat over to Brutella.”

I nodded. “We’ll get the money somehow.” All the Pokémon agreed with me.

The old man gazed at me. “Ms. Rosa…”

“Let’s do our best, and we’ll lend a hand however we can.”

“Well, okay, but what should we do?”

I tapped my chin, thinking hard.

A different voice said to us, “There is a way to earn the money.” We looked at the front entrance, where an old man walked inside. He wore a Hawaiian-style shirt and shorts. “It’s been a while, Rosa.”

“Professor Oak!” I gasped.

Then, a lady walked in beside him. I recognized her quickly too. “Mrs. Ketchum?”

“Hi there, Rosa,” she greeted with a friendly smile.

“When did you meet Professor Oak?” Paul impatiently asked.

“Well,” I began, “after I got to Kanto, Luxio and I went to Pallet Town to meet him. It was actually suggested by Professor Rowan as a way to get some data on the Kanto region, and get a map too.”

“I take it this is a friend of yours?” Professor Oak asked.

“Yep. This is Paul. He’s a Pokémon Trainer from Sinnoh just like me.”

Paul politely bowed to him. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

“The honor’s mine.”

“So, why are you guys here?” I asked.

“I’ll explain that later. For now, look at this.” He handed me a magazine with an article all about Porta Vista, and a special annual contest. “Today is the day of Porta Vista’s annual summer competition: the Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest.”

“Beach Beauty?” I repeated.

“And Pokémon Costume Contest?” Paul said.

“And the prize for winning is $1000 per category,” said Mrs. Ketchum.

“$1000?!” Paul and I shrieked.

Professor Oak nodded his head. “The contest draws thousands of people each year, and most of those people get hungry. They’ll all be looking for a place to eat, so why not advertise this place?” explained the Professor. “You’ll clean up, and you’ll have the money you need by the end of tomorrow.”

“$1000 is more than enough money to cover my debt!” Ryu said.

“And as far as Pokémon and beauty is concerned, I think our dear Rosa here’s got it in the bag,” Mrs. Ketchum said with a giggle.

“What?!” I squeaked, feeling my heart start to race.

“If the event is held, and one of the contestants is sponsored by this hut, I reckon we’d get crowds of customers swarming in here too!” Ryu added.

My eyes widened, and my hands got sweaty. “But wait… I…”

“Well then, your money troubles are over!” Mrs. Ketchum cheered.

“Um…”

Ryu quickly asked, “Well, what do you say, Ms. Rosa?”

My soul left my body. The pressure of everyone staring me down made my knees buckle. I suffered from stagefright, so going up onto a stage seemed impossible. However, I wanted to help Ryu save his restaurant, and his boat. With no other options, entering the competition seemed like the only way.

Holding a fist up to my heart, I gulped and replied, “All right! I’ll do it!”

“Excellent! Then we’ve got work to do!” Professor Oak cheered. He and Ryu went off to work on advertising.

“After we pass out fliers, I’ll help out with the costumes, okay?” Mrs. Ketchum said.

I made a small nod. “Sounds good.”

Watching her walk off, I noticed Paul cast me a concerned glance. It seemed like a figment of my imagination, so I ignored it and stepped away to figure out what to wear. Luxio also seemed concerned about me.

★

About an hour before the contest would begin, tourists swarmed the beach, and Ryu’s restaurant thanks to all our advertising. City officials set up a massive catwalk on the sand nearby, and people packed onto the ground around it.

The MC sat in a makeshift booth. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re happy to announce that the Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest will soon begin! There’s a $1000 prize giveaway to the winner of each category. It’s not too late to sign up so hurry and enter!”

Paul and I stood by Ryu’s restaurant, watching people flood towards the stage and into his restaurant. “Professor Oak was right! The whole beach is packed!” I cheered.

“Success!” Paul said.

“With this, I can pay Brutella her money!” Ryu sniffled.

Paul turned to me. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

Nervous on all accounts, I simply replied, “Oh, right. I should get going... You’ll be rooting for me, right?”

“Unless there’s someone less annoying than you, yeah.”

Feeling pain in my chest, I barked. “Wow, thanks for being a complete jackass, Paul!”

He seemed surprised by my outburst. “Hey, sorry. It was just a joke.”

“Yeah, a terrible one!” I stormed off to get ready, feeling less and less confident about this whole thing. Let’s just get this over with...

Once registered for the contest, I went backstage to prepare. The process for each contestant seemed simple enough. First, the girl walked out onto the stage in an outfit of her choosing. A contestant can wear whatever she wants, but obviously, the audience will give better reviews depending on what clothing is worn. And how much skin is shown...

“This is getting more and more humiliating,” I groaned, checking myself in the mirror over and over.

Mrs. Ketchum sat nearby fixing up the costume for my Pokémon. “You look great, dear.”

Though I loved the color, I felt uneasy about the amount of skin being shown. “You don’t think this is too revealing?”

“Not compared to some other girls out there. Your bikini is just right.”

I slumped. What’s that supposed to mean?

“Also, here.” She suddenly held out a hair clip with a pink flower on it. “I found this at an accessory store nearby.”

I gazed at the flower. “Are you letting me wear it?”

“I’m letting you have it, actually. Something tells me it suits you.”

Hearing that, I giggled, “Okay,” and then fastened the clip into my hair. “How do I look?”

“Beautiful. A healthy, tanned body always looks good.”

I blushed. “Thanks, I think.”

“And your Pokémon’s costume is done too.”

I gazed down at my Pokémon, who seemed just a tad bit uncomfortable. “Sorry. It’s the only costume I could come up with on the fly. The rules say you have to use at least two Pokémon in a single costume. It’ll just be for a bit.” They reluctantly agreed to remain on their best behavior.

“Well then, I’m heading to the stands now. Good luck, Rosa.”

“W...Wait, Mrs. Ketchum! I wanted to ask something.”

“Hmm. What is it?” Then she smiled. “And you can just call me Delia if you want.”

“Oh, okay, um… Delia…” I cleared my throat. “I was just curious why you and Professor Oak are here.”

“We’re here on a vacation with the Pallet Town neighborhood committee.”

“So that’s it. I was a little surprised.”

“By the way, have you seen Ash lately? I was hoping to see him here when I saw you.”

I frowned. “Sorry about that. As far as I know, Ash is doing well. I saw him a few days ago. He and Pikachu are getting along better than ever. He already has three Badges, and a full team of Pokémon.”

“Oh, that makes me so happy to know he’s doing well.”

“I’m glad I could share the good news then.” She left and went to her seat.

With music playing in the background, the Porta Vista contest started up. The MC shouted, “Welcome everybody! Thank you for waiting! The Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest is now underway!”

One by one, a line of girls stepped out onto the runway. They walked to the end and then posed, waiting for the audience to react. Some girls received much more praise than others. I thought I’d lose my hearing after the whistling started.

Then the girls had their Pokémon pose, dressed in costumes as other creatures. This was the second category of the competition. I thought some costumes looked more creative than others.

While waiting for my turn, I peeked through the curtains to watch my competition. “That’s a lot of people,” I muttered, trying to stop my shaky legs. Pikachu sat on my head and agreed. “I don’t know if I can do this…”

A voice called from behind me, “Don’t tell me you’re scared?” Paul stood behind us. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, staring me down.

“Of… Of course, I’m not scared!” I stammered. “What do I have to be scared of? It’s just a little beauty contest. Nothing I can’t win!”

Paul looked at me funny. “Are you okay?”

I faked a grin. “Yep. Perfectly fine. Why?” Suddenly, the latest contestant exited the stage, meaning my turn came next. I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “That’s my cue. Here I come, everybody!”

“Just go out there and win that money for Ryu. You’ll be fine.”

“Right…” Luxio shot me a look from his costume. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine…”

“What did he say?” Paul questioned, looking a little suspicious.

Looking away from him, I quickly retorted, “Just go back to your seat already.”

“Now, here’s the next participant!” called the MC.

I took another deep breath. “Here I go...” I stepped out onto the stage.

To my surprise, the crowd went crazy with the cheering and whistling. The energy had me shaking like a leaf. I struggled to take even the tiniest step forward, smiling and waving as I reached the end of the runway. “This is totally embarrassing and degrading, but we need the money,” I said to myself.

Professor Oak, Delia, and Ryu all sat in the stands, though Paul never joined them. I avoided looking for him. He’s probably not impressed in the slightest anyways… No, I’m being stupid! Who cares what he thinks?!

The MC talked about me for a moment. “Introducing the sun-tanning, healthy girl next door, Rosa! In that lovely red-striped bikini, this is a definite candidate for first place! Just what kind of costume will her partner Pokémon show us?”

What kind of creep did they assign as MC?!

Grinning, I called back to the curtains, “Okay, give ‘em your best roar!”

Luxio raced out beside me and roared. Standing on his back, Pidgeotto flapped her wings. With the suit binding them together, they appeared as one whole creature. “This is a very imaginative costume! We have before us a prideful griffin. The performers are actually a Luxio and Pidgeotto.”

The crowd exploded with cheers for all three of us.

“You two are doing an awesome job. Way better than me,” I whispered down to my two Pokémon. Luxio shot me a concerned glance. “I said I’m fine. Don’t give me tha—!” A hand shot out of nowhere and shoved me to the side.

“We’ll be taking first place now, thanks!” Jessie laughed, entering the stage with a dark-blue bikini barely containing her breasts.

I glared at her. “What the hell…?!” My attention instantly got drawn to James wearing a cute, orange bikini. “James! What’s the deal?! Aren’t you a guy?!”

“I am. My beauty isn’t specific to a man or woman though,” James replied.

“Now, get out of our way, flat-brat.” Jessie waved her hand at me.

Flat-brat?!

“Well, service, service.” James touched a hand to his chest and made his boobs grow at least two sizes.

I staggered back in horror. Inflatable boobs!!

Jessie and James posed together. The audience went nuts with the praise, ignorant of the fake breasts. “Two women have suddenly burst onto the stage! I personally do not dislike them, and everyone seems to be happy!”

“Naturally,” Jessie laughed, smirking back at me.

“What the hell?” I cried, listening to James get praise without being a real girl.

“You participated a few years too early,” James giggled, playing with his fake boobs.

Not daring to look anymore, I went backstage. Pikachu and Charmander waited for me by the stairs. I sat down beside them and wrapped my arms around myself. “That was absolutely humiliating! I can’t believe that just happened...” I wanted to crawl into a hole.

Standing a bit to my side, Luxio peeked through the curtains to watch Team Rocket’s performance. He mentioned seeing Ekans and Koffing dressed up together with a wig, floating on the stage.

I took a look through the curtains myself. “Is that supposed to look like something?”

The MC said, “This is supposed to resemble an Omastar, and the Pokémon are Ekans and Koffing.”

I turned away from the stage and seethed, “That doesn’t even look like an Omastar.”

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Get lost!”

Looking back through the curtains, I saw six pretty girls enter the stage. Their male ringleader literally kicked aside his previous competition. I recognized the brat easily. “Gary Oak?” I gasped.

Gary stood front and center with the six girls at his sides. The MC did nothing but comment about them. “And now we have a surprise guest appearance by Gary Oak, the up and coming Pokémon Trainer, accompanied by a squad of his adoring and adorable fans!”

“What’s he doing here? He’s not a girl either!”

Gary grabbed a microphone. “Ash, I know you’re out there, whether in the crowd or watching on TV! I didn’t come here to make you jealous of me, Ash. I came here so some of my beautiful fan members could make you jealous of me!”

The girls all shouted, “Gary, Gary, he’s our man! He’ll crush Ash! We know he can!”

“Thank you, fans! Great cheer!” Gary then glared at the nearest camera. “So, you watching, Ash?”

“What a jerk. I get why Ash hates him so much,” I grumbled. However, I faced a more annoying problem than Gary Oak.

The six cheerleaders at Gary’s side received lots of cheers, whistles, and claps from the audience. “Not one, not two, but six beautiful girls on stage all at once! Choosing the most beautiful is going to be tough, but it’s a good kind of tough!”

The cheerleaders definitely got a stronger reaction than myself, Jessie, or James did.

Hiding backstage, I sighed and sadly pat my chest. “With a build-up like that, nobody won’t even give me a second look…” Luxio gave me a look. “Don’t give me that! You can tell they’re all bigger than me. I don’t even stand a chance...”

Out of nowhere, Pikachu went off on me. She felt disappointed that I gave up so easily to a few shallow girls. Pidgeotto and Charmander agreed with her. “Oh, drop it already. I’m not even close to one girl’s level of beauty. There’s no way I stand a chance against six!”

Pikachu asked where my normal level of confidence went.

“Don’t act like you can’t hear all the whistling!” I stood up. “I’m going back to the—”

“Rosa!”

Turning around, we watched Paul approach. “Oh, it’s you,” I groaned. “What do you want? Shouldn’t you’d be out there in the crowd?”

“Why? Because I’m a guy?”

“Yes.”

He rolled his eyes. “This may come as a shock to you, but I’m not driven by manly urges like the rest of those pigs out there.”

“Still, even you’re smart enough to notice the difference between someone like me and someone like them.” I pointed back towards the stage.

“Well… yeah, I noticed that, but…”

“But what?! Look! I only did this to try winning that money for Ryu. I did what I could, but clearly that’s not enough.” I marched right past him. “Now, just leave me alone. Let me leave and go back to the water.”

“I noticed something else: your lack of confidence!”

“Man, you and Pikachu both just won’t drop that, will ya?!”

“Of course not!” He grabbed my arm to stop me. “It’s gone, completely. That’s not like you at all, Rosa.”

“What do you know about me?”

“I know you well enough. You never just give up in an instant like this. Where’s the girl who challenged three Gym Leaders to three consecutive battles with one Pokémon? And the girl who stubbornly refused to change her lineup against Lt. Surge? That’s you, not this!”

After a moment, I sighed. “That’s when I was with Pokémon.”

“Huh?”

I yanked my arm from his grasp. “When it comes to Pokémon, I’m confident as hell, but beyond that, my confidence just packs up and leaves.”

“Aren’t you confident about everything?”

“No…” Feeling sadness consume my body, I sat down on my knees. “I mean, I’m not good at everything. It’s like you said down at the beach. My body isn’t much to look at, right?”

He staggered. “Is that what this is about? What I said?”

“It’s not just you. It’s everyone, and everything...” It took a moment for me to continue talking. Luxio came over and brushed against my hands. I scratched his head. “Paul, did you ever wonder why I have the dream that I do?”

“You mean why you want to become World Champion?”

I nodded.

“Why?”

“So I can have some confidence. Real confidence. I’ve always been put down for everything I do, and everything that I am. My green eyes, my long hair, my Electric-type preference, being too skinny. Bullies just seemed to always target me for some reason. It’s been that way since I was little.

“But one day, I learned about Pokémon Champions. They appealed to me because of their skills, and the way they earn everyone’s respect. I always thought that if I became as strong as them, or stronger, then I could stop feeling so inferior.”

“Why don’t you just ignore everyone?”

“Ignoring it won’t make it go away. Believe me, I’ve tried.” A tear dripped onto my hand. I rushed to get rid of it without Paul seeing. “Being up on that stage was a nightmare. I thought it’d be alright if I ended up winning since I’d be helping out Ryu.

“It’s just, once all those other girls showed up, I felt like crawling into a hole forever. It felt so incredibly uncomfortable…” I trailed off, stuffing my face into my arms.

After a moment, Paul gave a sigh. “Well, I guess staying back here wasn’t pointless.”

“What do you—?”

His jacket fell down around my head again. “Wear that.” Paul sat down beside me.

I looked over at him. “Why?”

“You said you were uncomfortable. See if wearing that makes you feel better.”

After a moment, I accepted the jacket and put it on. Then, I gazed at him from the corner of my eye. The faint image of Wartortle telling me to talk to Paul appeared in my head, and somehow I felt drawn to that idea. At least start by being friends, I suppose. “Hey, Paul?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for snapping at you so much.”

He just waved it off. “Ah, don’t worry. I think I deserved it a little.”

“Still, it was unfair. I’m not very used to people helping me.”

“You mean… like friends?”

“Yeah. I don’t have a lot of those.”

He guiltily looked away. “Sorry. I bet that gets hard.”

“It does.” Luxio suddenly jumped into my lap and purred against my face. “But that just makes me love these guys so much more. With Pokémon, I always feel better. They’re the reason I’ve been able to last this long. You see, becoming PWC isn’t just a way to feel better about myself. It’s also a way to get closer to Pokémon.” Pikachu, Charmander, and Pidgeotto crowded around me, fighting for my affection.

Paul sat back to avoid getting tackled. “That makes sense why it’s so special to you then.”

Nuzzling Charmander, I smiled over at him. “I hope whenever you get a goal, Paul, it’ll be just as special, if not more.”

He sharply turned away. “Tch. Well, it’s not like I need your blessing or anything.”

I laughed.

“You know,” Paul cleared his throat before continuing, “just so you’re aware, when you were out there, you—”

Suddenly, we heard screams of terror from outside. “What’s going on?!” I asked, looking through the curtains.

A Gyarados charged up and down the beach. People ran away from it in a panic, hoping to avoid becoming a meal. I raced out onto the stage to get a better look. The Pokémon struck me as odd, however. I noticed it lacked the natural movements of a real Gyarados, considering I own one. Adding to my suspicions, a piece of equipment stuck out of Gyarados’s back: a periscope!

“What’s a Gyarados doing up on land?!” Paul asked.

“Gyarados are capable of going on land, but that’s not the issue here.”

“Then what is?!”

Ignoring him, I saw Gary with the microphone still in his hands. It ripped away from his grasp in seconds. “Hey!” he whined. “Who do you think—?!”

“Sorry. I need this for a second.” Then, I held up the mic and shouted to the panicked crowd.  “Everyone, please calm down! That’s not a real Gyarados! It’s a fake! I repeat! Please calm down! That’s a fake! It’s just a submarine being driven by someone!”

The frightened audience heard my warnings and quickly calmed down.

“How do you know that?” Paul asked.

I kept my attention on the robot. “Everyone, just remain where you are! Leave it to me!”

Off to my side, Gary suddenly laughed. “You must be Rosa, right?”

“Lucky guess, but I’m a little busy here at the moment!”

“It’s nice to finally meet someone as pathetic as Ash.”

I whipped around. “What’d you say?! I’ll battle you once we’re done here!”

“I’d love to battle, but I only brought my fans with me.”

“Chicken!”

“Why would I be scared of having a battle with an amateur Trainer like you?”

I nearly lunged at him. “Oh, I’ll—”

Paul held me back. “Take it easy, Rosa. Don’t pay any attention to what he says!”

“But Paul—”

The Gyarados submarine suddenly launched a missile. Paul grabbed my head and pointed it away from Gary. “Focus on the missile please!”

I nodded. “Right!”

Gary laughed. “So, now what are you going to do, Rosa? Run away?”

“In your dreams. Charmander, Pidgeotto, let’s go!” Charmander and Pidgeotto raced forward. My bird picked up my lizard in her talons, charging straight at the missile. “Give it your Flamethrower!” Charmander blasted the missile with a powerful stream of fire.

The missile suddenly changed course, and it headed back to its sender. The Gyarados submarine furiously attempted to get away, but it crashed into Brutella’s restaurant. When the missile crashed into the building, everything got blown to bits.

“Serves her right,” I hissed.

The crowd suddenly cheered and clapped for me, leaving me in an awkward spot.

★

With Brutella completely out of business, Ryu no longer owed her a debt, and kept his boat without any worries. Paul and I saw Ryu off on his boat, who offered to give Delia and the Professor a lift back to the mainland. “Be careful out there!” Paul yelled.

“Goodbye! Let’s meet again somewhere, Ryu!” I called with a wave.

Ryu waved back to us. “Thank you, Rosa. Paul. And to all your Pokémon! You guys continue having a good journey.”

“You too, Ryu! Take care!”

Professor Oak shouted, “Goodbye, kids!”

“Take care, Rosa!” Delia called.

“We will! Goodbye!” I hollered back.

Before I knew it, the three disappeared on the horizon.

“You know…” Paul began, “...I know you weren’t very comfortable up on stage.”

I shot him a glare. “What? Did you just figure that out? Of course, I wasn’t! I mean, those girls totally showed me up out there…”

“But still...” He nervously scratched his cheek. I gazed at him as he continued, “you looked pretty. I liked that flower in your hair.”

My cheeks felt extremely hot. I shakily clutched the new beach ball in my hands, feeling strangely upset. “See how pretty this looks!” I threw the beach ball at Paul’s head. The force of the hit sent him flying backward into the sand.

He sat up and winced. “Wow, you have a good throw…”

“So anyway,” I began, “want to go swimming? I think there’s enough light left to look for a Gyarados, and afterward, I want to break open a watermelon or two.”

“Well, I could go for some watermelon.” Rubbing his head, Paul cracked a smile. “Sure, sounds like a plan, Girlie.”

I smiled back. “Don’t call me that.”

Paul’s words replayed in my head the rest of the day. “You looked pretty… ” Those few words made my day that much better.

Chapter Text

“Blue sky. White clouds. Open ocean,” Paul muttered.

Luxio roared at us, pointing out a cargo ship leaving the harbor.

“I wish we could take one of those boats, too,” I replied, gazing up at the fluffy clouds.

We spent the last three days playing in the sun. During that time, Paul and I thoroughly explored the bay, played several rounds of volleyball, smashed over a dozen watermelons, and built a sand city. And of course, we did it all with our Pokémon.

Now, bored expressions masked our faces as we lazed around the port. I wondered how to spend the remaining hours before our ferry arrived.

Suddenly, Pikachu pointed out at the water and tugged on my shirt.

A small blue seahorse stared back at us. “Oh, a Horsea! It’s cute,” I beamed.

“Seriously, is that all you girls think of Pokémon?” Paul groaned, lying beside me.

“We’ve been over this before. The answer is the same.” I punched him in the gut.

“On second thought, definitely not a girl—” He received a kick this time.

I pulled out my Pokédex to scan Horsea. “ Horsea the Dragon Pokémon. If it senses any danger, it will vigorously spray water or a special type of ink from its mouth. When in a safe location, they can be seen playfully tangling their tails together. ”

“It looks injured,” Paul noted.

Horsea had a black eye and scratches covering its tiny body.

The sight broke my heart. “And there isn’t a Pokémon Center anywhere on the island.”

Suddenly, Horsea sprayed ink all over the water’s surface. It then cried out to us.

“What do you think it’s trying to say?” Paul asked.

I found an empty Poké Ball in my bag. “For now, healing its wounds comes first. I’ll catch it to make it easy—”

An explosion shook the ground. The cargo ship just exploded, snapping in half like a toothpick. A plume of smoke rose into the air, fueled by a massive fire. The sailors on board dived into the water to escape the roaring flames.

“What the hell happened to that ship?!” Paul shouted.

I didn’t hesitate to help. “Go, Zubat, Wartortle, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto! Save the people from the ship!” My Pokémon all hurried to save the sailors.

Paul gave me a look. “Don’t you have any Water-types besides Wartortle?”

With a frown, I revealed the Poké Ball containing that Pokémon. “Well, I do, but I’m scared to use it.”

“Scared?”

“Ah, forget it! Anyways, where’s your water Pokémon?”

He turned away. “If you recall, my Gyarados search hasn’t gone well.”

I wanted to punch him. “Then what are you harassing me for?!” The Poké Ball just stared me down, as though it had eyes burning a hole in my heart. “Well, alright. I guess you get to learn the identity of my newest Pokémon. Sorry, I never mentioned it until now.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Throw the damn ball already!”

“Poké Ball, go!” I chucked the ball into the air and watched Gyarados dive into the water.

Paul’s jaw hit the ground. “ You have a Gyarados?! ”

“By some miracle, yeah.” My Pokémon sat in the water, staring right at me. It took a lot of guts not to run away from those eyes. “Okay, Gyarados, I need you to go help out the others and save the people on that ship!”

He didn’t do anything.

All of a sudden, Gyarados pulled his head back and launched a Hyper Beam in my direction. I ducked to avoid getting incinerated.

“Why’s it attacking us?!” Paul barked.

“I’ve only had him for a few days now! Gyarados, return!” I recalled Gyarados before he could do any more damage. Afterward, it suddenly felt like I went and ran a marathon. “But we didn’t get off to an excellent start... I caught it so that it wouldn’t attack...”

“So, when you said a Gyarados attacked you after escaping the St. Anne…?”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Same Gyarados...”

Paul smacked his forehead. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding…”

I smacked him. “Oh, forget about Gyarados! We have to help those guys now!”

We borrowed a speedboat and hurried over to the wreckage. My Pokémon dragged the crew members out of the water. “Everyone, bring them over to us!” I called.

They brought over a total of six men.

We checked each one for any significant injuries. “I’m p...p...paralyzed…” muttered one of the sailors.

“Just what happened out there?” Paul asked.

The sailor twitched. “The…The boss! Need to te…tell the boss what happened...”

I looked at him sadly and gazed back at the water where the boat sunk. A construction site sat two feet away from it, and underneath, who knows?

It concerned me.

★

We made it back to the docks. Paul took care of the sailors’ injuries, using medicine to heal their paralysis. I recalled everyone except Wartortle and Butterfree. “We’ll need your help taking these guys back to their boss,” I said.

Suddenly Luxio called, standing near the water.

We all found a Horsea just in front of us, the same Horsea from before. I couldn’t possibly ignore the black eye. “Hi, Horsea. Listen. The water seems to be a little dangerous, and you’re already hurt. I want to put you somewhere safe and heal those wounds. Will you let me?”

Horsea responded by jumping right into my arms. It made me smile.

I found a kiddie pool at a nearby store, for cheap. Wartortle filled it with water. After I treated Horsea with medicine, I placed it in the pool. Then I went to Luxio and Pikachu. “Can you two stay here and watch Horsea for us? Paul and I are going to take these sailors back to their boss.”

Luxio and Pikachu gave a salute.

“Thanks, cadets! We’ll be back in no time!”

Grotle used Vine Whip to carry three men on his back. Butterfree used her Confusion to lift two more into the air. Paul and Wartortle teamed up together to bring the final sailor. I led the way.

The men directed us back to a hotel near the docks. We met the manager, and she scarily resembled Brutella, the old lady we competed against for customers the other day. “I’m the president!” she laughed, getting in our faces.

Paul and I jumped back in horror.

She gave a toothy grin. “It seems you’ve rescued my employees. I’m grateful, so very grateful!”

“Um, didn’t we meet back on the beach the other day?” I nervously asked.

“You must be talking about my cousin, Brutella!”

“Your cousin?” Paul repeated.

She quickly changed the subject. “I’m creating a grand resort that won’t be compared to the likes of Acapulco.”

“You mean that’s what all that construction out on the water is?” I asked.

“Of course! The greatest of structures, the super gorgeous, massive hotel: Nastina’s Paradise! Inside the structure is a suite room surrounded by the world’s most beautiful coral reef.

“However, those disruptive Tentacool keep getting in the way of construction!”

“Tentacool?” Paul muttered.

I nodded and said, “Well, that would make sense, based on the symptoms of all those men we rescued.”

Nastina angrily stomped on the ground. “It’s because of them that the tourists are all flowing into Acapulco. Why do such despicable creatures like that exist, I don’t know?!”

Something snapped inside me. “Despicable?!”

She furiously tapped her cane against the ground. “They’re super slimy and ugly. You can’t eat them, and they’re getting in the way of my profits!” She pointed her cane straight at Paul and me, making us flinch. “You fine people! I admire that rescue with your Pokémon! With faith in such skills, will you undertake a jellyfish extermination? Of course, it won’t be for free.”

“What do you mean?” Paul and I both asked.

“If you succeed, you can have a smörgåsbord of fine dinners all around the world for a year. Also a cash prize of one million dollars! And a year’s worth of free hotel stays! All you have to do is exterminate those stupid jellyfish! What will you do?”

Not even hesitating, I shouted, “We refuse!” at the top of my lungs and then stormed out of the room.

“Rosa!” Paul called. I ignored him.

★

Nastina’s villainous plot sickened me. I fumed as I marched back to the docks. “She’s as brutal as Brutella,” I growled to Butterfree perched atop my head. “Wanting to exterminate the Tentacool just because they’re interfering with business? That’s as low as you can go.”

There was a shout from behind me. “Rosa, wait up!”

Paul raced up to me, with Grotle and Wartortle at his side. “What are you so mad about?”

“Doesn’t that old hag drive you insane?”

He weakly joked, “Well, I don’t like those types either…”

My hands balled into fists, and I stomped my foot against the ground. “Saying all those things about the Tentacool, wanting to kill them. Even though they’re super cute...”

“They’re cute?”

He used his Pokédex to look up a picture of Tentacool: a blue jellyfish with two brown tentacles and bright red gems on their heads. “ Tentacool the Jellyfish Pokémon. It drifts aimlessly in waves. Very difficult to see in the water, you may not notice it until it stings. ”

Paul grimaced. “Well, leave it to you to call something like this cute.”

“It’s more than that, though! They’re not malicious Pokémon. They’re usually sweet and adorable. For Tentacool to be attacking people, there must be a deeper meaning behind it than pure anger.”

“Are you sure about that? I mean, they aren’t even appealing in the slightest.”

“I can’t understand how you don’t get their charm. A Tentacool is just as amazing as a Horsea, or even a Pikachu.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that true? I thought you were a fan of electric-types.”

“I am, but I like water-types, too. And dark-types, and—”

“Oh, I get it!” A lightbulb appeared over his head. “You like Tentacool so much because they’re practically infesting the waters around Sunyshore City.”

“Seriously? That’s how you’re going to word it?”

He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes.

We made it back to the docks. Pikachu and Luxio relaxed in the kiddie pool alongside the rescued Horsea. It splashed around in the water, looking far healthier than when we left. “Horsea!” I called, dashing over to them. “How are you feeling?”

It cheerfully cried back at me.

“That potion seems to be doing the trick,” Paul said.

I hugged the little Pokémon. “Thank goodness.” Horsea suddenly wriggled against my body, whinnying out. “What? What are you trying to tell me?” It tried explaining itself as best it could.

“You know, didn’t that ink picture earlier look like a Tentacool? Maybe it was warning us about them, and about the ship sinking?”

“Horsea, is that right?” It nodded its head.

Suddenly, a grouchy voice boomed out over the speakers all around the port. “ Listen very carefully, everyone! ”

“It’s Nastina,” Paul said.

Nastina’s voice startled Horsea right out of my arms.

“ Effective immediately, I’m looking for some brave volunteers to exterminate Porta Vista’s natural enemy, the Tentacool! ”

“Exterminate?!” I hollered in anger.

“ To whoever exterminates the jellyfish Pokémon, how would you like a prize of one million dollars? Now isn’t Nastina generous?! ”

“So she’s finally using force, huh?” Paul muttered, disgust clear in his voice.

“ Everyone who wants cash—I mean, who cares about the development of our beautiful city, please gather at Hutber Port’s yacht harbor! ”

I snorted and wagged my finger. “Trying to lure people with money in this era of great wealth? How ridiculous.”

Suddenly, a crowd came charging right down the road towards us like a Tauros stampede. “Well, apparently, there are plenty that fell for it!” Paul shouted.

Our Pokémon jumped to either side of the street and watched us get trampled.

Lots of men and women rushed to the harbor to accept Nastina’s offer. They all looked ready to do absolutely anything if it meant winning one million dollars. “I’m going to be sick,” I groaned with a hand over my mouth, getting up from the ground with sore arms and legs.

A tank rolled up the street. Nastina jumped out of it, holding a megaphone so everyone could hear her. “All you fine ladies and gentlemen, who will be the one to get the one million dollar reward?”

Suddenly, a boat sped over to the harbor. A man and woman jumped out, throwing roses out into the crowd. I used Paul as a stepping stone to get a look, recognizing their red and blue hair, and the talking Meowth at their side. “It’s Team Rocket!” I barked.

“You seem reliable!” Nastina cheered.

Paul frowned. “You should exterminate them .”

Jessie and James pointed out that Nastina looked strikingly similar to Brutella. She got mad and fired a warning shot with her tank. “I’m her talented cousin, got it?! Mistake me for her, and I can assure you the Tentacool will be the least of your concerns!”

Paul glanced at me. “She sounds a lot like you when you get offended.”

I glared at him. “Mistake me for Brutella, and I can assure you the Tentacool will be the least of your concerns.”

Jessie and James pulled off a wide smile. “How rude of us!” Jessie apologized.

“Anyway, if you’re requesting jellyfish extermination, just say the word and leave it to us, the reliable Team Rocket!” James cheered.

Nastina seemed happy with their offer. “Give me a splendid Tentacool extermination, and the money’s as good as yours.”

“Then, make sure to keep the prize money warm for us!” Meowth laughed. The trio jumped back into their boat and raced away.

“This won’t end well,” I frowned, thinking about all the possible ways Team Rocket could make this situation much worse.

“What do you mean?” Paul said.

I just gazed at the ground.

The Team Rocket boat approached the hotel construction site, where the Tentacool attacks seemed to happen most frequently. They brought out a huge barrel full of an unknown material. Jessie and James planned to use the substance to help catch the Tentacool and then turn them into something they can sell at the fish market for an easy profit.

It made me sick. “I can’t watch.”

Paul looked over at me. “Come on. It’s Team Rocket. Based on their Gyarados performance yesterday, just how much harm can they actually—?”

Suddenly, horrified gasps and murmurs from the crowd pulled our attention back to Team Rocket. Thousands of angry Tentacool surrounded their boat, identified by the red glowing lights from the gems on their heads.

Someone screamed, “That’s a lot of Tentacool!”

“All of those are Tentacool?” shouted another, counting at least ten thousand.

One of the Tentacruel blasted the boat with a red beam of energy, quickly destroying the ship. Team Rocket flew into the air. Their barrel landed on the same Tentacool that attacked them. Instead of damaging it, the liquid made Tentacool evolve into a Tentacruel.

Only one problem: Tentacruel stood one hundred times taller than a normal one!

“AHHH!” Paul and I screamed, alongside all other spectators.

Tentacruel immediately took out its anger on the hotel construction site, reducing it to rubble with one flick of its tentacle. The crowd around us quickly dispersed out of fear for their lives.

“How can this be? Tentacruel can never reach more than two meters!” Paul shouted.

I checked it on the Pokédex. “ Tentacruel the Jellyfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tentacool. Its numerous tentacles serve as a powerful weapon, and it's potent stingers can quickly paralyze its victims. It is known as ‘The Gangster of the Sea.’ ”

“That must be the gang leader,” I muttered.

“How dare you do that to my hotel! Shoot it, shoot it!” Nastina barked. She fired a round from her tank. The shell bounced off the Tentacruel’s head. Now piissed off, Tentacruel glared over at the disturbance.

Nastina glared right back. “Return my hotel to normal!”

Suddenly, the mass of Tentacool swarmed the harbor, smothering Nastina in their sliminess. Tentacruel then flung itself across the bay towards Hutber Port, bringing a massive wave along with it. Paul tugged on my arm. “We have to get out of here!”

“No, we’ve got to protect Tentacruel! It’s in trouble!” I replied.

“Idiot, we are too! Don’t you see the tsunami coming?” He pulled harder, forcing me to run after him.

Tentacruel rushed into the city, crashing into buildings and flooding the entire town with the tidal wave. It gave an excellent opening for the Tentacool to enter and start destroying everything in sight. Nastina tried fighting them off, but she just got swept away by the water.

Paul and I took refuge in an observatory overlooking the town and the jellyfish going on their citywide rampage. Other citizens joined us or found other high places. Unfortunately, it was clear not everybody avoided the tidal wave in time as we all stood there and watched the attack unfold.

“This is what Horsea tried warning us about earlier!” Paul said.

“But why? Just why? If they do something like this, they’ll really be considered despicable,” I said, watching Tentacruel tear a skyscraper in half. Luxio and Pikachu shuddered in fear, hiding behind my legs. “It’s not like any of us can fight something that big.”

From behind us, someone yelled, “Hey, look up there!”

Looking at one of Tentacruel’s tentacles, Team Rocket’s Meowth was in its tight grip. He seemed unconscious, and Jessie and James weren’t anywhere in sight. “Is that Meowth?” Paul asked.

A Tentacool crawled up onto Meowth’s head and placed both of its tentacles over his eyes. Meowth started talking in a deeper, creepier voice than the one I remember. It made me shiver. “Are they using him as a mouthpiece?!” I asked.

Meowth shouted, “ We are the Tentacool and Tentacruel! You humans have wrecked our home. For that reason, you’ll be watching as we destroy your home as well. You have no right to complain about us destroying your world, as you have so cruelly tried to destroy ours! ”

“By homes, I wonder if they meant where that hotel is being built?” Paul guessed. “On the coral reef?”

With the realization hitting me, I staggered back. “That’s what Horsea wanted to warn us about!” I fell to my knees in despair, thinking back to Horsea, desperately trying to communicate with us.

“Rosa, don’t let it get to you. None of this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is!” I retorted. “I should’ve understood Horsea’s feelings, and what it needed to tell me. And I wanted to become a great Pokémon Trainer…”

Suddenly, someone screamed.

Tentacruel threw a giant tentacle in our direction, destroying the front half of the observatory. Paul and I jumped away to avoid becoming collateral damage.

We heard whinnying.

Tentacruel turned around. “ Is that you again, Horsea? ”

“Horsea?!” I gasped, watching their argument.

Meowth shouted, “ No matter what you say, Horsea, this cannot be stopped! We’re teaching humans the pain of losing one’s home. ” Horsea vigorously shook its head. “ With a spineless attitude like yours, we’d only let the humans get even more cruel and inconsiderate to those around them. ” Horsea barked at Tentacruel. “ It’s us who are the spineless ones? I’m going to make you regret that! ” Tentacruel slapped Horsea, sending it flying.

I screamed and reached for Pidgeotto’s Poké Ball.

“Fearow, catch it!” Paul yelled, releasing a massive bird into the air.

“A Fearow?” I muttered in surprise, gazing over at Paul.

Fearow caught Horsea in its talons and brought it over to us, releasing it into my arms.

Horsea looked all beat up again. It shivered in pain, in my arms, after seeing its life flash before its eyes. “I’m sorry, Horsea. You got all beat up just for us humans. Thank you.” I gently squeezed it. “I just wish there was some way I can fight right alongside you, but I can’t do anything…”

Suddenly, Pikachu and Luxio jumped out beside me. “You… What are you saying?”

“They want to fight,” Paul answered.

I stared at my Pokémon. “You...do?” They both nodded. Their bravery amazed me.

Paul took out several Poké Balls. “Count me in too.”

Now I was surprised! “Paul?”

“Standby for battle, Grotle!” He summoned his starter Pokémon.

“Grotle too?” Grotle nudged my shoulder, forcing out a laugh. “Yes, I’m fine... Well, now I am, anyway.”

“Grotle hit Tentacruel with Energy Ball!” Grotle opened its mouth and fired a steady stream of bright green balls of energy, quickly getting Tentacruel’s attention.

Paul called out his Beedrill and Ivysaur, asking me to summon my Pokémon too. I brought Pidgeotto, Wartortle, Zubat, and Butterfree into the battle, plus Pikachu and Luxio. Paul ordered the flying Pokémon to carry the non-flyers down to the ground, and then told everyone to use their attacks to chase the Tentacool back into the ocean.

The crowd cheered as our Pokémon began their counterattack, all listening to Paul without a moment of hesitation.

“Wow,” I muttered.

Horsea agreed.

Suddenly getting a strong urge to fight, I looked at the little blue Pokémon. “I want to fight too, but my way. Will you come with me?” It nodded. While Paul fought the Tentacool, I left the building with Horsea, heading to a skyscraper still partially intact.

Tentacruel got more and more frustrated in dealing with our Pokémon. “ You are Pokémon, yet you assist the humans? ” He swatted away any of the Pokémon within range, though they never seemed to give up. “ Pokémon or not, allying yourselves with humans makes you our enemies. ”

While climbing up the tower, I saw Pikachu and Luxio approach Tentacruel on Fearow’s back. They tried persuading Tentacruel to calm down, explaining why it shouldn’t take out all of its anger. It didn’t work too well, as Tentacruel nearly attacked them.

Reaching the top of the skyscraper, I ran over to the ledge and shouted at the top of my lungs, “Please, stop, Tentacruel! Please, take everyone with you and go back to the ocean!”

Looking away from Luxio and the others, Tentacruel turned to look me in the eyes. It scared me to stand underneath the pressure of its stern gaze, but I found the strength to remain on my feet.

“Please, listen to me, Tentacruel! This is more than enough! You’ve made your feelings clear, and we understand now that we’ve hurt you!”

Tentacruel looked around at the many frightened faces attacked moments ago.

Understanding Tentacruel’s pain, I nearly cried. “We won’t invade your homes and destroy them anymore! We’re truly sorry, so please!”

After a long moment, Tentacruel held up Meowth. He said, “ The next time, we won’t stop with just this city. Remember this well. ” He then tossed Meowth away, before retreating to the ocean with the Tentacool army.

Suddenly, Nastina appeared from nowhere and pulled out a rocket launcher. “You think you can get away after everything you’ve done to me! You’re nothing but jellyfish! You’re reimbursing me!” She fired a rocket, hitting Tentacruel on the back of the head. It angrily looked back at Nastina. “I’ll capture you, throw you in a tank, and charge admission! Eat lead, Squidward!”

I stood back in shock. “She didn't get the message, did she?” Fearow and Pidgeotto flew down beside me. “Can you guys get me down there?” With two nods of their heads, I grabbed their legs. “Hey, Horsea, do you think you can hit Nastina with some of that ink?” It poked its head out of my bag and nodded.

We flew down to the harbor. Once within range, Horsea used its ink to blotch Nastina’s face. “What the hell did you do to my beautiful face?!” Nastina screamed.

Landing on a rock nearby, I glared at her. “You don’t get it, do you?! The things you’re doing are causing bad things for humans and Pokémon alike!”

“You little brat!” She aimed her rocket launcher at me!

“Bitch, I’ll show you a brat! Go, Gyarados!” Gyarados landed on the ground, inches away from Nastina. “I’ve got something for you to destroy. Hit that old hag with the best Hyper Beam you can muster!” Without question, Gyarados pulled his head back and launched one of the best Hyper Beams ever. The attack sent Nastina flying into the remnants of her hotel, causing an explosion to destroy anything that was left.

Recalling Gyarados, I stuck my tongue out, hoping that would be the last of Nastina.

Tentacruel turned and continued towards the water. It calmly slipped into the blue sea, returning to standard size. I gazed at it. “Thank you, Tentacruel. I promise these people won’t forget.”

★

That evening, Paul and I finally boarded a ferry back to the mainland. On the Lido deck, I stood near the rear of the vessel, watching the sunset as we sailed away from Porta Vista. I looked at the Pokédex entry on Tentacruel. “I suddenly really want to catch one now,” I said to Luxio and Pikachu.

They both agreed.

“So much for ‘Gangster of the Sea.’ Maybe all gangsters are just hurting on the inside.”

A voice laughed, “But they’re all probably not cute like a Tentacruel.”

I looked back, watching Paul approach. “True.”

He came up and leaned on the handrail beside me. “So, after today, do you still think something like that’s cute?”

“Of course.”

Paul frowned, looking a little disgusted.

I fished a Poké Ball out of my bag, containing the latest addition to my team. “But right now, I think Horsea is cuter. Come out!” Horsea popped out of his Poké Ball and happily fell into my arms. Then I spun and made a peace sign with a wide grin. “Yeah, I caught a Horsea!”

Paul gave me a look. “What’s with the pose?”

“It’s my victory pose. It feels good. You should try it.”

He scoffed. “No, thanks. I’m good without one.”

“So be it. Oh, right. Catch.” I tossed him one of my Poké Balls.

He nearly dropped it. “What’s this for?”

“It’s not empty if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Are you giving me a Pokémon? Which one are you…?” He stopped, gazing down.

I laughed at his face. “You did come to the island to catch one, remember?”

His eyes widened. “Gyarados?!”

“It’s yours.”

He looked a little suspicious. “What’s the catch?”

I waved my hands. “Why does there have to be one? I just felt like you could handle it better than I could. Honest.”

He held the Poké Ball out to me. “Yeah, but—”

I pushed his hand back. “No buts! Just take it!” I smiled. “It’s thanks for today.”

After a moment, he nodded his head. “Well, okay. Thank you.”

“Anytime. Now, I’m starving. Let’s head over to get some food before all the good stuff goes away. Who’s with me?” Pikachu, Luxio, Grotle, and Horsea all jumped for joy.

Before I could walk off, Wartortle popped out of his Poké Ball to stop me. “What’s wrong?”

He gave me a look, nodding back at Paul.

My face burst into flames. “Not the time, Wartortle!”

“What are you both going on about?” Paul grumbled.

“Nothing! Wartortle’s just very hungry, so why don’t we go eat already?”

After a moment, Paul smirked. “You’re weird, Girlie.” He walked away.

“Don’t call me that!” I chased after him.

Chapter Text

The sun rose on another beautiful day. I got up early, racing out onto the deck with Luxio and Pikachu. We stared out past the front of the ship, and I spotted a landmark. “Hey, I can see the port!” I cheered.

“That’s Maiden’s Peak, the place we’re docking at,” Paul said, coming up beside me.

“How much longer until we get there?”

He grinned. “Might want to tone down the excitement. They said it’d be another hour until we’re fully docked and able to leave the boat.”

“Another hour?!” My head fell on the handrail. “That’s just great. I’m tired of being out on the water.”

“Well, no matter how much you complain—which is a lot—the ship can’t go any faster.”

I sat down right on the deck. “Thanks for cheering me up.”

He grinned. “No problem, Girlie.”

I tried kicking his leg, but he stepped out of the way. “Don’t call me that!”

“Whatever.” He set his bag down beside me. “I’m going to get some breakfast. Any requests?”

“Lots of fruit. I want to get my pineapple fill while it’s still summer.”

“Got it. Be back in a bit.” He walked away.

Propping myself on my arms, I sighed. “He’s a handful.”

Luxio and Pikachu curled up at my sides, agreeing with slow nods.

Unfortunately, Wartortle popped out of his Poké Ball. He brought an interrogation upon me, demanding to know why I haven’t talked to Paul yet. “You know why. It’s not a very easy discussion, you know. I mean, I’m practically asking him to be my friend.”

He raised his eyebrow.

“Yes, it is difficult! I don’t have the level of charisma that you do, apparently.”

Wartortle asked the worst that could happen.

“Geez, I don’t know. He could refuse and insult every ounce of my being. Man, I’d settle for him just calling me pathetic . It seems to be gentler than the rest of his vocabulary.” I looked at the second bag lying at my side. “I’m terrified. I’ve never asked anyone to be my friend, or at least, I’ve never done it and had it go well.”

Wartortle wanted to know what I meant.

Luxio explained to him my bullying problem as a child.

Suddenly, Wartortle looked a tad guilty.

I rubbed his head. “It’s alright. I know you’re just trying to help. You and I both understand that Paul is a decent guy. He’d be someone enjoyable to have as a friend, and we all trust him enough. Plus, whether he admits it or not, he’s pretty decent towards Pokémon.

“Look. I’m just scared because I don’t want to be rejected. It’s a common fear, I know, but we all get why it’s so common. Rejection is scary. What if Paul can’t look at me the same after I ask him? I feel like we’re at a point where he’s not constantly sneering in my direction, and vice versa...”

Pikachu suddenly jumped in my face, startling me.

After a long staring contest, she made an evil grin. My cheeks heated up. “No, we all know that has nothing to do with it! This is just friendship we’re talking about. Nothing more!”

I sighed. “Just asking someone to be my friend is stressful enough. I can’t even imagine what I’m going to be like asking another person out on a date in the future. Love is just a stupid curse that I’d rather avoid.”

I looked at all three Pokémon, who returned full gazes.

“It’s true! Love is a curse.”

They refused to break eye contact with me, making me sweat bullets. Though my beating heart started to ache, I admitted defeat. “Fine. I’ll do it when we get off the boat. No promises about the outcome, but I promise I’ll try.”

“You’ll do what when you get off the boat?” asked a voice.

I jumped ten feet into the air.

Paul stood behind me, laughing.

I sternly glared at him with the intent to kill. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry, scaredy-cat.” He held out a plate of food.

Grumbling, I stuffed my face with a chocolate chip muffin and lots of pineapple, hoping to calm my nerves.

Another hour went by before the ferry docked at the pier.

As we left the boat, a voice boomed overhead to welcome us into town. “ Welcome, travelers from Porta Vista! Right now, Maiden’s Peak is in the midst of the Summer’s End Festival. We invite you all to attend and have fun! ”

“A festival?” I muttered.

“We should check it out,” Paul suggested.

My eyes widened. “Really? You want to stick around and have fun?”

He made a face. “Well, it sounds like the festival is almost over, and when is the next time we’ll be in Maiden’s Peak anyway?”

I laughed and walked off. “Who are you, and what have you done with Paul?”

“I’m still me, Girlie. Now let’s go.”

“Don’t call me that.” Wartortle let himself out of his Poké Ball again, and I nearly ran into him. He folded his arms but remained silent, making me frown. “Okay, okay.” I took a deep breath. “Here goes.” My head turned slightly to project my voice towards the guy. “Hey, Paul. I need to ask you something.”

Not hearing a snarky comment, I fully turned to my side, hoping to see his stupid face. I didn’t see any sign of him. “Paul? Where’d you—?”

Wartortle tapped my side, pointing back near the boat.

Paul stood still as a post, staring off into the distance.

We approached him. “Uh, Paul? Are you okay?”

“Who’s that?” he muttered.

Hearing him, I gazed in the same direction. A woman stood on the dock with a red flower in her long hair. She wore a beautiful, white dress, and had her back turned to us, her gaze falling on the ocean waves twisting the horizon line.

Paul spat out, “Wow, she’s gorgeous!”

Before I could say anything, a crowd of tourists came racing off the boat. I jumped out of the way in time, but Paul barely noticed; he got trampled by the herd of people. After they left, I rushed to make sure he could get back up again.

Rising to his feet, Paul stared in the same direction as before. “Hey, she’s gone.”

I looked out and noticed that the mysterious woman disappeared. “Weird.”

He made a frown. “I wonder where she went.”

“Oh, cheer up, Paul! You’re the one who wanted to check out the festival! Let’s have some fun!” I dragged him off.

We kicked the day off right with carnival games, contests, and thrilling rides. A music stage hosted local superstars and singing groups, all of which performed with super-flashy outfits. Beautifully decorated vehicles, pampered Pokémon, and more flashy outfits paraded through the center of town.

Everyone had a blast, except the one person who suggested checking out the carnival in the first place. Paul stayed down in the dumps the entire time. It started to get to me around lunchtime, so I hoped that getting him some carnival food would cheer him up.

Paul didn’t even accept the cotton candy I bought for him. He only thought about the girl from the docks.

Luxio and Pikachu ate the cotton candy instead.

Meanwhile, I put a hand on my hip. “I know you liked her, but who knows if you’ll ever see her again?”

“She was really pretty, though,” Paul mumbled.

I looked away and frowned.

When Luxio caught my sad look, he asked about it.

I faked a smile. “Oh, I’m fine. Just considering whether to get a corn dog or a chili dog.”

A woman’s voice called to us, “Hey, you there!”

Paul spun around with a smile. “Are you the—” He fell back in shock after coming face-to-face with a short, old lady. “You’re not beautiful…”

“Who’s not beautiful? Go on, say it!”

He didn’t say anything more.

The old lady examined Paul with a magnifying glass. “Beware. Not an old beauty like me, but of a beautiful young woman, or you’ll meet a cruel fate.”

“Pretty girl? You mean her?” Paul replied, pointing back at me.

Did he just…? Blushing, I turned away to hide my face. “Well, pretty or not, I would never do anything to hurt Paul.”

The old lady glared. “I was talking about an elegant, young woman. Not some bratty, little twig!”

“Brat?!” I snarled.

“Very twiggy,” Paul smirked.

I angrily flipped around and sent my fist into his face. “Speaking of which, you’re a brat boy who no girl will ever fall in love with! Come on, let’s go already! I’m not going to stand around and be insulted!” I hauled him away from the old lady.

Paul mumbled to himself. “Beautiful woman… A cruel fate… If it has to do with that girl from the pier, I can take it.”

It made me frown. What’s gotten into Paul? And why is it so upsetting?

We went to a shrine near the base of Maiden Rock, a cliff where the petrified body of a girl sat at the very top. Obviously the city also got its name from the rock formation. This shrine had been there for thousands of years, and today, something important was happening around it. “There’s a ton of people here. What’s going on?” I said.

Paul and I pushed our way to the front of the crowd.

A short, old mustached man with white hair stood near the entrance of the shrine, right beside a canvas covered by a tarp. After a few moments, he called to the crowd, “Welcome, everyone! To celebrate the Summer’s End Festival, we will now display the Shrine of the Maiden’s greatest treasure!

“For 2,000 years, this painting has hung within the shrine. Once each year, it is removed from the shrine and displayed to the public during this festival. As I unveil the painting, please gaze upon it with reverence.” The exhibitor ripped off the tarp, allowing the audience to gaze in awe.

The portrait contained a beautiful girl with long hair and a lengthy, sleeveless, silk gown. She wore a flower in her hair. The artwork of the maiden took my breath away. It seemed as though I’d seen her before.

Quickly coloring in the girl’s features, I stared out in surprise. The girl from the docks?!

“But it can’t be,” Paul gasped, staring at the portrait.

I watched Paul take a step towards the painting, completely bewitched. “Uh, Paul?”

“She’s so incredibly beautiful...” He started to irritate me, the way he moved forward like a zombie.

Paul advanced towards the painting, but the old man blocked him. “Stand back! The girl in this painting perished over 2,000 years ago.”

My eyes widened. 2,000?!

“The girl had a brave and handsome lover. But that man left for war on a ship. The girl waited. She waited, and waited, and continued to wait. But the man didn’t come back.

“Even so, the girl continued to wait. She waited for the man so long that her body merged with the same cliff that she waited on, her body becoming the statue that you all see at the top of the cliff. They say she’s waiting for that man, even today. It’s a 2,000-year-old legend.”

“Where’s that rock right now?!” Paul asked.

The exhibitor gave us directions up the cliff. We went to take a closer look, finding the maiden statue just beyond an old log cabin. The statue sat apart from the cliff, no way to physically reach it unless one figured out how to cover a distance of thirty feet in one jump. “So, that’s Maiden Rock,” Paul muttered. “It’s beautiful.”

I crossed my arms, not able to believe that Paul fawned over a dead 2,000-year-old woman. “It’s just a rock.”

“I don’t care if she’s made of stone. I’m still in love with her.”

I suddenly felt an odd pain in my chest. “Paul, you’re completely—”

Paul suddenly jumped out at the rock. I quickly grabbed his jacket, keeping him rooted to the ground. “If she were my girlfriend, I never would’ve left her side! Nobody could’ve ever taken us apart, no matter what!” His hands flailed dramatically.

Luxio, Pikachu, and I exchanged looks. “What should we do?”

★

We waited on that cliff until well after sunset. I saw the moon high above us, shining down with a peaceful light. Yawning, I went over to Paul, who sat and gazed over at Maiden Rock. “No matter how long we sit here, it’s just a rock. Let’s go back to the festival. This is kind of boring,” I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

Paul stayed on the ground with his legs crossed, eyes fixed on the statue. “Why don’t you go on ahead? I want to be here a little longer.”

“You know where we’re staying tonight, right?”

“At the Pokémon Center near the port. I’ll head back before curfew. Just go without me.”

I frowned. “You sure?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He never even turned to look at me.

My heart felt funny, but I ignored the feeling and headed off.

Suddenly, I heard Paul say, “What is it, Pikachu?”

I whipped around. The yellow Pokémon stepped in front of Paul. She brought her right paw down on Paul’s head lightly, in a chopping motion. Paul looked very confused. Pikachu took her paw away and looked at Paul with a concerned frown, pointing back at me.

“What’s she saying?” Paul asked.

I frowned. “She’s letting you know that one of us will hit you if you’re even a minute late.”

Paul scratched Pikachu’s head. “I’ll be fine. And I’ll make it back so Rosa doesn’t hit me.”

Clenching my teeth, I aggressively yanked Pikachu out of his reach. “Let’s go!” I stormed down the hill, very upset.

Luxio commented on how I didn’t correct Paul.

“I don’t care.” We didn’t say anything else.

I thought it best to return to the Pokémon Center. When we did, I asked Nurse Joy to take care of my Pokémon while I took a quick bath. After, we sat on a bench to wait for Paul’s return. Unfortunately, he never showed up. Before I knew it, the clock above our heads announced the time at eleven o’clock.

“It’s curfew,” I muttered, staring at the doors. “And Paul’s nowhere to be seen.”

Suddenly, we heard the doors lock. Large metal shutters covered the windows. “Wait a minute! Paul is still out—”

Nurse Joy grabbed my shirt, keeping me back. “It’s bedtime for you, missy!”

“But…”

“I’m in charge here! Staying up late is bad for your skin. It makes you irritable and it ruins your appetite. I won’t allow it. Now get to bed this instant!”

Unable to fight Nurse Joy, I retreated to my room. While Luxio and Pikachu fell asleep in seconds, I never got a wink of rest that night. I worried too much about Paul, hoping he’d still be on that cliff in the morning.

★

The minute I woke up, I got dressed and rushed out to Maiden Rock, to the spot where Paul had been the night before. To my horror, we couldn’t find him. Luxio, Pikachu, and I searched everywhere. “Paul! Hey Paul! Where are you?”

I hoped maybe he fell asleep behind the bushes, but when we searched the trees nearby, we found no sign of our friend. Someone locked up the cabin from outside, meaning he couldn’t have gone inside. “Oh, man. I hope he isn’t just trying to pop out and scare me,” I groaned.

Luxio and Pikachu both shot me skeptical looks.

“Of course, I’m not worried about him! Why should I? He has more important people to gift with his attention anyway.” Of course, I still frantically looked about. “He could’ve at least said bye.”

I approached the front of the cabin. “Paul! Paul! If you’re not there, say so!”

A woman yelled, “James! Where’d you run off to now?”

Turning, I found myself face-to-face with Jessie and Meowth. “You guys!” I growled.

“Yuck!” Jessie hissed.

“Double yuck!”

“I finally found you,” she then backtracked herself, “grr, wait, damn! You’re not the one we’re trying to find.”

That caught my attention. “Are you looking for someone too?”

Jessie folded her arms. “Prepare for trouble, and make it double ,” Jessie tried to deepen her voice. It made her frown. “Doing this alone is a real drag. Anyways, to protect the world from devastation!” She literally spun in a circle before filling in James’s lines for their motto. “ To unite all people’s within our nation! To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“ To extend our reach to the stars above! ” a muffled voice called from nearby.

“Jessie?”

“ James! ” the voice responded.

Meowth and I turned our heads left and right to see where James’s voice came from.

Jessie hollered, “Uh, Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light?”

“ Surrender now! ” The cabin’s front doors burst open. A disoriented James came flying out. “Surrender now,” he crashed into the ground in front of us, “or prepare...to fight…!”

We all looked at him in shock. “You look awful!” Jessie said.

“Worse than usual,” Meowth said.

Paul suddenly flew out of the cabin, landing beside James disoriented. “I’m here too,” he muttered.

I could’ve sworn those doors locked from the outside!

I grabbed Paul’s shirt and shook him around. “Hey, Paul, what happened? Where the hell were you?” He gave me no response. “Pull yourself together!” I pulled him up into a sitting position while supporting his back.

“Stupid men! Hey, snap out of it!” Jessie barked, slapping James when he hugged her leg.

An old lady stepped up to us and said, “So everything turned out just as I predicted.”

Jessie and I stopped beating up our companions to acknowledge the stranger; well, actually, she wasn’t a stranger at all. “It’s the old lady!” Jessie, Meowth, and I all shouted at the same time.

She pointed her cane at Paul and James. “Those two idiots have both seen the Ghost of the Maiden and become possessed by her.”

We all repeated, “The Ghost of the Maiden?”

Paul and James both seemed lost in their daydreams. They chanted over and over about wanting to see the maiden, her beauty, and how much they loved her. They broke out of our grip and started hugging each other, to everyone’s shock and disgust.

I couldn’t handle the creepiness and motioned for Jessie and Meowth to get back. “It can’t stay like this! Pikachu! Luxio!”

They attacked the two men with a powerful Thunder Bolt combo.

Paul sat up first, looking around like he’d just woken up. “Wha… What’s going on?”

I crouched beside him, waving a hand in his face. “Hey! Do you know who you are?”

Annoyed, he grabbed my hand. “Uh, just what kind of stupid question is that, Girlie? I’m Paul, from Veilstone City.”

“He’s back!” I cheered.

Paul gave me a look. “Huh?”

The old lady took us inside the cabin to explain the situation. “Every year, around this time, all men who pass this way get attacked by the Ghost of the Maiden. They fall under her spell and get everything sucked out of them. It’s always the same story, over and over. We find them here in the temple, left in mummy-like states babbling like idiots.

“It’s the doing of the ghost of that girl who continued to wait for her lover until death. It’s just as I warned you all!”

“Even so, if I could be with that girl…” Paul muttered.

I waved a hand in his face, not getting a single reaction. “Ah! I’ve lost him already!”

“I’m scared! I’m really, really scared!” James cried out.

“It’s not like I don’t have a solution,” said the old lady. We all looked at her. She held up a stack of anti-ghost stickers and placed one on each of the boys’ heads. “ Ofuda , to ward off any spirits, including the Ghost of the Maiden. However…”

“However?” I asked.

She pulled out a cash box, grinning. “Money is needed to make more.”

I fell over in shock.

Nevertheless, Jessie, Meowth, and I both purchased a large number of stickers. Then I went to post stickers all over the outside walls of the cabin. Jessie and Meowth covered the inside plus the two boys themselves.

Stepping inside to check on Paul, he sat up against James. They both looked like children waiting impatiently to play. “Well, if she thinks this will work, then we’ll post them, post them, and post them some more,” I muttered, making sure Paul had enough stickers on his back. Pikachu slapped a final sticker on his head.

Paul glared at me. “This is a waste of time, Rosa. Just let us go already. I have to see the maiden again.”

Still irritated, I smacked a sticker over his mouth. “Shut up.”

Stepping towards the door, I felt a book of stickers in my hand and looked at them. “I sure hope these stickers work.”

“Me too. The last thing I want is for that 2,000-year-old hag to win.” Jessie came up beside me, placing one final sticker on the door.

I looked back at the boys. “You think they’ll be safe?”

“Only one way to find out.” She grinned slightly. “But either way, we’re not just going to hand them over.”

“True.”

Meowth suddenly ran up to us. “Hey, don’t you go forgetting about Meowth!”

I glared at both Team Rocket members. “Just so we’re clear, this doesn’t excuse anything you three have done.”

“We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Jessie replied, “so let’s show that ghost who truly rules the roost!”

I nodded. “Right!”

★

Soon, it was nighttime again. The old lady sat with Paul and James, performing some quick ritual to bless the stickers. Jessie, Meowth, and I locked up the front doors. Then we sat back in a corner to watch the events of tonight unfold.

“I wonder if she’ll come,” Jessie whispered.

“She better!” Meowth replied.

“If she comes, we’ll be ready,” I said. They both agreed.

The wind suddenly kicked up outside. We heard the stickers get ripped off the outside walls.

When the door blew wide open, we all screamed.

“She’s here!” announced the old lady.

A woman stepped into the cabin, looking identical to the maiden in the picture, just more like a transparent ghost than an actual human. She destroyed the rest of the stickers, including the ones that layered James and Paul.

Reacting quickly, Paul got to his feet. “It’s you!” he gasped, staring at the woman.

She gave a big smile. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“And I you.”

James started crying. “I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m so very scared!”

“I wanted to meet you,” said the ghost. Then she left the cabin.

Suddenly, Paul floated into the air and headed after the ghost. “Paul!” I yelled, chasing after him.

The ghost moved to her statue, hovering above it. Paul floated in her direction, moving farther and farther from the ground. Rushing forward, my hand darted up and clamped onto Paul’s foot. “Paul! Get back here! Don’t go!”

“Hey, let me go!” He grabbed at my wrists, trying to break my hold on his leg.

Refusing to let go, I bit down on his hand. “I’m not letting go, Paul!” My feet hooked against the guardrail to prevent myself from getting pulled into the air. “Listen! I don’t know what I’ll do if that ghost gets you, but I promise to do everything in my power to stop that from happening! You don’t need a girl like that! You don’t need anyone, really, but especially someone like her! You’re just so strong all by yourself! You should know that!

“So, I don’t want to let you go to someone who isn’t worth your time at all! We’re friends, right?! Friends who don’t leave each other behind! Those kinds of friends, the ones who enjoy meals together, and learn together, and go on adventures together!”

What’s going on with me? Why am I holding onto him so tightly?

“You can’t leave now! I want to stay your friend! Don’t you dare leave me for that...that bitch!” I kept a tight hold on his leg, absolutely refusing to let go. Paul’s lack of a response didn’t surprise me, considering he remained under the ghost’s powerful spell.

“Stop interfering!” barked the ghost, pulling harder on Paul.

I glared at her, tightening my grip. “You stop! I can do this all day!”

Suddenly, James flew past me. I wanted to grab his foot too, but I didn’t react fast enough. “No! Not him too—”

The ghost suddenly had a massive hole blown in her stomach. She lost all concentration, releasing her grip on both men. James fell over the side of the cliff. The momentum of my pull on Paul’s leg sent him flying straight into me. We both crashed into the ground.

Tossing a bazooka aside, Jessie scowled at the ghost. “Hey, girl! You can’t take him! He just told you to leave him alone, didn’t he?!”

James somehow crawled up the cliffside, gazing at Jessie. “You really do care!”

“It’s not because of you. She and every other girl like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man, as if she were his faithful pet. She can’t stand the thought of losing him, so she cries. I’d say see ya later! There are plenty more fish in the sea!”

“I could sure go for some fish,” Meowth said. James ran over to Jessie and hugged her tight. She nearly pummeled him to death.

I helped Paul sit up. “Paul, are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard just now.”

He rubbed his head. “I’m okay… I think.” Then, he looked up at me. “Rosa, where am I?”

“You don’t remember?” My eyes widened. “Does that mean you’re back?!”

“You said that earlier too. Do I keep going somewhere?”

I shook my head and laughed. “You keep going crazy.”

The ghost howled and said, “I’ve been waiting. You cannot interfere!” The spirit used her powers to summon several skull-like apparitions, which laughed maniacally.

The hairs on my neck spiked up.

I recoiled in fear, hiding behind Paul. “What are those things?” I squeaked, watching Jessie, James, and Meowth move behind me.

“Maybe Pokémon,” Paul muttered.

He pulled out his Pokédex. However, it just said, “ No Pokémon data .”

“Or maybe not.” The skulls started attacking us, flying out and trying to bite with their pointy teeth. I closed my eyes, screamed, and clutched Paul’s arm for dear life. He glared at me. “You really are afraid of ghosts, aren’t you?”

“Shut up! It’s not that weird!”

The Pokédex suddenly said: “ Signs of a Pokémon present. " We looked at each other, and then Paul frantically moved his Pokédex around. It wasn’t Luxio, Pikachu, or Meowth. When he pointed the Pokédex up at the ghost, however, it went off again. “ Gastly the Gas Pokémon. It is usually invisible, but it can also take on other forms using illusions. ”

“You’re a Gastly?” Paul asked.

The ghost laughed. “It’s no use if I’ve been found out. At times, I’m the legendary maiden, and at other times, I’m the mysterious old hag.” It changed into the old lady. “But my true form is…,” It bounced around in the air, collecting all of the gaseous skulls into one large mass. We finally stood against the Pokémon from the picture in the Pokédex, “...Gastly, of course!”

“If you’re a Pokémon, then we can have a Pokémon match!” Paul barked, grabbing a Poké Ball. “Grotle, standby for battle!”

“My illusions work as attacks too. You’re a Grass-type, right? Then I’m sure you’d do well to avoid any forest fires.” Gastly turned into a flamethrower, launching a powerful stream of fire at Grotle.

Grotle jumped into its Poké Ball. “Grotle?!”

“Fire’s no match for us! Pikachu, go!” Pikachu dashed out to attack.

“And you’re an electric mouse Pokémon, so I’ll use a mousetrap.” Gastly turned into a giant mousetrap. Pikachu turned and ran away as fast as possible.

Meowth jumped forward. “Mousetraps don’t work on Meowth!”

“You too, Luxio! Try using Spark!” Luxio nodded and raced for Gastly, covering his body in blue sparks. Meowth readied a Fury Swipes attack.

“Do you throw coins before cats, or perhaps cat food? How about a ball or two?” Gastly made the illusion of two balls of yarn. Like giving candy to a baby, Meowth and Luxio were thrilled to kick around the balls.

Jessie sent out her Ekans, but it got repelled by the illusion of a mongoose, a snake’s natural enemy. When they attacked with Koffing, the mongoose put on a gas mask and pressed Koffing into the ground with its foot. “Looks like Team Rocket’s smoked out,” I muttered.

“Who shall I defeat next?” Gastly taunted.

Paul grabbed another Poké Ball. “Rosa, send out your Wartortle!”

“Right. Let’s go!” I called out Wartortle alongside Paul’s Ivysaur, making it two completely different enemies. “Two heads are better than one!”

“What an eyesore,” Gastly said. “Skipping ahead, we get…” He created two illusionary Pokémon that towered over our own, though they weren’t necessarily giant. “Ivysaur’s evolved form, Venusaur, and Wartortle’s evolved form, Blastoise. And finally, adding to that, they fuse.” The two evolved Pokémon grabbed hands and lit up in bright light.

“Fuse?” Paul and I said.

When the bright light faded, we all saw a Pokémon that looked like Blastoise but with Venusaur’s pink flower on its back. “Its name is Venustoise! How’s that?” Wartortle and Ivysaur hugged each other before running away.

“It’s no good. This match is getting us nowhere,” Paul frowned. Team Rocket cowered behind us.

I quickly ran into the cabin and retrieved a few items. “Then, how about this?” I held up a golden cross.

“Is that a cross? Really?” Gastly asked.

“That, and garlic, a stake, and a hammer.”

“Do I look like Dracula to you?”

“Close enough! Vampires and ghosts don’t like a lot of the same things.”

“I’m not a vampire, you know—” Suddenly, a bell rang off in the distance. Gastly closed its eyes and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?” Paul asked.

“Even though I’m not a vampire, I do admit that neither of us likes sunlight. Please don’t forget about the Ghost of the Maiden by next summer.” He vanished into thin air.

“Where’d he go?” I asked.

“Who knows?” Paul said.

“Hey, it’s morning!” Meowth cheered.

The sun peeked up over the horizon line with no clouds obstructing its view. We all sighed in relief now that our encounter with the Maiden’s Ghost ended, watching the sunrise.

★

The following night, the town celebrated the final day of the Summer’s End Festival. The townspeople made little lantern boats and placed them in the water, watching them float out to sea. “What’s this?” I asked.

“During the Summer Festival, people who have passed away come to see us, and then they’re guided back home by those lamps,” said Officer Jenny. “That’s an old tradition at this port.”

I turned to her. “Officer Jenny, is there any way I can send out a boat too?”

“Of course. Nurse Joy has plenty of extras.”

With Jenny’s help, I obtained a wooden boat from Nurse Joy, and she put a tiny lantern in the center. They both told me to place any items around the light as gifts to spirits before sending it off.

I stepped closer to the waters, trying to find the perfect spot. A little farther down the shore, away from the main crowd, Pikachu helped me set the boat into the water. “Okay, hold it there,” I muttered, digging through my bag for some gifts.

We heard the crunch of grass behind me. “What are you doing, Rosa?”

“Participating in the festival. It's a lot of fun. Do you want to try? I can get you a boat too.”

“No, thanks. I mean, it's only to honor those who've died, right? I don't know anyone…”

“Oh. Well, okay.” I continued my project. We created a small origami flower, placing it at the bow. It looked cute, but we needed something more. I looked at Luxio and asked, “Okay, what else?”

“You should put this on there.” Paul knelt beside me and held out a Meowth-shaped rice ball.

“You sure? You look like you’d rather eat that.”

“I can get more. Here.” He gently put the snack into my hands.

“Okay, thanks.” I set the rice ball onto the boat. Lastly, my hair clip from Delia also went into the collection.

Paul seemed surprised. “I thought you liked wearing that thing?”

“I do, but this is more important to me. Besides, I can get a hair clip like this just about anywhere.” Thinking my item selection was sufficient, I called out my fire lizard and used her tail to light the candle. “Okay, everyone ready?” My Pokémon all agreed. Luxio and I put one hand each on the boat. “One, two, three! Go!” We pushed the ship, and it sailed into the bay.

I stood back and watched with the crowd. “Look at them all! So pretty!”

Paul muttered, “Yeah…,” sounding upset. I didn’t bother him about it.

After the lantern lighting, the town held the final celebration in the park. They decorated the grounds with bonfires and paper lanterns. Performers played music on drums and flutes for the many attendants.

The event planners encouraged all guests to wear traditional clothing. I borrowed a yukata from Nurse Joy: dark green with a red-and-white flower pattern, and a yellow obi. Then, I styled my hair a little more than usual and put on wooden sandals.

Nurse Joy, Luxio, and Pikachu all thought I looked gorgeous when I stepped down to the lobby. Luxio claimed I looked even better than the Maiden herself. “That’s not true,” I muttered with a scarlet face.

"And this goes with the outfit." Nurse Joy handed me a white rose styled into a hair clip.

I gazed at it and said, "It's gorgeous,” clipping it onto my head.

When I got to the park, Luxio and Pikachu helped me look for Paul. In my search, I found Jessie, James, and Meowth playing drums alongside the other musicians. “Well, it seems like they’re back to normal,” I said with a laugh.

Luxio called to me, pointing into the forest.

Running towards the water, I found Paul standing against a tree, the same spot where I sent off my lantern boat. He had a perfect view of Maiden Rock sitting just across the bay. “If only you were 2,000 years younger…”

“Are you seriously gonna wait that long for me?” I asked.

“I wasn’t talking about you. I was—” Paul looked over at me, and his face burst into flames. His previous train of thought left the station.

His expression made my face heat up. “What are you staring at? It’s just me.”

“No, I know. It’s just… By the way, I heard what you said earlier.”

“You heard?”

“When Gastly tried pulling me away, you said you didn’t want me to leave. You wanted us to stay together because we’re friends. Friends who don’t leave each other behind. You didn’t want to leave me with her. Do you care that much?”

Suddenly put on the spot like that, I forgot how to speak, blushing like mad under his stern gaze. After a second, I took a breath. “Truthfully, Paul, I cared ever since you first saw that ghost, and when you wanted to stay up at Maiden Rock the other night. I was so scared when that ghost Pokémon got to you I thought I’d lose you forever. I just…”

This is it. Wartortle will come out and kill me if I don’t do it now!

I took the biggest breath ever and gazed at him. “I just didn’t want to lose my friend!”

He stared at me. “Your… friend?”

“Listen, Paul.” My hands got sweaty all of a sudden. “I really like you. You’re a great Pokémon Trainer. You’re funny and nice, and a terrible jerk, and I have so much fun arguing with you! So, what I’m trying to say… I want to stay friends with you! You’re the first friend I’ve had in a while, next to my Pokémon, of course. That’s why I didn’t want you to—”

Paul pulled me into his arms.

My hands trembled at my side. “Paul?!”

“You haven’t lost me. I’m still here, and I plan to stay.”

“You plan...to stay?”

He nodded and then pulled away. “Listen. I was thinking of going to Saffron City for my next Badge. Did you have a plan for yours?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I haven’t had time to think about it.”

“Well, if you want, I suppose we could go there together. As friends?”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

He suddenly stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I mean, it’s not like I’m asking you to journey with me. I just thought, after all the trouble I caused you today, I could pay you back.”

Grinning, I folded my arms. “And I did give you a Gyarados.”

“You said there wasn’t any catch involved with that!”

I laughed. “At the moment, there wasn’t a catch. But I can still use it as leverage!”

He frowned. “You suck.”

“I know.” After a moment, Paul held out his hand. I stared at it. “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ Are we going to go dance now or what, Girlie ?”

I smiled, happy that he returned to normal, and took his hand. “Let’s go!”

Chapter Text

Dark clouds lingered overhead, barely distinguishable against the charcoal sky. If there was a moon out, I couldn’t tell. Its silver rays of light failed to penetrate the dense forest above, and the thick fog only obstructed my vision further. With the feeling of danger lurking around every corner, my body screamed for me to run away.

I sighed in defeat.

We had come too far. There was no turning back now.

“Keep going north, right?” I asked, squinting at the compass on my Pokétch. Pikachu tightly clung to my head. Her ears and tail twitched at every odd noise, and Luxio constantly reminded her not to freak out.

Walking at my side, Paul consulted his map for the most direct path to Saffron, though it seemed pointless considering the lack of light. “Well, yes, but we have to know how far north we need to walk,” he replied. “This forest is going on forever.”

“No. This fog is going on forever! I can barely see my own hand, let alone the trees!”

Paul stopped walking, lowered his map, and let his shoulders roll forward. “It’s only five and the sun’s already gone down. At this rate, we’ll have to camp out again.”

I swiveled around. “Nuh-uh, don’t say that! You said Saffron City was this way!”

He scoffed. “Don’t blame me, Girlie. You wanted to take a shortcut.”

“I did not!”

“Yes, you did, so just come clean already. It’ll make this a lot easier.”

A huff escaped my lips. “It’d be a lot easier if I had been the leader from the start. Your sense of direction is terrible—Ow!” I recoiled after Paul flicked me on the nose. “The hell was that for?!”

“My sense of direction is better than yours, and you know it.”

I raised my fist. “You son of a—!” The sound of laughter filled my ears, freezing me in place and sapping all my energy. The hairs on my neck stood up like needles. My heart leapt into my throat. “What…What’s that?”

Paul turned white as a sheet.

My skin started to crawl. “Uh, Paul?”

He lifted a finger. “Turn around.”

Slowly, I obeyed.

Right behind me stood a child wearing a floppy hat and frilly dress. She clutched a ball in her arms, her wide, toothy grin anything but provoking a smile on mine. When she released an all-too-cheerful giggle, I yelped and sprung behind Paul.

“Where the hell did she come from?!” I whined.

“Shut up. It’s just a little girl,” he hissed.

When Paul proceeded forward, my shaky hand reached out. “No, Paul, don’t—”

He ignored me. “Hi there. Sorry if we startled you.”

“What are you apologizing for? She startled us. ”

Paul slapped a hand over my mouth. “Ignore her. She’s a bit of a scaredy-cat.” He recoiled after I bit his hand. “Do you happen to live around here? We’re a little lost and could use some help getting through this forest before it gets too late.”

To answer his question, the little girl giggled, turned, and disappeared into the trees.

“Wait a second! We really need your help! This forest is super creepy!” I called. When she ignored me, I shoved past Paul and chased after the girl, the sudden rush knocking Pikachu off my head. “Hey!”

“Rosa!” Paul howled, catching Pikachu in his arms.

I ignored him, trying my hardest to keep up.

The fog suddenly disappeared, giving way to a sheer cliff.

Before I could process my fall, two vines wrapped around my waist, leaving me dangling in the air. “I’m saved?” I asked, trying—and failing—not to look down.

“Hey!” yelled a voice. My eyes flickered up. Paul peered over the cliff's edge with Luxio, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur at his side. “Watch where you’re going! You were going so fast you didn’t even notice a drop like this.”

“Shut up! How was I supposed to know there’d be a cliff here?”

“Try not chasing people to start.”

Bulbasaur lifted me back up the cliff and set me down beside everyone.

Once safely on flat ground, I patted his head. “Thanks for saving me, Bulbasaur.”

Paul looked upset. “Hey, Girlie, I was the one who saved you!”

I hugged Bulbasaur. “Again, thanks, Bulba — Oh yeah, speaking of a girl,” my hair whipped this way and that as I looked around hoping to find the little girl. Alas, the search ended in vain, “where’d that girl go?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since you chased after her.”

Chills tickled my spine. “See? I’m telling you she was weird.”

“Nevermind her. Look at that!” Paul pointed out a vibrant city in the distance, sitting at the edge of the forest. “We made it to Saffron City.”

I sprung up on my feet. “It’s pretty! You said there's a gym here, right, Paul?”

“There is. The Gym Leader is Sabrina, and if we beat her, we get a Marsh Badge.”

My fist punched the air. “All right! Time to get my fourth badge!”

★

The second we stepped through Saffron City’s front gate, I asked for directions to the gym and took off towards it. Since leaving Maiden’s Peak, getting my next gym badge became my top priority. Our Pokémon required no visit to the Pokémon Center, and with a few hours remaining before curfew, we had plenty of time for a couple of battles.

“There’s the gym!” I excitedly called, spotting a strange dome-shaped building just up the street. Pikachu cheered, jumped off my shoulder, and sprinted for the gym. “Fourth badge here we come!”

“Don’t you ever slow down, Rosa?!” Paul called from way behind us.

With my fourth badge on the line, slowing down was a foreign concept.

Little did I expect there to be an issue when I reached my destination.

“What?! The gym’s closed!” I screamed after spotting the sign. The news shocked me so badly that I tripped and fell straight into the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Paul grumbled, rapid breaths escaping his chest as he came up beside us. He tried opening the door, but the attempt ended in vain. "Nope. Definitely locked."

I lounged on the steps before the door, pouting. "Say it ain't so!"

“And there’s a note, too.” Paul pointed out a small piece of paper taped just above the doorknob. He read it:

“ To all my lovely challengers,

Some unexpected events have come up, so I must leave immediately. I will be gone for quite some time. Don’t come looking for me. Thank you for understanding.

-Sabrina "

Paul's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Kind of weird for a Gym Leader."

“Man, that’s just great! After all of this, I feel like I’m going to explode!” Luxio and Pikachu barked in agreement, looking equally as frustrated. “Gym Leaders can’t just abandon their post without a good reason!”

“Cool it, Rosa. Good reason or not, there’s nothing we can do until she comes back.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Well, then, what should we do?”

“Why don’t we head to the Pokemon Center? We can decide what to do over dinner.”

My stomach growled louder than a Gyarados, prompting a look from the others.

Blushing, I rubbed the back of my head. “Haha. Food sounds good.”

Thus, Paul and I set off for the Pokémon Center. We stopped by a local convenience store to purchase a few items and replenish our supply.

Arriving at our final destination for the night, we asked Nurse Joy to perform a quick checkup on our Pokémon, just in case. Luxio voiced his opinion about entering his Poké Ball, but I promised him a giant bowl of noodles if he behaved.

He did.

While our Pokémon got treated, Paul and I retrieved dinner from the cafe. Some drinks, sandwiches, noodles for Luxio, and a few power bars for the road. Afterward, we collected our Pokémon from Nurse Joy, retired to our room, and enjoyed very delicious food.

Luxio enthusiastically devoured his bowl of ramen.

“Thanks for being so well-behaved,” I said.

Luxio wagged his tail and barked.

"He must get his manners from you," Paul joked, handing me a napkin.

Also diving into a bowl of noodles, I failed to notice the specks of food now on my cheeks. I swiped the napkin and turned away to clean my face. “What can I say? Noodles are my favorite.”

"I can tell."

I cleared my throat. "So, what's our plan now that Saffron Gym is closed?"

"It depends when it'll open back up again. Did Nurse Joy know when Sabrina would return?” Paul replied.

I regretfully shook my head. “According to her, Sabrina closed the gym without warning and then left. She didn’t give an estimate on when she'd return, only that she had a Pokémon emergency of some kind to handle."

"A Pokémon emergency, huh?"

I nodded. "As far as excuses go, it’s not the worst. But it also means there's no telling when she'll be back. It could be days or weeks."

"Well then, it's not very practical to sit around and wait. Let’s focus on the other gyms in the meantime, and come back when Sabrina returns. We’ll start with the closest one."

"Where's that?" I hoped the next location sat somewhat close to Saffron.

Paul opened his map and spread it out on the table for everyone to see. "Hmm. Looks like it’ll be in Celadon City. Not too far from here. About one or two-days walk if we don’t take any detours."

"That sounds good, but before we go to Celadon, there’s something I want to do first.”

“Yeah?” He sat back in his seat, staring at me with folded arms. "What is it?"

"I want to go here." I pointed at the town sitting to the east of Saffron City.

"Lavender Town? Why? There’s no gym."

Taking a breath, I replied: "I want to see Pokémon Tower."

Paul spit out the water in his mouth. " You want to see Pokémon Tower?!"

"Yeah,” I said, nervously twiddling my thumbs.

"You realize Ghost Pokémon are rumored to infest that place, right?"

I nodded.

"So, why?"

“Look. I'm scared of ghosts. I don't deny that. However, after encountering Gastly the other day, there’s this sudden urge to get over my silly fear. I mean, I'm a real Pokémon Trainer now. I can't be scared of ghosts anymore, so I thought the best way to do that would be to battle, and perhaps even catch, a Ghost Pokémon."

He put a hand to his chin. "A Ghost Pokémon would be useful for whenever we battle Sabrina, who uses Psychic-types."

“See? So, what do you say? A trip to Kanto's famous burial ground?"

With an eyebrow raised, Paul crossed his arms. “I don’t know.”

I pressed my hands together. “Please, Paul! Lavender Town is only a couple of miles away from here, which means no more than an hour’s walk. If we leave early tomorrow morning, we’ll get to see the tower before lunch and then be on our way to Celadon with plenty of daylight left.”

A smirk replaced his frown of suspicion. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Very. So please!” My eyes squeezed shut, praying that he’d agree to go.

After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you make a compelling argument, Rosa, and I don’t really see why not. Let’s go fight some ghosts."

I knocked over my chair in excitement. “Yay!”

Paul stifled a laugh. "Why are you so excited?"

"Honestly, it's probably nerves. The thought of facing Ghost Pokémon is terrifying.”

“Well, better build up your courage.”

“I will! I'm brimming with confidence! This time tomorrow, I'll no longer be afraid of ghosts!” Pikachu cheered loudly, while both Luxio and Paul exchanged doubtful looks.

We cleaned up dinner and went to bed right away, planning to get an early start the next morning. Luxio told me his concerns about facing Ghost Pokémon so recklessly, but I assured him that the results would be totally worth it. After all, being a Pokémon Trainer meant facing anything together with my Pokémon, even my worst fears.

★

The next morning, we walked amongst the still silence of another forest, my only comfort coming from the cold white blanket hugging my shoulders and bare legs. These trees were the only obstacles between Saffron City and Lavender Town.

“What is it with these foggy forests?” I groaned.

“Let’s just stick together. If we get lost, that might be it for us,” Paul said.

My arms gripped Pikachu like a teddy bear. “I did say that I’m ready to get over my fear of ghosts, but this is too creepy. Don’t wander off, okay, Paul?”

“I’m not trying to walk fast. You just need to keep up with me.”

“I can’t help it! I don’t walk very fast when I’m cautious—Ah!” I suddenly crashed into him and stumbled backward. “Hey, watch where you’re going!”

“I’ve been standing still for a few seconds now. You should’ve noticed.”

A strong feeling of embarrassment made me turn away. “It...It’s hard to see in the fog.”

“Do you want to hold my hand?” He held his arm out to me, fingers outstretched.

My cheeks felt hot all of a sudden. “Huh? What kind of idea is that?”

“So I don’t lose you. Well?”

I stared at his hand for a long time before grabbing it. The temperature in my cheeks quickly increased. “Don’t think this means anything,” I spat.

“I won’t. Trust me. I just don’t want you,” he suddenly turned around, “to turn into a ghost, like me!” Where there were once familiar black eyes and purple locks, I instead found pale skin, bottomless wells for eye sockets, and the smile of a classic Halloween predator.

“………….”

My heart pounded against my chest as though trying to escape. Adrenaline surged so fast I almost vomited. Eyes wide with fear, hands trembling, I screamed as loud as possible and collapsed.

Paul chuckled and removed his ghost mask. “Sorry. Sorry. I thought you should practice what to do when a ghost suddenly appears in front of you. I didn’t think I’d startle you that much though.”

My inner Hulk emerged. “What the hell kind of reason is that?! Pikachu! Luxio!” They fried Paul with a potent Thunder Bolt. “You can’t expect me to get over my fear just like that! That was way too scary, Paul!”

“You’re...much scarier," he coughed.

I huffed and walked away, refusing to speak to him until we made it to Lavender Town.

It didn’t take too long. Another fifteen minutes, maybe.

“And finally, we’re here. Lavender Town!” I cheered, staring out over the town from a hilltop.

Fog from the forest dumped into the valley. At the bottom of the hill, two crumbling, stone walls joined together to form an archway and mark Lavender Town's entrance. The town itself appeared as a maze of narrow, winding streets with traditional-style buildings colored varying shades of purple. At its core, a tower stared down at us like a many-eyed monster.

Lavender Town felt lonely, compact, almost claustrophobic.

I silently fell into step beside Luxio. “Do you guys feel that?”

“Feel what?” asked Paul.

“Just a feeling I get. Like I'm cold, but the air’s warm.”

“Hey, we didn’t come all this way for you to chicken out.”

“I’m not chickening out!” Of course, that eerie feeling remained, sending chills up my spine and making me regret my idea to come here—plus every other life decision I had ever made.

We made a pit stop at the Pokémon Center before visiting the Tower. I waited for Paul in the lobby, who needed to use the restroom. The lobby was as normal and boring as ever with polished, tile floors, a reception desk, and some couches and chairs for visitors to wait comfortably.

I stepped over to the desk to say hello to the attendant.

“Welcome to our Pokémon Center,” Nurse Joy greeted me.

“Are you by any chance related to the Nurse Joy in Maiden’s Peak?”

Her curly hair bounced in sync with her giggles. “Sure am. She’s my sister.”

Pikachu, Luxio, and I exchanged the same look. “That figures.”

“By any chance, are you and your boyfriend going to the Pokémon Tower?”

My face burnt like the sun. “Um, actually,” I began, trying to ignore Luxio and Pikachu’s hysterical laughter, “that boy you saw is just my friend. We’re not dating.”

Nurse Joy slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh dear, I’m sorry. I sort of just assumed that you were… Well, if I’m honest, you look cute together.”

I never felt so embarrassed in my life. “That so?” By now, my Pokémon rolled around the floor hugging their stomachs. Somebody needed to change the subject of this conversation—quickly! “Well, to answer your question, we did come to Lavender Town to see the tower.”

“Then, before you go, I strongly recommend you visit the Pokémon House.”

“Pokémon House?”

“Here.” Nurse Joy showed me a map of Lavender Town. “Just follow the road south from the Pokémon Center. Go four blocks, then take a right. It’s the third building on the right-hand side. If you’re an aspiring Pokémon Trainer, then it’d be a good experience.”

“How so?”

Before she could answer, the phone rang. “Oh, sorry. I have to get that.” She excused herself and stepped away from the counter.

Once she disappeared from sight, I glared at Luxio and Pikachu. “You two are not allowed to tell Paul anything about that . Got it?” They both weakly nodded their heads, wiping the tears from their eyes.

“What can’t they tell me about?”

I jumped ten feet in the air, spinning around to find Paul. “Ah, Paul. How long have you been there?”

“Just a few seconds. Why are you so jumpy?”