---

They say a picture's worth a thousand words. It should come as no surprise that this Let's Play will be thousands upon thousands of words.

"So my grandson... what was his name now... he's always talking too much, using words no one understands... ah, that's right! Birkal!"

I wake up amidst the ocean breeze frollicking gently against my window pane. While most other kids are off playing their xboxes and such, I show my inner hipster from the start and play with the NES while standing up. I then go over to use my computer (also while standing up) and withdraw a Potion, because apparently that's how computers work. I accidentally click the "L" and "R" buttons, bringing up the help menu, no less than 13 times.

I go downstairs only to see 4 boys walking on railroad tracks on TV, apparently a pro KONY 2012 movement or something. I think the girl standing there is a babe before realizing that's my mother. I try to leave the boring town, only to have music play that can only be described as something out of Mario Tennis and Prof Oak chase me down. I finally get my opportunity to snag my first Pokemon, and I pick....

Squirtle!

Immediately, Birkal is his pushy self, and demands whatever it is we need to do we do it now. In this case, he foolishly pits his Bulbasaur against Kona the Squirtle. I remind him promptly that Birkal doesn't actually play Pokemon, it's more of a "hi I hang out on Smogon and get badges" thing. Bulbasaur is promptly executed.

I talk to everyone in Pallet town, Chuggaaconroy style, but obtain no goodies :(

I do have a nice chat with Birkal's sister. If you haven't seen the pics, I assure you this is something you'd be OK with.

Heading out to route 1, I run into a wild Pidgey and promptly execute it w/ the help of Kona. Same goes for the nearby Rattata, who admittedly gave us trouble due to likely being in the top percentage of its kind. Nonetheless, he was promptly executed. The bond between Pokemon and trainer is inseperable. Unfortunately, I was typing this up at this point in the game so I really have no idea where I'm supposed to go, so I guess I'll head to Viridian. Kona does reach the monstrous Level 7, obtaining the nifty Bubble.

A nearby trainer insists that jumping down the ledges is scary, but Kona the Squirtle is Adamant that it's the right thing to do.

The people of Viridian offer their sagacity to me openly. "Caterpie has no poison, Weedle does." "This shop does good business in Antidotes, I've heard." "Pokemon Centers charge no money, so don't be shy about healing." "Those Poke Balls at your waist! You have Pokemon, don't you?!"

After delivering Oak's parcel, the wise professor points out that Squirtle is growing more attached to me. We have walked 50 steps and fought 3 or 4 battles, after all. He gives us our Pokedexes, I'm pretty confused why you're reading this part if you are... Birkal pulls his typical "sorry Ray Jay, you won't be necessary for this" and busts out. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that you'd think a music major would have a better theme song than something that sounds like it came from Season 1 of Hawaii Five-O, but that's just me.

Also notable is the fact that Adamant Squirtle Tackle does work to your average Pidgey. Really has the potential to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, if you know what I mean.

After exploring a bit, Kona and I run into a Mankey. The first (female) one was promptly executed, but we catch the next one: Leroy the Mankey.

---

This is the first thing I see when I start playing:
http://oi50.tinypic.com/28qq88l.jpg
And I immediately remember that this game insists on inserting random tutorials. I wish I had my old Pokemon Blue instantly.
But then Professor Oak appears:
http://oi47.tinypic.com/2dqv9mt.jpg
and does his usual thing. I name myself Jordan and my rival Blue. Pretty soon, I wake up in a strange room that's definitely not my own:
http://oi47.tinypic.com/se22cl.jpg
On the bright side, this strange room has a NES. But still, I miss my normal room. My room doesn't need a NES because it has a PS3, bitches.
Anyway, I go to the PC and grab a Potion. Then I head downstairs. There's a strange woman there pretending to be my mother:
http://oi50.tinypic.com/35n60kl.jpg
This woman believes everything the TV tells her.
I then race out of the house, eager to get away from this strange town. Professor Oak stops me, because apparently the tall grass is dangerous. He takes me to his lab and I encounter Blue. He wants to give us Pokemon.
I usually choose Squirtle, but I decide to mix it up and choose Charmander. It's been a while since I've had a Charmander on my team. I then proceed to nickname it something very cliche for a fire-dragon:
http://oi46.tinypic.com/2dqljcn.jpg
Blue, being the dick that he is, chooses Squirtle and proceeds to challenge me to a Pokemon battle. Professor Oak, being the dick that he is, assumes that I know nothing about Pokemon battling, despite having beaten 3 Elite Fours before he was even programmed:
http://oi45.tinypic.com/352rkht.jpg
The joke's on Blue, since Squirtle doesn't know any water attacks yet. The best part is that his first Tackle actually misses.
I kick his ass easily, and decide that this is a good place to stop.
TO BE CONTINUED...

---

It's early game Blue, so this will be a boring update. I am sorry for that. Anyway, started out, named myself Minato. Because I'm an original cunt, named my rival Dicks. Real creative. Real childish. Still funny. Appeasing the inner child is always a good thing, and is the true way to inner peace, or some new age shit like that.

Anyhoo, went and found Dicks in the lab, apparently Oak's out, despite calling us to come see him. He's kind of an asshole like that. Makes it seem like it's totally a privilege, and he has better things to do with his time. I don't like Oak. He's totally where Dicks gets it from. So, I went out to find Oak, and got told how dangerous it is without a Pokémon to protect me. Yes, because field mice and birds are just Eldritch Abominations in disguise. Oh well, free Pokémon. Obviously picked Squirtle, the true OG of the OG. Named him Akihiko. Dicks stayed true to his namesake and picked Bulbasaur. Tackle-spam-battle ensues. Victory.

I forgot how boring Blue's early game is.

Travelled up Route 1, grabbed the Potion from the NPC who works at a Pokémart and slew a ton of Rattata. Akihiko grew to level 7 along the way. Lovely. Viridian City... Nope, nothing to see here. Get Oak's mysterious Pokéball package and return. Akihiko levels up again and gains Bubble. I no longer fear Growl. Badass, right here.

I suddenly regret naming Squirtle Akihiko, as many misspellings will ensue in my writeups.

Pokédex get, back in Pallet. The journey begins proper. Yeah, I probably won't catch more than 15 throughout this whole thing Oak, sorry about that. Consider it karma for making Dicks and I wait. Totally proportionate response. Guy is late? Ruin his research project! Back to Viridian (Akihiko hits 9 along the way), and buy Pokéballs and Antidotes. Why don't these guys have Potions? Oh well. Out to Route 22, and I capture a Nidoran F (Akihiko hits 10 in the process), named Mitsuru. She's level 3. Grinding, whee. Roughly 10 minutes later, she's ready. It helps that I have animations off.

I walk out further along 22, and whoops, Dicks in my way. Akihiko busts his way through Pidgey, and then I go to Mitsuru for Bulbasaur. It's at this point that I realise the AI cheats. When Bulbasaur Leech Seeds Mitsuru, I switch out to Akihiko. Bulbasaur seeds again. What the fuck. This happens a few times before I man up, stay in... And scratch him like a little girl. Granted, Mitsuru does that, but I ordered it.

Viridian Forest just kind of happens. Akihiko hits 12, Mitsuru hits 11, and Mitsuru leads the way through, because of my slight paranoia, and in Pewter I just skip to the Gym after a pitstop at the Pokémon Centre. Ironically, the Jr. Trainer provides more of a challenge than Brock does, since he actually does damage with Diglett and Sandshrew's Scratch attacks. Against Brock, Geodude's Tackle misses and Onix tried to Bide. Akihiko levels up twice in this battle, but still no Water Gun. And that's that for now.

Next time:
- Will SoS have a more exciting story to tell?
- Will Mt. Moon pose any sort of threat?
- Will SoS beat Misty like a red-headed stepchild?

---

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le...nt20o1_400.png
Squirtle "Akihiko"
Level 14/39 HP/23 Atk/26 Def/21 Spd/24 Spc
- Bubble
- Tackle
- Growl

Akihiko is currently the MVP, having demolished most of the main threats himself, though Mitsuru isn't a slouch. I want Water Gun :(

http://www.deviantart.com/download/6...e_by_th351.png
Nidoran F "Mitsuru"
Level 11/36 HP/17 Atk/20 Def/15 Spd/14 Spc
- Scratch
- Tackle
- Growl

Mitsuru is ok. Her stats are fairly subpar for now, but I'm hoping her evolutions and future movepool will make up for that. Leading the party through Viridian Forest and defeating Dicks' Bulbasaur is all she's really done, but I haven't even played for an hour.

---

The numbers scrolled. From left to right, they scrolled in an infinite steam, filling his mind from corner to corner. Slowly, they began to merge together and become less and less distinct. An image formed. There was a tree, and a boy. The sun coalesced in the sky, and clouds began to emerge from the murk. A feeling of peace fell upon all. But then it began to change again. The sky became dark, though the sun still shined. The tree and the boy began to writhe, as if they had Caterpie inside them, struggling to break through their bark and skin. Slowly, the sun, the clouds, the tree and the boy began to dissolve, and the numbers once again emerged. 6, 3, 7, 2, 9, 3, 6, 1, 0, 8, 3...

Jimera’s eyes shot open. He lay there for a moment, breathing heavily, taking in the sunlight streaming through the dirty window, the dust whirling through the beams of light. It had happened again, that dream. He tried to shake it from his mind. For some reason, that dream always left him sweating and breathing as if he had just run a marathon in mid July. Well, if marathons involved being chased by unseen terrors anyway. Why should a bunch of numbers make him so afraid?

Jimera shook his head to clear it and sat up in his bed. Worrying about dreams wasn’t going to do him any good. He stood up and went to look out the window, surveying Pallet Town in all its dilapidated glory.

From his viewpoint in the attic, he could clearly see the smoke rising from the chimneys of the homes of his neighbors, as well as the peeling shingles and cracked windowpanes adorning them. His mother told him that Pallet Town hadn’t always been like this, and that once it had been a place of relaxation and prosperity. Those days were long gone now though. People couldn’t afford to so much as repair their leaking roofs these days, not since the Leauge shut down Professor Oak’s laboratory. Ironically though, that very act did preserve one thing the town was known for; being the starting point for some of the most determined trainers in the region. Only these days, the reasoning most had for leaving was less to seek adventure and more to try and feed their starving families.

As if in response to the thought of hunger, Jimera’s stomach gave off a hopeful gurgle. A quick glance at the old digital clock on his dresser told him it was 9:00am already, meaning it was well past his usual breakfast time. Sleeping in has its benefits, but also its shortfalls he thought. I hope the school reopens soon. But he knew this was unlikely. When something closed in Pallet Town, it stayed closed. It looked as if he would have to commute to Viridian from now on. Maybe get a job in town. Of course, work is hardly more available there than it is in Pallet Town these days.

Of course, he could always follow in the footsteps of the others. He could take the League Challenge and seek his fortune that way. Then his mother would never have to worry about defaulting on their mortgage again. But he knew that such a choice would be foolhardy. Most trainers that leave Pallet Town these days never come back. They either get stuck in some backwater town with no way to get home or worse, go missing completely. Training is a much more dangerous profession than it used to be, ever since the magnezine supply for Pokeballs ran out. Besides, he didn’t have any money to buy a starter with. How the hell was he supposed to even get started?

Sighing, Jimera changed into his clothes and headed downstairs to the kitchen. He tested the water from the sink to see if the water heater was working today. It wasn’t. No shower today by the looks of it, unless he wanted to get hypothermia. A quick trip to the fridge revealed a fresh supply of milk at least; looks like his mother had already been here and gone. He took the milk over to the table along with some cereal, set up his bowl and read the note that his mother had left for him on the table:

“Good morning dear! I’ve left the money for the repairman in the tin on the counter. You’ll need to go to Viridian to pay for it though. Take Blue with you so you don’t get mauled by a Rattata!
Love, Mom”

Well, it’s not like he expected his Mother to let him have his day off without doing something. They couldn’t really afford to laze around, not if they wanted to keep this place from falling apart. Going to Viridian means traversing Route 1 though, and it’s become rather dangerous lately. It’s Rattata breeding season and they can become quite vicious when they’re in heat. Usually Blue would help him on the trip, but Jimera’s mother seemed to have forgotten that he recently left to challenge the League himself. He would have to find his own way there, Rattata or no.

As he ate, he flicked on the TV to catch the news, a morning ritual he had carried out for the past several years. Jimera wasn’t sure why he did it though; there was never anything good happening, and it’s all strictly controlled by the League anyway. Still, he watched.

“The terrorist organization known as Team Rocket struck again today in Vermillion city, destroying a League Warehouse in the Vernon district. No one was hurt, but League representatives still insist that the perpetrators will be captured and brought to justice. In other news, Silph Co.’s research into development of a synthetic substitute for magnezine has hit another snag today, with the disappearance of key a researcher on the project, Bill Resnarchize. Rumors of Rocket involvement in the project are rampant, so it is speculated that Resnarchize may have jumped ship to prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands...”

Team Rocket at it again huh? Nothing unusual there. More worrying was the disappearance of Bill from Silph Co. That magnezine substitute had been a source of excitement around the world for weeks, despite the bizarre string of problems the project kept running into. The ability to battle Pokemon without risking their lives once again would be a great development for everyone.

Jimera finished breakfast quickly, eager to get out of the house all of a sudden. He felt as if he had Durant in his pants for some reason, and he just wanted to get out of the house. In less than 15 minutes the door was closing behind him and he was on his way to Route 1. As he walked down the main street in town, he couldn’t help but to look at the dilapidated ruins of the former Pokemon Laboratory on the left side of the road. In the past, that place had been a symbol of hope not just for Pallet Town, but for all of Kanto. But then there were reports of dangerous experiments, and the League stepped in and shut it down. That’s when the rumors started up. Everyone had liked Oak, and the idea of him putting the town at risk was preposterous to many. So, rumors began to emerge that the League merely wanted to silence Professor Oak before he made a discovery that would threaten their grip on the region. Rumors also began to emerge that Oak’s illness and subsequent death afterwards were no accident, though these were believed by far fewer. Jimera didn’t listen to such rumors though. He was too reasonable for that. But as he gazed into the shattered windows of the old building, he couldn’t help but to wonder...

He was just about to turn away when he saw a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. Was someone in the building? But the place had been locked up for years! Then again, getting in wouldn’t be that difficult, given all the broken windows. He took a closer look into the window where he saw the blue from, and peered into the gloom of the old room. Suddenly, a small, blue form dashed across his field of vision. Jimera started and nearly fell over, but recovered in time to catch a glimpse of a tiny blue tail whipping around the corner of the doorway leading out of the room.

That was no rattata he thought. His curiosity roused, he considered climbing through the window and chasing after the curious blue intruder. But he had to get to Viridian today so...

He started to take a step away from the window, but stopped mid step. He felt something. Something pulling him, pulling him towards the hallway the mysterious figure had disappeared down. Something calling him, calling his soul. He could almost see his mind changing, his curiosity growing. He had to find out what that figure was. He didn’t know why, but he had to. Suddenly confident and unafraid, he climbed over the window sill and into the ruined laboratory. He had to find out what was calling him. And somehow, he knew that the little blue form he had seen would lead him to the answer.

---

So, when we last left off, I had crushed Brock with Akihiko's Bubble, and was getting ready to move on to Route 3. I bought five Potions in the Mart and left Pewter in my wake. I don't intend to be back any time soon. No need for the Old Amber in this playthrough. If only Aerodactyl came earlier... And with more than Wing Attack. I digress. I quickly looked at Akihiko's status, only to find that he was a mere 36 EXP from level 15, and the fabled Water Gun. Damn it Brock. One trainer's Caterpie later, Akihiko hits 15. None of the trainers on Route 3 give me any real bother apart from that one girl at the end with a level 14 Jigglypuff, who managed to take down Mitsuru. Man, I hate Gen 1 sleep mechanics. Really makes me appreciate later generations' changes.

Don't get me wrong. Blue is still my favourite game, for the nostalgia factor alone. I remember unwrapping my purple Game Boy Colour (which I still own and cherish) on Christmas morning 1999. Equally I remember opening the copy of Pokémon Blue my parents bought me, and my brother opening his copy of Yellow. I remember lying in my special hiding place, between the couch and the radiator, and facing off with Misty for the first time, my trusty Wartortle at my side. I remember battling my brother via link cable. I remember crushing his Pidgeot with my Onix. I remember writing about playing Blue in my "what I did at the weekend" homeworks for school, and I still have all those homeworks stashed away in my desk. No other game holds that nostalgia for me, with the exception of Gold. Blue and Gold absolutely defined my childhood. I loved those games. And I bet a significant proportion of people reading this have similar memories. I sure as hell hope so anyway.

Well... That was a tangent and a half. Anyway, back to the adventure. As a result of facing all the trainers on Route 3, both Akihiko and Mitsuru evolved to Wartortle and Nidorina respectively. Already I could see how Mitsuru was starting to become eclipsed. The lack of decent STAB was already biting, and her stats were on the whole worse than Akihiko's. They both managed to hold their own though. In to Mt. Moon, and I made a beeline for the Water Gun TM. It went straight onto Mitsuru for extra coverage and dealing with wild Geodude. Worked like a charm. I continued through the cave, killing about 30 Zubat, beating every trainer and finding all the items, because with two Pokémon, I need all the experience I can get. This served to exhaust a lot of PP, and get both Pokémon to level 20. I was glad I brought that stock of Potions though - criticals freaking everywhere. Also failed to find even one Clefairy. I like Clefairy. I used one in my original Leaf Green Run, since it has Meteor Mash for some reason. I would probably have used a Clefairy if I'd found one here, but alas.

You're probably not might be wondering what happened with the dreaded Raticate. You know the one, the level 16 one with Hyper Fang. It usually does massive damage to my team alone, but it decided to spam Tail Whip, letting me one-two it with Akihiko's Water Gun. Apart from the Super Nerd and fossil, Mt. Moon was done. Picked up the Helix Fossil, so it looks like I'm getting an Omanyte. Whoop-de-doo. I'm probably not even going to touch it. Never actually used a fossil-mon, come to think of it. Any of them.

So, it was into Cerulean for a quick heal, and straight up to Nugget Bridge. Dicks, of course, was waiting, but he was simply no match for Akihiko's Water Gun, and Mitsuru's Scratch. SoS, riding roughshod over Dicks all day long... Waitaminute-

It's at this point things became boring again. I still wasn't confident about being able to beat Misty yet, so I cleared out Route 24 and 25. Including the trainer I usually use for the Mew glitch, since I figure raising a level 7 Mew up with the time constraints we'll be under just isn't worth it. Might change my mind later though. So, on routes 24 and 25, Akihiko hit 25 and Mitsuru hit 23. I didn't want to level her up any more because I wanted Body Slam when she evolved. Plus this would mean she wouldn't be weak to Misty's attacks. I also decided to nab the Dig TM for Mitsuru... Except... The Nidoqueen line can't learn Dig in Gen 1. Damn it. No Ground STAB til Earthquake. You must be kidding me. I gave it to Akihiko instead, and it was on to Misty!

I hope you're not expecting anything epic here. One Dig for Staryu, three for Starmie. The only thing Starmie did was Tackle, and Misty used one X Defend as usual. After the battle, I gave Mitsuru her Moon Stone, making her a mighty Nidoqueen, and gave the Bubblebeam TM to Akihiko. GG Misty, we're moving on.

Next time:
- Will this end up a Blastoise/Nidoqueen duo run, or will SoS actually capture another teammate?
- Exactly how many Body Slams will Lt. Surge withstand from Mitsuru before capitulating?
- Will Dicks constitute any sort of threat ever?

---

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...l_by_Canyx.jpg
Wartortle "Akihiko"
Level 26/74 HP/48 Atk/55 Def/46 Spd/50 Spc
- Bubblebeam
- Dig
- Bite
- Water Gun

The undisputed MVP, soloing Misty, trucking through enemies, and with Dig he can probably hold his own against Surge if I feel like it. This guy lives up to his namesake.

http://www.animeyume.com/poke_dex/nidoqueen.jpg
Nidoqueen "Mitsuru"
Level 23/83 HP/49 Atk/54 Def/45 Spd/43 Spc
- Poison Sting
- Scratch
- Body Slam
- Water Gun

Mitsuru is... Underperforming (very much NOT like her namesake unless she starts spamming Marin Karin). As a Nidorina, with Scratch she was barely 4HKOing a lot of opponents, though she could at least take hits. Poison/Ground is a decent defensive typing at least. She's yet to battle since her evolution, and she's going to start gaining access to a lot of good TMs from here on out, so I'm assuming she'll start kicking ass ASAP. Surge, prepare to meet your maker.

---

The sunlight pouring in through the window gleamed off the old laboratory equipment in the room, reflecting glimmers of light onto the walls. It was eerily beautiful in a way, but Jimera wasn’t paying attention. He walked purposefully to the hallway, broken glass crunching underneath his shoes. Vaguely, he hoped in the back of his mind that the glass wouldn’t ruin them, as he couldn’t really afford a new pair. It wasn’t until he got to the hallway that he realized he had no idea which direction the little creature had gone in.

Deciding that a systematic approach would probably yield the best results, he started with the room directly across from him. It appeared to be a classroom, probably where the professor would give lectures back when the lab was still operating. Jimera carefully walked around the desks in the center of the room, eyes searching for any hint of blue. His search was interrupted abruptly when he accidentally stepped on a switch, turning on power to the projector hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The sudden light caused him to jump as he stared at the wall it had suddenly illuminated.

To his amazement, the projector was still working and began to play a video that must’ve been prepared long ago. On the wall an image of a person he recognized to be Pofessor Oak appeared, which began to talk. The blue figure momentarily forgotten, Jimera paused to listen to the words of the disgraced professor.

“Hello there everyone!” chimed Oak’s ghostly image, “As I’m sure you are aware, I have recently begun a new research project on the origins of Pokemon and how they might connect to the origin of the world itself. Creation myths featuring Pokemon have existed for millennia, but only recently has the scientific community begun to look at them seriously. Certain Pokemon, known commonly as “legendary Pokemon” appear to have a connection to this world that goes beyond merely living in it. My research aims to test this connection and see if-“

Jimera’s trance is suddenly broken by the sound of crunching glass coming from outside the room. His purpose in coming here suddenly remembered, Jimera dashed out the door of the room, just barely catching another glimpse of that same blue tail rounding the corner at the end of the hallway. Wasting no time, Jimera sprinted after it, determined to find this mysterious creature before it could get away. As he rounded the corner, he once again caught a glimpse of that tantalizing tail slipping into another room. Jimera followed it in. finally I’ve cornered it! he thought.

He rushed into the room, his head pounding from the sudden exertion. He swung his head around, searching for the blue thing that had led him here. But the creature appeared to have vanished without a trace. Confused, Jimera took a closer look, and noticed some movement from the corner of his eye. Whirling around, he finds a Pokeball on the floor, slowly rocking back and forth, before stopping.

It... went into the Pokeball? But why?. Jimera walked over to the Pokeball and carefully picked it up, holding it in-between his index finger and thumb. Suddenly, a bright flash of red light shot from the Pokeball and coalesced into the form of a small blue turtle in front of him, causing Jimera to yelp and fall over backwards in surprise.

“Uh... he-hello?” Jimera stuttered at the little creature in front of him.

“Squirtle? Squirt.” The Pokemon replied. Confused, Jimera looked around for some explanation as to why this was happening.

“Uh... do you... want something?” Jimera asked, not sure if it could even understand him. As if in answer, the Pokemon walked over to a small device on the floor, picked it up, and handed it to him. Confused, Jimera took the device from it and stared at the creature that had just handed it to him.
“Thanks?” Jimera said, flipping over the device in his hand “I’m not really sure what to do with this though.” The device was about the size of a small book, and appeared to open like one too. When he did open it, the device suddenly sprung to life. A screen inside lit up, and an electronic voice chimed.

“Welcome user! This is the Pokedex system, version 4.0. Please wait for identification and registration.”

“Wait a second, registration?” Jimera exclaimed, suddenly realizing what it was the Pokemon had handed him. Pokedex’s had started out as simple tools for field research handed out to trainers by scientists, but had long since evolved into the primary form of trainer identification used by the League. To be registered by one was to be enrolled in the League challenge. Apparently, someone had set this up to register and then put it on standby, and it was resuming the process where it left off. And now Jimera was being registered for the League challenge, whether he wanted to be or not.

“Shit! I don’t want to do the League challenge though! I don’t want anything to do with training!” Jimera yelled in a panic, not caring that the only living thing around to hear him was the strange Pokemon standing in front of him. “How do I stop this?!”

But it was too late. “Registration, complete. Trainer Jimera Zero recognized. Please identify starting Pokemon.” Without warning, the Pokemon that had given him the Pokedex leaped up and grabbed it from his hands, pointing the device at itself. “Pokemon starter recongized. Squirtle registered to Jimera Zero. Do you wish to register a nickname for this Pokemon?” the Pokedex chimed.

“Hey you little rat, what do you think you’re doing?” Jimera yelled, snatching the Pokedex back from the Squirtle. It looked up at him innocently, saying nothing in reply. Jimera sighed and sat down on the floor again, thinking through what had just happened. For whatever reason, this Squirtle wanted it to be his trainer, and was smart enough to lure him back here and register him. That already belied what he had learned about Pokemon in school. He had been taught that they were no more than simple animals, pets at most, tools at the least. Not that he had ever felt that way about them before, but having everything he knew about the creatures that inhabited his world tossed out the window in a moment was shocking, even more so than becoming a trainer on the spot was. It was as if his secure, if uncomfortable life was unravelling before his eyes.

Catching himself starting to panic again, Jimera shook his head and instead forced himself to concentrate on the immediate future. Well, I needed protection to get to Viridian anyway. This little turtle could help with that. But becoming a trainer... mom is going to kill me. Brushing that last thought from his mind, Jimera concentrated on the task at hand.

“Alright, you little devil. I guess you’re with me now, since you seem to want it that way. You have a name?” he asked the Squirtle, only half realizing the Pokemon couldn’t really answer him.

“Squirt?”

Jimera sighed. “Alright, how about... oh I don’t know. Stu? Sure, why not?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

“Squirt! Squirtle!” exclaimed the little turtle, apparently happy with his new name.

“Well alright then, Stu it is.” Jimera said to his new Pokemon. He quickly registered the name in the Pokedex, slipped it in his pocket and began to walk out the door. “You coming?” he asked over his shoulder, prompting Stu to waddle up next to him and walk out of the building.

As they walked down the road to Route 1, Jimera pulled out his new Pokedex again and began fiddling with it. If he remembered correctly what he had learned in class, Pokedex’s can give trainers information on Pokemon they encounter and he needed to know more about his energetic new friend if he was going to use it to protect himself on Route 1. After a couple minutes he figured out how to get it to tell him about Stu by pointing it at him with the search function on.
“Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon. Squirtle are rare water-type Pokemon that can produce large amounts of water or foam and propel it from their mouths in self-defence. Their shells are prized as ornaments in many parts of the world, contributing to their rarity,” intoned the Pokedex.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about losing your shell with me Stu. I won’t let the poachers touch you!” Jimera joked at his new friend. Stu appeared to understand and gave him what could be best described as a turtley grin.

It wasn’t long before they reached Route 1 and began encountering their first wild Pokemon. The Rattata were riled up as expected, and so were the Pidgey for that matter. Must be nesting season for them too Jimera thought, though he was rather uneasy about their agression. Pidgey were generally docile, so this behaviour seemed very out of place.

Stu proved to be a dependable body guard, easily repelling the rats and birds that attempted to take chunks out of Jimera’s skin. The bubbles he sprayed out from his mouth were surprisingly potent, coating the opponent and making it hard for them to move, as well as popping with a surprising amount of force. Jimera had to tell Stu to hold back a few times so as not to injure any of the wild Pokemon. Before he knew it, Jimera and Stu had made it through to Viridian City.

Stu was looking rather tired, so Jimera first stopped by the Pokemon Center for some rest and healing. The League operated facility was easily the cleanest and best kept building in the town, with even the local Gym falling into disarray. Jimera remembered hearing somewhere that the Gym was unkempt because the leader was never around, but he didn’t worry too much on it. If he could find a way out of taking the League Challenge, he would. With Stu fully restored, he decided to look around town. He didn’t really know where the repairman would be, and considering the difficulties in getting here he was going to take advantage of his time in the city while he could.

After buying a few Potions for Stu at the Pokemart, Jimera finally came across the repairman, paid him his advance and gave him directions to his house. Business taken care of, Jimera decided he probably shouldn’t delay the inevitable, and started heading home. He just hoped that his mom wouldn’t freak out when he got there.

***************
Jimera took a deep breath, and reached out to turn the doorknob. Before he could though, the door opened inward and his mother looked out and gave him a smile, before launching into her usual barrage of questions.

“Welcome back dear! How did it go? Were you able to find him OK? Are you hungry?” she asked in rapid fire, eyes roaming all over Jimera’s face and body. Then they noticed the bulge in his pocket, and the turtle at his side. “What’s that in your pocket?” she asked, her voice raising “AND WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?” she practically yelled, pointing at Stu accusingly.

“Wait mom, i can explain!” Jimera began, but he was drowned out by the flood of shrill words coming from his mother’s mouth.

“You went and got a Pokemon when you were out!? You ungrateful fool, you know what happened to your father right? You know that once you register for the League you can’t back out! What were you thinking! How could you do this to your poor old mother? How could you leave me all alone here? How, how could you?” she said, her words becoming punctuated by sobs. “How could you?”

Jimera knew that she wouldn’t believe him if he told her what Stu had done. Pokemon weren’t supposed to act like that. He realized he was stuck with the cards fate had dealt him. “Mom, I’m sorry. I just wanted to... I just wanted to help you out. So we wouldn’t lose the house. So we could afford to hire the repairman more often, get the place fixed up. Mom, you... you know how the roof leaks and the heater is broken. I.. just wanted to get it fixed,” he lied, realizing how weak it sounded. He braced himself for his mother’s angry retort, but it never came.

“Jimera...” she said “I’m sorry, I overreacted. Of course you’re just trying to help. I know you didn’t want to train, you must have felt like you had to. I’m... I’m just shocked. I just wish you had told me before hand, is all. Here, let me help you get your things ready. I’ll get some things together for your journey.”

“Mom...” Jimera said, taken aback by his mother’s understanding, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. Thank you. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Just make sure you come back,” she replied.

**************
A few hours later, he was already on his way, his mother waving to him from their front porch as he walked the first steps on his journey. The magnitude of what had just happened in the past few hours hadn’t really settled in him yet, but he knew that the first thing he needed to do was to get some Pokeballs so he could expand his team. No one survived for long with just one Pokemon, not these days. He didn’t really want to catch any Pokemon though, as that meant forcing these intelligent creatures to fight for him. Pokemon battles were dangerous. All the Pokemon he could catch would be at risk. And now that he knew they were not just mindless beasts, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to force any to come with him. So, he came up with a plan. He’d only take the first Pokemon he encountered on each route with him. That should be enough, and he didn’t want to imprison any more Pokemon than he had to. He didn’t want to let any more die than he had to.

His first stop was on route 1, where he had just come from. It wasn’t long before he was attacked by another Rattata, which he was able to catch fairly easily with Stu’s help.

“Rattata, the mouse Pokemon. Do you wish to register a nickname for this Pokemon?” chimed the Pokedex. Jimera thought about it for a second. This Rattata could die at any time. Did he really want to name it? Did he want to risk growing attached to it? Then he looked at Stu, and remembered the intelligence he had displayed so far. He remembered that Pokemon are not just animals, and that they were more than pets. He decided then that he would name it. He would name them all, precisely so that he would grow attached to them. These Pokemon would not be his tools, or his pets. They would be his friends.

“Buck. Registering Buck.” Jimera spoke into the Pokedex. Buck, I’m sorry to take you from your home Jimera thought, but I promise, I’ll make it worthwhile for you. I promise.

He repeated the process on Route 22, Route 2 and the entrance to Viridian forest, adding a female Nidoran, Metapod and Pidgey to his team. He named the Nidoran Jill, the Metapod Katz and the Pidgey Zaku. After catching them all, he walked to a secluded clearing on Route 22 and released them all for a moment.

“Hello everyone, I’m sorry for pulling you out of your homes. I wish I didn’t have to do this, but if I intend to survive, I need to. I hope you don’t hate me for it,” he told the small crowd of Pokemon, who all exchanged confused glances with each other. Zaku looked at Jimera and chirped, head cocked to the side as if to ask why the hell he was telling them this. Certainly, none of them seemed upset. Some of them seemed eager.

“Ummm... right. Well, anyway, that over there,” he said, pointing to the Pokemon League’s reception gate “is our goal. The journey there will not be easy. I can’t promise we’ll all make it there safe and sound, or that we’ll make it at all. But I’ll try to get us all there safely.”

To his surprise, those that could actually appeared to nod in agreement or acknowledgement. Hell, even Katz the Metapod wiggled a bit. Slightly amazed, but definitely relieved by this apparent show of approval, Jimera nodded back and started getting out their Pokeballs. Before he could put any of them away though, he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

“Hey, Jimera! Is that you? I didn’t expect to see YOU out here!” the voice said. Whirling around, Jimera came face to face with his childhood friend, Blue. Apparently his League challenge hadn’t taken him far from home yet.

“Hey there man! What are you doing here? Have you decided to take the League challenge too?” Blue asked.

“Uh, yeah, I guess I have.” Jimera replied. “I see you’re doing well.”

“Eh, I suppose so. So what were you doing just now? You know they can’t understand you right?” Blue said, gesturing at the five Pokemon Jimera had in front of him.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Blue.” Jimera retorted, a little more vehemently than he had meant to. He had grown used to the apparent intelligence of Pokemon quite quickly, and was somewhat shocked that Blue hadn’t noticed it, considering he must’ve been with his Pokemon for much longer by now.

“Chill man, didn’t know you were into that hippie stuff,” Blue teased. “Hey, you want to battle? If you’re taking the League challenge we’re required to actually.”

“Oh crap, that’s right we are. Umm... is there any way we could avoid it?” Jimera replied, suddenly worried that his freshly caught team of misfits might not survive a battle with his more experienced friend.

“Why? If you didn’t want to battle, why’d you join the challenge? But if you want to wimp out, I suppose I could pretend we never saw each other. But next time, you’re not getting out of it!” Blue said.

Jimera breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks man, I’m not sure my team is ready for it yet. I think I need to train them a bit first,” he said.

“Sure no problem. Anyway, I got to get to Pewter City for my first badge now; I’m ready to take Brock on. My Bulbasaur will wreck his Rock types thanks to the type advantage. I’ll smell ya later dude!” Blue said, turning his back to me and raising a hand in farewell as he walked down the road back to Viridian.

Jimera looked back down at his new team, then back to Blue’s retreating form. Sighing, he returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs and set about looking for wild Pokemon to test them against. If he hoped to beat Brock in Pewter City, he had better make sure his team was ready. The man was known for being ruthless, much like the other gym Leaders. It’s said that the League hand picks them for their remorselessness, to ensure as few challengers make it to the League as possible. The League likes the revenue the challenges bring them, but don’t want anything to threaten their power.

Jimera quickly ran into some trouble with Katz though, who could hardly do more than wiggle, let alone attack an opponent. According to the Pokedex, all wild Metapod could do is harden their shells, which might be good for deterring predators, but isn’t very effective at defeating enemies in battle.

“Well Katz” Jimera said to his Pokemon “I don’t know what to do with you. Maybe if you just... watch the others, you can learn? I know you’ll grow up into a Buterfree soon. I can be patient.”

As if in response, Katz began to shake. A crack formed in the shell, and before he knew it, a beautiful Butterfree had emerged and was fluttering in front of him. Jimera just stood there completely gobsmacked, trying to comprehend what just happened. Pokemon don’t just evolve on command like that! he thought, What is going on here? First Stu makes me a trainer and now Katz evolves the second I mention it! Katz tilted his head and looked at Jimera expectantly.

“Errr right. Well, I guess you can train now then!” Jimera exclaimed a little too loudly. Is everything I thought I knew about Pokemon wrong?.

**************
Jimera and his team trained through the day, before setting up camp in an old tent that his mom had found for him in the storage closet. It was patched and smelled like dust, but it would keep the rain off at least. Probably.

Thankfully, the tent’s dubious waterproof qualities were not tested that night, and the next morning Jimera was ready to set off down Route 2 towards Pewter City, where Brock was waiting for him. It soon became clear though that he wasn’t going to be able to get there by the normal route.

“The road is closed? What for?” Jimera asked an official looking man with a League pin on his lapel.

“League business, nothing you need to worry about. Just take a detour through Viridian Forest and you’ll be fine” the man replied brusquely, returning to the papers he had on his field desk. They were located inside a little portable hut he had on the side of the road, apparently set up for the express purpose of diverting travelers through Viridian Forest.

Curious, Jimera tried to peer around the fence that had been put up across the road, but was scolded by the League official. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned.

While still curious, Jimera had no intention of getting himself detained, so he took the detour into Viridian Forrest. While the forest had a well tended path, there were Bug-type Pokemon crawling everywhere and the place just seemed unnaturally gloomy due to the dense foliage. Worse, there were small time trainers all over the place, clearly looking to battle. Taking a deep breath, Jimera walked down the path.

Thankfully though, the trainers on the way were hardly threatening, with nothing but Weedle, Caterpie, Kakuna and Metapod on their teams, all freshly caught. They posed little challenge for any of Jimera’s Pokemon, and when he emerged out the other side of the forest his team was still in fairly good shape. Despite this, his first stop when he entered Pewter city was the Pokemon Center. He couldn’t be too careful.

After his team was fully healed, Jimera decided to take a look around the city. The whole place was built into the side of a low mountain, meaning there were large boulders and steep cliffs all over the town. Up on the highest ledge was the Pokemon Museum, and next to that what he had come for: the Pewter Gym. He ignored the museum for now, and headed straight for the Gym. He wanted to get this over with, and thankfully, he knew that Stu had an advantage here.

Standing in front of the doors he paused for a moment. He knew that neither Brock nor the other trainers in there would spare him any mercy. They were contractually obligated not to, and besides, Brock probably flat out enjoys crushing Pokemon, judging from what he’s heard. Then again, Stu does have a big advantage over the Rock-types here. And with that thought held in his mind, he stepped through the doors and into the bright lights of the Gym.

The inside was made to look like a cave, though no cave would ever be this brightly lit of course. Nonetheless, the cold, rocky walls did a good job at providing a cold and lonely feeling atmosphere. Inside there was only one gym trainer between Jimera and Brock. To Jimera’s surprise, the trainer didn’t look like he was older than 13.

“Excuse me, I’m here to challenge Brock.” Jimera told the kid.

“Good, fresh meat!” the kid responded, flashing one of the most disturbing grins Jimera had ever seen on a child before. The kid didn’t waste any time, and sent out a Pokemon in a flash of red light before Jimera could respond. It went straight into the rocky floor of the gym, and when the light faded all that could be seen of the Pokemon was its head sticking out above the ground. Somewhat taken aback by the abruptness with which the fight started, it took Jimera a second to pick a Pokemon and send it out.

Zaku was released in the air above the burrowing Pokemon, which Jimera vaguely remembered as Diglett from his school textbooks. Not willing to give the mole pokemon the first move, Jimera was quick with his command. “Use quick attack Zaku!” he shouted, and Zaku quickly obeyed, moving faster than the eye could follow to strike the tiny head sticking above the ground. Jimera remembered from class that Diglett were known for their fragility, so if he could just land one solid blow...

Unfortunately, the little mole seemed to be just as fast. The Diglett ducked underground, dodging Zaku’s strike. The youngster called out a command of his own. “Scratch it to shreds!” he yelled. There was a flurry of movement, and next thing Jimera knew, a small gash had appeared on Zaku’s cheek. Jimera blinked for a second. He hadn’t even seen Diglett leave the ground! Something that fast... he didn’t want to think about it. It hadn’t dodged Zaku by that much last time though, so surely Zaku could hit it before he took too much damage.

“Again Zaku!” Jimera called. Zaku took another dive at Diglett, who dodged yet again. Yet again, there was a flurry of movement and couple loose feather, and when the dust settled there was a new gash on Zaku’s chest. This clearly wasn’t going to work. Jimera nervously looked around the arena for inspiration, and noticed the pile of loose dirt that the Diglett had stirred up with his movements, giving him a sudden idea.

“Zaku, Sand-Attack!” Jimera called, prompting Zaku to stir up the dirt on the ground into a whirlwind of dust with his wings. This was his chance. “Zaku, Quick Attack!” Jimera called once more. Zaku’s keen eyes were better than Diglett’s. It’d be able to spot Diglett in this dust cloud, and Diglett wouldn’t be able see it coming in time to dodge.

Sure enough, there was the sound of a solid smack as Zaku darted in one side of the dust cloud and burst out the other. No new gashes had appeared on Zaku, but clearly something had been hit. A second later the dust had settled, and it was clear who the victor was; Diglett was revealed to be slumped unconscious over its own mound of dirt.

“You got lucky!” called out the Youngster as he returned his Pokemon. “You won’t be so lucky against Sandshrew!” This time when the light faded away, there was what looked like a pudgy and scaled version of Rattata standing on the ground. Somewhat amused by this similarity, Jimera decided to send out his own mouse Pokemon to take on this one.

“Go Buck! Use Hyper Fang!” Jimera commanded. He knew that Buck had a pretty wicked bite, and it was liable to end the battle quickly. Buck quickly obeyed, dashing up to the slower Sandshrew and sinking his teeth straight into the Sandshrew’s scaly back. It yelped in pain, reeled around and batted Buck off with its claws. Buck was shaken, but it was pretty clear that this Sandshrew wasn’t going to stay standing for much longer, as blood slowly dibbled from the wound onto the cave floor.

“Enough,” called the youngster as he withdrew his Sandshrew. “You can face Brock.” He stepped aside and pointed to the shirtless man sitting in a crude stone throne at the back of the gym. Brock stood up, and made a dismissive gesture.

“You think you can beat me with that vermin?” He jeered at Jimera while gesturing towards the slightly battered Buck and Zaku.

“They’re not vermin. And no, they can’t beat you. But Stu here can.” Jimera said, simultaneously releasing Stu from his Pokeball. The sneer on Brock’s face slipped a bit as he saw the water based turtle standing before him. Clearly, this was a man who knew his weaknesses. It came right back though, and he jeered some more.

“You think a little foam can stop my rock solid Pokemon? Think again. Go, Geodude!” He called out. The look on his face was subtly different as he watched his Pokemon appear on the field. The Pokemon appeared to be a solid rock with a face and arms, and very tough, yet Brock’s jeering face was clearly a facade.

He knows he can’t win this fight! Jimera thought. But then why does he pretend like he can? Jimera couldn’t figure it out, but this was no time for worrying about that. Jimera quickly gave out his command. “Coat it with your foam Stu!”

Stu gladly obliged, spewing out a stream of viscous bubbles that coated his opponent. The rocky form let forth a grating cry, as it attempted the swipe the foam coating him off as quickly as he could. It’d be hilarious to see such a powerful looking foe incapacitated by bubbles if it weren’t for the fact that Jimera knew that it was in terrible pain. And yet, Brock just sat there and watched as his Geodude’s movements slowed, and eventually stopped.

“Return Geodude. Looks like you have some fight in you after all. I’ll have to bring out the big guns.” Brock said, no longer jeering. “Onix, go get him.”

The massive, blinding light that came from his Pokeball seemed much brighter than normal, and when it faded it became clear why. The Pokemon Brock had called forth was massive, appearing to be a snake made of boulders that was over 20 feet long. It was quite the intimidating site, but Stu didn’t as much as flinch. Instead, he looked defiantly up at the enormous rock snake towering above him, and started blowing foam.

Jimera was startled by Stu’s unprompted action, but it was what he would have told him to do anyway. Onix tried to dodge out of the way of the stream but caught a lot of foam right to its side. It wasn’t enough to stop the enormous Pokemon from moving though, and Brock was quick with his response.

“Bind it down” called Brock. “Don’t let it up for air.”

Onix launched itself at Stu, who tried to dodge out of its way only to encounter its tail coming from the other direction. Before Jimera knew it, Stu was completely covered in the coils of the enormous serpent, which appeared to be squeezing the life out of him. Panicked Jimera called out, “Stu! Hang on! I’ll think of something!”

Stu wasn’t waiting though; he was spewing foam all over the place, but little of it was ending up on Onix. Onix roared, seeing victory just ahead, and began to lean over Stu to watch as its life faded away. Jimera stared at the huge snake’s gaping maw as his mind began to run wild. Is it thinking of eating Stu? Am I going to have to watch Stu be swallowed whole right here? Jimera was starting to panic when one more stray thought burst across his mind I doubt he’d like eating something as bubbly as Stu.... Then it hit him.

“Stu! Aim for its mouth!” Jimera called. Stu turned its head towards Jimera for a fraction of a second, then angled it upwards and sprayed a great fountain of foam right into Onix’s open mouth. Onix reared back, roaring in pain and surprise. It loosened its grip on Stu, who immediately took the opportunity to escape from its deadly coils. The snake appeared to trying to spit out the foam, but was rather unsuccessful in doing so. It was just starting to collapse when there was another flash of light, and Onix disappeared into Brock’s Pokeball.

“Well if you beat Onix, nothing else I have is going to work. Looks like you win kid. Here, your prize.” Brock said, holding out his hand with a pin shaped like a gemstone in it. “And this too, as per rules.” He held out his other hand, this one with a small compact disc Jimera recognized as a TM.

“Oh, uh thanks. I ummm... don’t have a TM player though.” Jimera said as he walked up and took the items from Brock.

“Yeah, not surprising that. Most of the trainers that come through here don’t have one” Brock said, his tone dropping the last of his arrogance from before. “Come in the back and I’ll get you one,” he said, as he turned around and started walking towards a pair of doors behind his throne that Jimera hadn’t noticed before. Jimera glanced towards the youngster he had battled earlier, who nodded to him. Shrugging, Jimera followed the defeated Gym leader through the doorway.

So was all that arrogance an act? Jimera thought. It certainly seemed like it. Jimera could almost feel the tension in the air dissipating as everyone inside seemed to relax. Stu waddled up beside him as he walked through the door. Suddenly remembering the squeeze Onix had put on him, Jimera reached down and picked up the tiny turtle, careful not to press against where he figured he must have bruises. “Are you alright Stu?” he asked his friend. Stu nodded and struggled a bit, apparently wanting to be put back down. Jimera obliged and set him back down on the floor so he could follow behind him. He looked up to see Brock looking at him, and he blushed red, strangely embarrassed that the hardened gym leader had just witnessed a tender moment between him and his Pokemon.

Brock nodded and said, “Good to see that there are still trainers that see their Pokemon as friends instead of tools out there.”

Somewhat taken aback, Jimera remembered Brock watching his Geodude struggle in pain before. “I’m sure your Geodude appreciates that sentiment,” he snapped before he could stop himself. He instinctively flinched as soon as the words left his mouth, fearing the consequences of his harsh words.

Brock visibly bristled for a second, but relaxed a moment later.“You’re right, I have no place to talk,” Brock responded. Jimera couldn’t help but to stare in surprise. It really had been an act? “I had to let him sit it out though. The battles are recorded, and if I gave in early I’d lose my position. I’m sure Geodude is alright though. It’s been through worse. I’ll never get used to watching it struggle in pain though,” Brock mused. He turned to a shelf covered with machines that looked like old portable CD players, and began sorting through them.

“I... I’m sorry. If you hate it so much though, why do you still do this job then?” Jimera asked.

Brock turned around and handed Jimera one of the machines before replying. “Because I no longer have a choice in the matter. Let’s not speak of it anymore, alright? You should probably get back to the Pokemon center and get your Pokemon checked out.”

“Uh, right. What about your Pokemon, will they be OK? I didn’t know foam could hurt something so badly...” Jimera said.

“Don’t worry,” Brock replied. “The gym has its own healing system and I’ll make sure they’re ok. Now get out of here, before anyone gets suspicious.”

Suspicious? Jimera thought. Despite the questions swirling through his head, he thanked Brock and left the way he came in. What’s going on here? Jimera wondered for what seemed the tenth time in the past 48 hours. With all that had happened in the past two days, he was beginning to think that maybe nothing in the world was like he had thought it would be.