Pokémon: The Power Inside

When Satoshi "Red" Tajiri first enters the legendary Pokémon Trainers Academy, he always imagined himself standing amongst champions. Yet he never thought how long it would take. Witness his rise to greatness, while gaining important knowledge and even more important friends along the way. Witness the rise of a champion.

All eyes and lights were on them. Out of so many challengers only 2 remained.
Their eyes, determined and rugged, stared through each other's, finding a lack of strength, a break in their morale; neither had one. They each had worked too long to get here; they weren't going to let themselves down now.
The signal from the referee was given; they must choose their first champions to battle. Then the rest of the order was chosen, each one methodically after the other. The referee raises the next signal. "Trainers! Are you ready!"
His voice was amplified by a microphone on his shirt. Both trainers nod. They're ready. And the world had a deafening silence, each side's fans hushed, waiting for the next move.
Fifteen- year old Ray is signaled first, his tall, gaunt build is tense with excitement and a will to win. He takes his first Pokéball, tips his hat back, and launches it at the middle of the field. It bursts open, spewing out a stream of white energy, which begins to form. A horn and two huge ears appeared as its big pink body started to materialize. The stadium erupts into cheer the moment it roars. Ray has chosen-
"It's a Nidorino!!!" The announcer exclaims on the intercom speaker.
He continues "This is a very popular pick for Raymond Ketchum, using it in most of his matches. Its powerful body, surprisingly quick speed and deadly poison-tipped horn make it a fierce competitor for any trainer!" Ray smiled as his Pokémon continued to roar, in an attempt to intimidate his opponent.
It didn't.
The other trainer took out her first Pokémon and tossed it into the air. It hung there for a second, then burst open, as a huge amount of white energy splashed onto the stage. It morphed and folded in on itself numerous times before forming a Pokémon, purple with a dastardly smile-
"She sent out her GENGAR!!" The audience erupted in cheers once again.
"This is another classic starter for Delia! Gengar, a ghost type, is one that will give ANY Pokémon a run for its money, especially a poison type! This is going to be a fantastic battle!"
Nidorino dug at the ground, ready to charge. Gengar was giving mean looks. Ray and Delia reviewed their strategies. The crowd was tense, waiting for the battle to begin. The referee gave the signal.
"Let the battle begin!!"
.........................................................................
But that's not how the story will continue.
Who will win is not the question. Yet.
It's the journey to get there, all of the blood, sweat and tears, which truly shows a trainer their power inside...

Goldilocks planet (plural Goldilocks planets) (astronomy) A planet which orbits in the habitable zone around a star, where temperatures like those on Earth occur, allowing for the possible existence of liquid water and of life. There are two known in our local galaxy. One of them was deemed unsafe because it was radioactive...
It was over before it started. The crowd knew it, the trainers epecially knew it, and so did little Red. His slim hands looked like they were stuck to the glass, eyes staring straight at the TV with a tag on it screaming "SALE". They were showing the Pokémon League Semi-finals, and the trainer stupidly called out his weepinbell and sent out a pidgeotto. The other one had a Kadabra.
Red yelled at the TV like any sports fanatic would:
"Hey stupid! A flying type isn't as fast as a psychic type with stats THAT high! Stick to the wing attacks, not the gusts! They're too weak! Don't use physical attacks when his REFLECT is up!"
"Hey kid! Quiet, will you? I wanna watch this!"
There was another man there, equally as glued to the glass, with a fake Pokémon League Hat and a charizard on his shirt. Definitely a fanboy, Red scoffed to himself.
"Besides, where is your mother?"
"She's inside, heckling down an electric fire pit. This is far more interesting."
The man looked down at the boy. From the side, he looked thin, with matted black hair, a jutted nose and big cheekbones.
"Shouldn't you be at school, kid?"
The boy looked up at him with his green eyes jutting back between the screen and the portly man next to him.
"Not yet, buddy. School doesn't start for another half hour." He spoke maturely for his age.
The man paused. "This is a rerun, isn't it?" He didn't seem that interested anymore. Something told him he saw it already.
The boy answered matter-of-factly, "Yeah, so what? I've never seen this battle before."
The fan boy gave him a weird glance. The kid must be a beginner. He was just spewing out anything he could think of to make sense.
"Hit him with that again! No! Why did it hit itself with confusion?! WHY DOES ANY Pokémon DO THAT?!?"
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
"Red."
He was taken aback. "Red? Why would your mom-"
"She didn't call me that. I gave it to myself."
"Why?" Was it his favorite color?
Red took a deep breath. He was used to being picked on for it, but this guy was a stranger.
"Because, Red is the highest color-coded level you could achieve in the Pokémon league. It means you're a master. I want to be Red, and calling myself that seemed like the best way to not forget."
The fanboy turned away from the messed-up little black haired kid and headed further down the open-air mall. Celadon City was a small minded metropolis surrounding the huge walled area for a clear glass scaffolding overhead and enumerable kiosks and small offices. There were plans to build a huge vertical mall, but the building committee lost funding.
As expected, the trainer's Kadabra made quick work of the pidgeotto and weepinbell. By the time his mother came out of the store with the pit in a box, the Kadabra was wiping the floor with a gloom.
"Red, let's go. We just need one more thing before we can send you to school."
"But MOM, the match! It's almost over!"
"Red, let's go NOW." His mother was used to the snobby tone- she tended to ignore it to save energy.
Sharing the pit's weight, they continued down the massive alleyway that crossed the entire complex, fragrant flowers and small fountains gracing the center pieces along the way.
"After we get the groceries, can I see the new cards?"
"If we have time, Sato-"
"Red."
She gave an exacerbated sigh. "Right. If we have time, Red. You still have to change into school uniform."
He had to oblige. He needed good grades to make it to the Pokémon Academy. They teach kids to be trainers there. That's what he wanted to be, ever since he saw the magnificent "Trevor Owens vs. Lance". It's regarded as one of the greatest battles for a reason. He always wanted the card of Lance's Dragonite. Maybe he'd finally get it.
Then he heard a noise. It was faint, but it was there. Like a small pitching sound. He turned to his mom, who seemed oblivious to it.
Was he going crazy? Was he finally what all those kids thought of him?
The noise got louder, then fainter. They must have been passing it. He put down his load and rushed to the noise.
"Red? Red! Where are you going?!"
He had to find it. Something was wrong. He had been in this place too many times to hallucinate.
The pitch grew as he got closer.
What was he looking for? A bomb? A key or something? He didn't know what to expect.
Then it got even louder. People nearby were looking around now. He wasn't alone. There wasn't any time for breaths of relief now. He had to keep looking.
Then it got even higher as he found where it was.
It was... in a trash can. A dinky, ugly trash can in the middle of the plaza. The pitch grew to almost unbearable decibels. He looked inside amongst the terrible din.
It was a Pokéball, vibrating violently and blasting out white light from the cracks. Something was trying to get out.
But he reached in. The pitch would've damaged any older person's hearing if they were that close.
Then the light burst out so hard that it broke the ball in two. The beam of light morphed into something terrifying. It was a massive snake, with ocean blue scales and fins, huge white teeth and a defeaning roar. And it was PISSED.
"G-gyarados!"

The crowd erupted into screams of sheer terror as the beast roared menacingly. All Red could do was stare at its sheer size. He had never seen a Pokémon this big before and never this close. He was too small to be noticed as the massive sea monster took in its surroundings.
Then he saw his Mother burst through the thrings and grab him by the shirt, lurching him away from the Monster.
"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE! KEEP RUNNING!"
Amidst the screams and the forceful tugging on his sleeve.He turned back towards the beast. Its angry eyes seemed somewhat calmer now, as most of the ruckus was moving away from it. The the Police came.
"ALL UNITS, ENGAGE PROTOCOL 11! IMMOBILIZE THE Pokémon NOW! SET A PERIMETER!"
He heard pokeballs crack behind him, with different roars and battle cries filling the huge plaza as it became a massive battlefield.
"Vaporeon, ICE BEAM!"
"MAGNETON, THUNDERSHOCK!"
The two farthest away from them moved forward with their attacks, lightning flashing behind them.
Red and his Mother were some of the last on their way out, while a Venusaur and Chancey attacked from the other side.
Meanwhile, they had shut the doors remotely, unable to let the rest out. All the rest of the shoppers could do was hide behind a barricade. Only Red peeked out to see what was happening. He never saw a battle this close.
But the Gyarados was too powerful, and their attacks weren't doing the damage they expected. The thundershock rolled off, it broke out of the ice beam, dodged the Venasaur's solar beam and deflected Chancy's hyper beam. Then it got mad and let loose.
A massive ball of white and green energy flowed from his belly to its mouth. The policemen didn't know whether to command them to brace for impact or dodge it.
Red had seen enough battles to know what that was. And as he ducked, he knew what damage it could do.
The Gyarados let loose one of its most powerful attacks on the whole plaza. The dragon rage sliced through the stores and ground like they were made of sand. It swung up and shattered the glass and knocked out Chancy and its trainer, the one nearest the people. As it recharged, Red peeked it out and saw the damage. The dodging took a toll on all of the Pokémon there, while the plaza was almost completely destroyed.
A gyarados like that must be a high enough level, so direct attacks won't do any good. The only way was for them to make it slower in status. He looked around the area for something other than a policeman's Pokémon to use as a weapon. Then he saw a Pokémon store across the way.
"Mom, I have an idea."
"Red, I have another one. We stay here."
"But Mom, we have to-"
"No. I forbid you from doing anything to help. They can take care of themselves."
Meanwhile the Gyarados froze the Magnaton and knocked out Venusaur.
As he watched the others losing, Red got an idea. He turned to the rest of the crowd, crouched behind the long and narrow barricade. He knew policemen had no other Pokémon, and they were seriously outgunned. But what about the strangers behind him?
"Does anyone here have a-"
Mom tugged his sleeve down to where she crouched.
"Red! Stop interfering!"
He shook her grip off and asked again-
"Does anyone here have any Pokémon? Raise your hand, then."
Some raised their hands, but refused to come out and battle.
"Not battle, to weaken. I- We need to just weaken it to stop it. Who's with me?"
Then one of the men got a surge of bravery or something, because he immediately stood up, and with a "he's right! Let's go!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out an expanding Pokéball.
He launched out his butterfree, to Red's dissapointment. Then others joined in. There was a diglett, Fearow, electrode, another butterfree, persian and scyther. A weird mix, but it will do.
"Guys!" Red called out to them.
"Just distract him while you inflict status weakeners. Use your Butterfree's sleep and poison powders, Fearow's sand attacks, and the rest of you just keep its attention.
They nodded in unison and began their unified attack. Gyarados got over whelmed almost immediately; it didn't know which one to attack. Fearow got sand in its eyes while the Butterfree dived around it spreading blankets of powder. Electrode, Scyther and Persian attacked it from behind, joining the weak Vaporeon in overwhelming it even more.
Red got the attention of one of the other men watching the melee.
"There's a PokeMart on the other side. You'll find a Pokéball there to catch it!"
"Right," The man replied as he bolted to the other side, dodging the rubble that got in the way.
Red watched with anticipation as he went in and began racing back with a whole carton of them.
At first he thought he was being an idiot, but with a Pokémon that powerful, why take the chance?
Then he tripped on the rubble, scattering Pokeballs across the floor. In a frightened panic, Red leaped out to catch some that fell. In that same momentum, he called out to one of the trainers, in a blue shirt.
"Hey, BLUE SHIRT!!"
The man looked back to whoever called him.
Red raised his hand back, holding a fresh new Pokéball.
"Catch it with this!" He launced it as fast as he could towards him...and missed.
I have to work on that.
"Hurry!" Blue Shirt replied.
Red tried again, launching another one in a low arc into the other man's hands. He then launched it at the disoriented sea monster, touching it and setting off a chemical reaction only discovered within the past century.
A Pokémon has white, solid energy, and red energy, maleable and shapeless like water. Only when its red energy is exposed is when it can fit into a Pokéball.
Red saw as the monster's red form was exposed and pulled into the tiny, multi-colored ball.
And shook
And shook
And shook.
Then the whole crowd heard the satisfying clunk of the ball. It was all over.

It took a while for the dust to settle, and for everyone to realize that the coast was clear. The source of the chaos was now safely encased in a ball of re-enhanced steel, comprised of the most delicate wiring inside and the toughest berry-wood outside.
The trainers rushed back to the people behind the bariccades while the policemen called for medics and a messenger from the Pokémon center. As sirens wailed outside, the sealers were opened and the previously- trapped crowd was welcomed with applause and expressions of relief.
Red and his Mom were some of the last ones out of the plaza, which was immedately closed for repairs until further notice. Then the policemen that were coming out with them began to applaud for the two.
Then an interviewer raced over, her abra in tow.
"Tell us what it feels like to be a hero."
They weren't asking a policeman. They were asking Red.
He just stood there, clinging to his Mother like a child. "M-me?"
One of the policemen moved next to him, his Vaporeon rubbing against his leg.
"Your quick thinking saved us all. You're a hero!"
"I- I- Well I..." He turned back to the camera. He never imagined himself a hero. A Master, maybe. But not a hero.
"He won't be answering any comments today," his mother interrupted. "This boy has to go to school."
"School? Send that kid to the Academy already!" Someone called out.
Yet they still went on their way back home, carrying nothing with them but an experience they will never forget. It wouldn't be long before Red was in his red and white uniform with a bag of lunch, a bag full of books and a kiss on the forehead.
He was in the middle of a learning the science of Gemini, the planet's name, before he was called out to the headmaster's office.
Everyone had known about his encounter with the Gyarados, but no one thought it would get him in trouble. At least that's what he thought he was in since that was the reason most kids were called there. He rushed down the hallway, passing murals of Pokémon and messages of inspiration.
The light shimmering from the stained glass above his desk welcomed him before the Headmaster did.
"Ah, here he is. The hero! The boy of the hour!"
"Seems to be longer than an hour sir. I've been getting those praises all morning."- At least that's what he wanted to say.
He noticed another person in the room. He looked like a new teacher, with a fresh head of hair hair and shimmering eyes.
"Well, 'Red' Tajiri, this is Professor Samuel Oak. He is the Headmaster of the Pokémon Academy. Or at least he oversees it."
The man got up to shake the boy's hand.
"How do you do, young...Red. Is that what they call you?"
As shy as he was, he couldn't help but feel some pride. "Yep that's what they call me, Professor."
Professor Oak gave a look of admiration. He could feel that this boy was special while they all took seats around the main table in the room. He assumed it was because red was the color symbol of a Pokémon master. They could challenge any trainer and gain respect from any Pokémon in their possession.
"How very interesting."
The Headmaster interrupted Professor Oak's fascination with the proposal that seemed to take forever to get to.
"Professor Oak wants you to start training at his Academy in Pallet Town. After seeing your ability to manage a whole pack of Pokémon, let alone a whole group of people, he felt it would only be fit to see you train to utilize those delicate gifts. He will be willing to open up space for you. What do you say?"
Red looked up at the older men and for the second time that day, he was speechless.

It had been his dream since he knew what a Pokéball was. He might even venture to say that it was his destiny, but he knew his Mother. She'd say no if he had said something so ridiculous.
Yet she had been called into school and talked with him while her child was in class. The teacher was droning on about Gemini and how it was a Goldilocks planet (whatever Goldilocks was), while Red couldn't concentrate. He was one "yes" away from the school of his dreams, to the thing he had always dreamed of becoming.
He could see it now.
He was in the center of the stadium. Celadon Arena, in its full glory, with thousands of people in the stands glittering with camera flashes, making them seem like the night sky.
He was exhausted, weary and proud. He had just won a battle. It had been the shortest 2 hours of his life. His Pokémon were just as tired, but he felt a euphoria that could only come with a crowd chanting your name in a victorious roar. He screamed with relish, pumping his fists and standing in the center of the giant Pokéball that separated the two sides of the arena.
Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red! Red!
"... Because Gemini's measurements are similar to Earth's, that's why it's called a Goldilocks planet. The only thing that separates us from Earth is our radioactive core instead of a molten core. Any questions?"
Rats. I was hoping the intercom would call my name already.
He was told that his mother had left the office and that he were to stay in school- typical of his Mom- and would talk with his father about it before making a final decision.
So they were making a big deal about it....
The day flew faster than a pidgeot's quick attack, slow on the beginning and end but a blur in the middle. It was at the end, when Red was dropped off from the students march (where all of the students of a certain district would walk together to their houses. The school was near the edge of Celadon City, so it wasn't that long of a walk), he felt a little hesitant to walk through the door.
His hand levitated over the "open" button, as nervous as he was when he got back a mark on a hard test. This was going to either be the biggest change in his life or just another time his parents wouldn't understand him.
He was completely surprised with what came next.
The door slid open, revealing his small, comfortable home. It was a two story house, the lower level being a huge room, centered with a dinner table and surrounded by a small kitchen, a TV, two-piece couch and a map of Kanto posted next to the backyard door. At that table sat his Mother, cleaner than she was this morning, and his father, covered in coal dust from head to toe. And they were smiling from ear to ear. It was almost frightening.
"Hello, Red!"
"Hello, Mom...Father... What's going on?"
"Well, you'll be happy to know how important your education is to us..."
Red's face started turning white. Is this a joke?
"But who says education only has to happen at your school?"
The boy was too emotionally confused. "What do you mean-?"
"Well," Mom stood up and knelt down to her precious only son. She didn't want him to go, but...
"We decided that... You're going to become a Pokémon trainer!!"
She never saw him jump so high and pump his fists at Hitmonchan speed. She forgot for a second that she was losing him and just felt excited for what was to come for him.
The rest of the information for the Academy was sent to them the next day via pidgey, including clothes and books. Red was allowed to stay home, as he was to leave the next day.
"There aren't many books on the list," Mom said when she looked at it at the table during breakfast. Red was distracted, scratching the underside of the little bird's chin, to its delight.
"Red, do you know why you only need Pokémon Types for Beginners?"
Red turned back to her as he sent the Pidgey away. "Mom, there is only 1 class a day. The rest is training the Pokémon and battling them with other's."
She looked further into the envelope and fished out a white ribbon.
"What's this?"
He took it from her and gave a closer look. It looked like a military ribbon, attached to a pin and engraved with the Pokémon League official insignia: a sideways V with the top bent down.
He couldn't believe that this was happening. He was on his way to becoming a trailer- and so much earlier than he expected! The uniform was as simple as his school one, just in greater quantities; they warned that early trainers go through clothes very quickly when it comes to training themselves with a Pokémon.
Even though he knew everything there was to know about stats and battling, he didn't know what to expect when he was picked up by car and brought to the Academy, in the forest on the way to Vermillion City.


The car sped through the countryside, covered by a cloudless sky and the bright morning sun. Red never got to see the world speed by like this. The boy was glued to the window as he sat in the backseat, his duffel bags packed in the trunk of Professor Oak's sedan. He saw a flock of Spearow fly near the trees and could've sworn he saw a mankey climbing a tree as they passed through Vermillion City.

"We're almost there Red. Don't get too distracted."

He learned from his parents to reply with "Yes Sir."

"The first thing you will do is get your room number. After you bring your stuff into it, you will be given a small introduction of the school and be given your first primer."

"Excuse me Sir, but what's a primer?"

He could see the Professors bright blue eyes through the rearview mirror. "Your first Pokémon."

My first Pokémon?! He couldn't believe that he could be more excited than he was already.

The car slowed down near a patch of tall hedges and turned into an archway barely visible from the side. To Red's overwhelmed eyes, a huge palace opened up in front of him.

The beige stone, red roofs and blue tinted windows caught the sun's rays and glowed across the entire campus, covered with meticulously trimmed hedges and trees; some were even in shapes of majestic- looking Pokémon, like Arcanines, Tauros and Gyarados, in battle positions. The car hovered over the neatly swept dirt driveway as it parked right in front of the huge wooden doors, covered in shining gems that looked like colored pokeballs.

Red got out with the Professor as another person gathered his things and brought them in. He wasn't used to such service, as he was his mother's servant since he was able to lift a bag of groceries.

The lobby looked so pristine, with marble floors and white walls covered in abstract art and pictures of alumni mid-battle, lit by sun-lights reflecting off of a fancy chandelier. The secretary was covered by the big black countertop. The Professor was right behind him when he drew her attention away from the huge screen in front of her..

"Natasha, we have a new student. Mr. Satoshi Tajiri"

"Oh! Yes Professor. Mr. Tajiri from-?"

Red felt inclined to answer for her.

"Celadon City, maam."

Professor Oak lightly jabbed at him with his elbow.

"Red, only speak when spoken to at this institution." He sounded much sterner than before, taking Red completely off guard.

"You are in a Pokémon Academy, not just an ordinary school. We have rules here."

Red blushed in the face as he turned towards the ground. It was just he was so excited...

"I must leave now to take care of some other matters. From here on out, I'm not your friend, I'm your Headmaster. I do not mean that to sound threatening. I mean that in the way that you may visit me only on appointment. Do not seek out my favoritism. The only way you could do that is to become an extraordinary trainer. Any other flattery will not work. Try to cut any corners and you will fail. Training is the hardest part. The hours will be long. There will be times when you might want to give up. But that's where you could find the power inside. I hope you find yours, and I hope you catch my attention again."

He walked away from him into the room next to the secretary's desk, leaving Red alone for the first time in his life.

The noise from behind the desk snapped him out of his daze. She blazed across her keyboard, loudly typing words as she printed out papers and put a fancy looking red device into a bigger slot on the computer. A couple more beeps and bops were all that came from it and then stopped, sounding a ding and then coughing it up a few inches. Then she gave it to him with a packet and a small key.

"Here's your room key, instruction papers and your Pokédex. That device is irreplacable, so don't lose it. Please turn it on so that you can start your orientation. The room your in is occupied by a level black trainer, so try to learn from him as much as possible. It would be in the West Wing. Once you are settled, please make your way to the testing room down that hallway-" she pointed in the opposite direction- "where your academic level will be placed. Be on time to that. Dexter will tell you the rest."

As he turned towards the west wing, he asked- "Who's Dexter?"

She gave him a warm smile before returning to the screen. "That's the name of the voice on the Pokédex. Good luck!"

He slowly walked down the hall as he pressed the tiny power button on the red device. It popped open in his hands and vibrated to life.

"Hello _Satoshi_ Tajiri_ and welcome to the Pokémon Academy..."



.............................................................



The room was surrounded in pale white, with a texture that felt like the walls were crumbling apart. His bed was a simple wire frame, with a small mattress next to a metal cabinet. It was simple enough for Red to get used to, yet his mind was still focused on the little red box mechanically spewing out rules.

"...Leaving the grounds is forbidden, even to chase down a Pokémon. All permissions to leave are issued by the front desk only. Any more permissions to leave will be issued by Professor Oak... "

He didn't even bother to set himself up. He hastily put all of his bags on the cot and rushed back to the main desk. A booklet was waiting for him, weighed down by a small blue pen.

"Take this test in the first classroom on the left."

The woman was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even look up to see him; she just knew he was there in her peripheral vision.

"When you're done, use the top of the pen and face it to the answer bank. It will scan your answers and feed us the results. Then you will get your primer based on the results. Good luck."

He stared at the booklet, emblazoned with the green insignia above a Pokéball. This was it; the one thing separating him from his first Pokémon. He didn't even care that the classroom was even more boring than the ones he had back home. He was going to make the best impression he could. That meant acing this test.

The rules were simple. Keep looking down at the test, no talking out loud and no other means of cheating allowed. It was a performance test, where it was okay to get things wrong. But not for Red.

After turning the booklet over and removing the scantron-like answer bank, he began.

The whole test was multiple choice.

The first part was matching the Pokémon with its type. Piece of cake.

Next was matching the type to its weakness. Easy peasy.

Then choosing the correct order of Pokémon's sizes from biggest to smallest. Then which potion heals which ailment. Then which Pokémon can learn which HM moves.

Finally, it asked which method was utilized to train a Pokémon to avoid physical ailments like paralysis and sleep. He had no idea, yet he needed to find the best answer he could find. He felt a drop of sweat pass down his brow as he chose the best sounding answer.

To his amazement, when he pressed the button on the side of the pen, the top began to glow like a red police light. After locking onto the bar code scan on the top of the card, it prompted Red to scan the entire card, after which it told Red to return it to the main desk before shutting off.

As he put down the papers on the desk, he noticed another man by the desk, resting one hand on the desk and a cane in the other.

"Pardon me," He said through his rounded sunglasses. "You must be Satoshi."

Amidst all of the excitement, Red was hesitant to shake the man's outstretched hand. Yet as he did, the old man's grip was firm and strong, contrary to his weaker appearance. He looked to be the Professor's age, but with more obvious signs of aging.

"My name is Professor Blaine, of volcanic studies here on campus. I'm also the battlefield guide for new recruits. And yes, your primer will be waiting for you when we get back."

As the two of them left through an ornate glass door on the other side of the lobby, Red was welcomed by the afternoon sun and shouts of attack calls to Pokémon.

"Keep dodging those swipes, Raticate!"

"Hit 'em again with your flamethrower, growlithe!"

"Pidgey, wing attack!"

It sounded like a song he couldn't help but keep on repeat. Red loved the sound of battles, the pure energy that emanated from both competitors, the sparks between combatants. He was glad that he made it to this place so soon.

Yet as he stared in awe as the two of them walked through the battle-worn pastures, Professor Blaine had been reciting the rules:

" You can only battle in specific zones. That way you don't have to be challenged by older, more experienced trainers. If you are challenged by a more experienced trainer, and your Pokémon is healthy, you cannot back out of a battle. Taking the challenge with an unhealthy Pokémon would not only put your Pokémon at risk of permanent damage, but you risk your stay here as well...

"But don't worry. If a trainer fights a certain amount of battles without any experience level gains- and we know how many due to the numerous battle kiosks scattered around the premises-, they will be suspected of cheating and misusing the Pokémon academy grounds and be temporarily suspended while under investigation.

"To graduate this school requires their students to be a black level. To do so requires you to escalate from white to gray to black. A trainer must beat two directly above level trainers in the same battle ground one after the other- then that trainer will report to a battle kiosk for a new notch and the chance to recieve another Pokémon. Once grey level is reached, the trainer gains another Pokémon, this one a rare starter. Understand, Satoshi?"

The boy's attention was grabbed, but the first thing he could say was: "Red"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Red, Professor. That's my real name."

"Real name, huh? Then why is it Satoshi on the documents?"

"It's my legal name. But Red is the name I will be called when I reach the red level."

"Oh, so you do know most of the basics of trainerhood."

"I've loved it all my life Professor. Ever since I saw my first fight."

"Oh, I see. Which one was that?"

"Trevor Owens vs. Lance. Five years ago."

"Ahh, I remember that one well. I had the privilege of seeing it live."

"You were there?!? Oh, I can only imagine what that must have been like to be there!"

"I know. It's battles like those- and like the ones you see here- that keep my passion flowing..."

Red hadn't noticed that they were on their way back until he saw the glass doors again, glinting the sunlight into his eyes. He wished he had the Professor's sunglasses.

The secretary greeted them as they walked in and brought out a sphere from the lower desk. It was shining the colors of red and white, with an off-white lid that kept the energy inside that would become Red's first Pokémon.

"The Pokémon just arrived. It hasn't been waiting long. I hope it fits you well."

"Thank you Miss! See you later professor, and thank you."

The man held him from the back of the collar.

"Not so fast young man. I want to see the moment when a boy like you sees his own first Pokémon."

Red gazed at the ball with the utmost of joys. This was it. The beginning of his career as a trainer. The most coveted position one could get in the world. This was his start to becoming the best.

He tried his best not to imagine what was in there, but he couldn't help himself. Maybe a small Pokémon he would raise to become a giant. A bird that he would teach to fly. Or a tiny one that would take down giants and leave audiences with gaping jaws and trainers in the dust.

So as the sun was nearing the horizon, with battles going on in front of him, one of his new teachers by his side, he screamed the magic words to the heavens:

"Pokéball, GO!!"

And launched the ball in a high arc. The ball's internal circuitry sensed the change in outer velocity and opened on command. It burst open in a white cascade down to earth as it folded in on itself more and more.

Then grew.

And grew.

And grew until...

It was a huge blob of sleeping monster that didn't even notice it left the ball. A snorlax.

He tried to stay positive, but he couldn't help but drop his head while his left eye twitched involuntarily.


Snorlax, the sleeping Pokémon. Very lazy. Just eats and sleeps. As its rotund bulk builds, it becomes steadily more slothful.



...Well that doesn't help me.



He stared hopelessly at the Pokédex, theorizing that it must have been an idiot who must have given such a useless description. He bet that there probably were dozens of other entries that were made up by some stupid hackers who didn't know a jigglypuff from a clefairy.



He sighed as he leaned against the soft, heaving mass of his snorlax. Obviously it didn't go back into its ball. It wouldn't listen to a single thing he said. He even commanded it to rest and it still didn't listen.

He thought nothing would stop him from achieving his dream of building his Pokémon dream team. He never took into account the sleeping menaces that occasionally blocked roads and caused a shortage of apples after only one found the orchards outside of vermillion city (the metal vermillion is good fertilizer for the apples that grow on Gemini, hence why they were there).



The day was still young, the battle cries he loved just a while ago rang through his ears. He could only dream of the Pokémon he could have gotten as he vicariously trained other Pokémon that he saw nearby.

Then snorlax would fidget to find another position to sleep in and awake its trainer. He wanted to complain to the administration about their poor choice of Pokémon, but he was sure that it would fall onto deaf ears. Plus, it would be improper of such a trainer to complain about a Pokémon that he couldn't train as easily as they thought. Then he might complain about the next one... for being too easy to train or something.



But he could not give up now. Not because of this. With the action of other battles around him, he tried something he never thought he would do.

He found Snorlax's armpit and began to tickle it. His Mom did that to him when he didn't listen. He thought he would hear it wake up and groggily listen to its new master. Instead he felt the full force of a fury swipe, sending him flying across the field and tumbling down the hill.

He slowly walked back up and thought of a new strategy while pulling blades of grass out of his thick hair. He leapt up onto Snorlax's big belly and tried shaking its head. Maybe that would help somehow. The next thing he knew he was pulled down by Snorlax's other hand and flung down to the ground.



As he shook the dirt off of his new pants, he frustratingly looked to the sky. Snorlax was huge, almost a thousand pounds. Brute force won't help at all.



Then it shifted. To his surprise, it woke up and stood up in front of his master. Red thought he was going to cry out of happiness, but then he was pushed to the side and treated to the sight of his 1000 pound behemoth running down a hill at full speed.

As soon as he realized that Snorlax was running towards the kitchen, where they must have been preparing lunch, he thought:

Uh oh...

Snorlaxs aren't satisfied until they eat 900 pounds of food...

The school's lunch was going to be Snorlax's snack if he didn't do something.



He bolted after his Pokémon. He was known to be a fast runner, so being that Snorlax's speed was 30, it was easily overtaken by its scrawnier master.



Other trainers were noticing too. One of which knew exactly where the Pokémon was going. He stood in front of the kitchen door, Pokéball in hand at the ready.

"RAY! What are you doing?!" Another trainer exclaimed.

Other trainers were too scared of the charging beast. Red stared incredulously at the other boy as Ray stood there, "valiantly" blocking the way.



That trainer was going to challenge a starving snorlax? Was he out of his mind?!

Luckily he made it to the other trainer before Snorlax was even close.

"Kid, is that your Pokémon?"

Red was gasping for air as he stood directly in front of him. He barely made it past the top of Ray's chest.

"Please... don't ... fight it. It's mine... I got this..."

"No you definitely don't! That thing is unstoppable. I got this! Pikachu, GO!"

He let loose the ball and out popped a white blob that morphed into a yellow mouse, with bright red cheeks and a brown tail. The snorlax stopped in its tracks as it stared down at the little mouse, electricity coursing around its body, generated from its cheeks.

"STOP!! Don't hurt it!" Red stood in front of his Pokémon, hugging it behind his back.

"It didn't do anything wrong! Please stop!"

Ray sighed. This kid wasn't going to make it any easier, was he?

"Pikachu-!"

"NO! DON'T!!"

"Thundershock that snorlax!!"

In the seconds before pikachu was charged up, Red felt an arm grab his shirt and toss him away. He landed safely on the grass before his beloved Pokémon was hit full force with a massive thundershock.

Some first day, he thought as he lay in wait at the pokecenter, hoping to hear some good news about his new Pokémon.


He left the center with his Pokémon safely tucked away in its ball, a note attached to it:

Status report: Health level at 1%, paralyzed, suffering from electric shock and convulsions.

Treatment: Full restore, rest, electric convertor for skin electricity removal.

After which: Pokémon at 100%, ready for trainer

Notes for trainer: Please take better care of your Pokémon.

Better care? How on Gemini was he supposed to take better care of it if he couldn't command it to do anything?

He slumped forward over his food tray. He wasn't even hungry as he stared at his Pokéball, rolling it around gently with his index finger. It had only been his first day, yet the teenage nurse didn't let him forget that. She had never seen a trainer come in so fast for injuries to their Pokémon. She didn't even mention the injuries to the trainers, though. That seemed to be glossed over.

As he heard the bell ring, he noticed a massive rush towards the door, as if the trainers needed to go somewhere. He decided to ask a girl with fiery red hair what was going on. She beckoned him to follow her, as she was walking double time to the exit.

"It's called the Tauros Rush. All of the younger trainers want to leave so they don't get challenged by the higher level trainers that wait at the door. Easiest way to get battles while the Pokémon are generally very healthy and the trainers are still in a relaxed state."

"Oh."

"Speaking of which, we just passed through the exit. I challenge you, newbie!"

It took a second for those words to sink in. He was through the exit as she said that. She tricked him! Now he had to battle... with a stubborn snorlax.

Suddenly he heard another trainer call to him. He looked much bigger than either of them, with a towel around his neck like he just went on a run.

"Hey kid! I challenge you to a battle!"

The girl turned back to the other trainer with a stern look and a deep fire in her eyes.

"Back off, Anthony! He's mine, you jock!"

"Fine! I hope you lose to him, Delia! Can't wait to hear about that."

She rolled her eyes at the jock as she motioned Red to the nearest battlefield, which was a good five minutes away.

As they walked, they introduced each other.

"Red Tajiri. From Celadon City. Wanted to be a trainer for as long as I can remember."

"Delia Hirota. From Pallet Town. Wanted to be a trainer for longer than you. Why's your name Red?"

"Because it's the highest level of trainerhood and I want to reach it. Why's your name Delia?"

"It was my grandmother's"

That was it, until they reached the battlefield. It was a rocky terrain with large boulders peaking out from random places on the field.

"Good luck Red! I hope you have what it takes."

"You too Delia..."

She didn't waste any more time. This was to train her little Pokémon to face anything it could. She tiled the rim of her hat behind her head, pulled out her Pokéball and launched it towards the center of the battlefield. It burst open upon impact with the ground and the tiny ball of white energy folded and grew into a plant Pokémon that reached Red's knees; a Bellsprout.

That?! This trainer's best Pokémon is a BELLSPROUT? Even if I can't command my Snorlax, it should easily overtake that little bell plant with vines for limbs.

He relaxed a bit as he gripped the ball in his hand. Yet he still was hesitant to throw the ball. After all, this was still his first ever Pokémon match. His snorlax's white energy seemed to ooze out of the ball as it lay on it's back, oblivious to what was happening.

"Bellsprout, vine whip!"

As soon as she instructed it, it tilted it's head back and blasted out a barrage of vines at snorlax. He didn't even notice that they were smacking him across his body.

"Snorlax, get rid of the vines!"

No response.

"Bellsprout, try to tackle it like I taught you!"

The little plant rammed the beast head-on, pissing it off. It ricocheted right off of its tough skin as Snorlax immediately stood up and rushed Bellsprout!

"Oh shoot! Dodge it, Bellsprout! Red, what's happening?!"

"I HAVE NO IDEA! Snorlax, snap out of it!"

Nothing stopped it from lunging at the thing that disturbed his slumber.

But Delia knew what to do. She had taught it what to do in a situation like this. It was popular for newbies with large, inexperienced Pokémon to try to rush the other side every time.

"Bellsprout, that's enough dodging! Vine whip that monster up!"

The little Pokémon turned from a little sprout into a twirling chaos of vines, whipping up and smacking snorlax all over the place, eventually bringing it down in a tangle of vines, wrapping it up in a painful mess.

As the poor monster struggled against the growing mass of vines, Bellsprout stood on top of it with a look in its eyes that awed Red.

"Now, Bellsprout! Finish it!"

It nodded at it's trainer as its vines tightened even further

"WRAP ATTACK!"

Red stared in helplessness as his snorlax struggled against the vines until it was too exhausted to fight against it. It fainted in the cluster of vines while Bellsprout stood on top of it, the puny Pokémon triumphantly checking to make sure the behemoth didn't fake it.

He lost...

He actually lost...

The second time in one day, the first battle he ever had.

For a split second, he felt the guilt and shame that comes with any loss, with any step backwards, with any attempt at doing something right backfiring in his face. That was, until he saw a bigger figure tower over his crouching body.

"Nice match, Red. You have a lot of work to do. Want to be friends?"

He looked up at her with watery eyes as he saw her hand stretched towards him. She wants to be friends... with me?

He didn't let that opportunity pass on. He shook it as she surprisingly pulled him up.

"Good. My friends never give up, ever. Now go to the Pokémon center and get back to training. Bellsprout, return!"

Her Pokémon disappeared in a blast of red energy into the Pokéball as she ran off to challenge another with the vigor of a champion.

Night came soon after he left the Pokémon center, as there was a long line for trainers to get their Pokémon healed. The curfew bell rang out, signaling the end of Red's most embarrassing first day ever. Even at only 8 years old, he never felt this bad. The blood never flowed away from his cheeks as he dragged his feet to his dorm room. He was so upset about his first day, he even forgot to miss home.

Speaking of forgetting... He forgot who his roommate was. He had been so rushed to start that he didn't even see the bed across the room from his own.

That question was answered as soon as he heard a mouse squeaking loudly on the floor and the command "Pikachu, get over here. The new roomy's coming in," rang out in a familiar voice.

He remembered seeing him before, except he was staring down his own Pokémon with those dark brown eyes half covered by his thick black hair. His red and white hat, with the league insignia on it, sat on his night table, the only color on the steel furniture.

Is that the one who attacked my Snorlax before??

As he walked in, he saw the yellow mouse, as big as his forearm, curled up like a cat on the boy's bed.

"Hey there. Wait a minute- Weren't you the boy with the Snorlax?"

He froze in panic. The last time they saw each other, Ray had been scolding him to get his Pokémon under control. Now, after the second time bringing his Snorlax to the Center, he didn't want to have to face the boy that sent him there in the first place. But he had to.

"Yeah...It was me. I'm sorry."

But what happened next surprised little Red.

"It's okay. Trainers have that problem all of the time. Take my pikachu for example."

The moment it heard it's name, it perked up with it's ears pointed upwards.

"It would shock anyone else that touched it. I even had to keep it inside the ball at all times at one point. Now..."

He reached over towards the giant mouse and scratched behind the ears. It squeaked in delight as Ray found a sweet spot.

"It's a cutie pie. Anyone can touch it."

Almost on cue, the mouse, looking more like a yellow chinchilla than a mouse, leapt off of the bed and rubbed itself on Red's dirty pant legs.

I know that it's your first day, but don't worry, kid. It doesn't happen overnight. All Pokémon need their own special training, Red."

Red put his knapsack down and rested on his bare mattress, letting a sigh of exhaustion creep out of his lungs. It had been too long of a day just to get another lesson learned. He was so done with the day that he shook that unneeded advice off with a cynical retort.

"But that's only with your pikachu's defensive habits. They are known for being afraid of anyone but their trainers, or even them too. That doesn't change anything. How on Gemini am I going to train a Pokémon who's bad habit is sleeping?!"

He never even realized that he had stood up, his Pokéball clenched in his right hand as if it leapt out of his pocket. Even Pikachu could sense that something was wrong as it jumped back onto Ray's bed in alarm. He sat there with a calm look on his face, with a silent empathy that only comes with getting older.

Red then turned around and set up his bed as best as he could remember from home.

Then it hit him. He was not home. He wasn't going back. He wasn't going to see his parents again, at least not for a while.

This isn't camp. This isn't a school trip. He wasn't going to be going home. He was staying here, alone, on his own...

He couldn't set up the bed right... He forgot his Mother's instructions on how to make the bed...

He was all alone... His Mom wasn't here...His Dad wasn't here...He wasn't home... His mom wasn't here...

"Red, here. Let me get this. Pikachu, keep him busy."

He lightly pushed Red away from where his tears moistened the floor and took care of the fitted sheet. As Pikachu leapt up into the little boys arms, Ray cursed the day those stupid sheets were invented. Sooner or later, the bedding was finished and Red was beckoned back. By that time, he had been feeling better after snuggling with the living pillow like he did when he was younger. Even at seven, he wasn't that mature.

As the moon graced the sky and lit up the training fields outside, the academy called the lights out and shut off all of the dormitory lights. And little Red, with a Pikachu curled up on one side and his first Pokémon on the other, dreamed not of home but of what was to come.




Morning graced Kanto with a golden shine of the sun and a slight rustling of the trees. The wind picked up the sand from the rocky terrain and spread it over the tall grasses and border fences. The small bugs and pidgeys convened onto the grassy knolls for breakfast as the country began to wake up. The Academy, however, ran on a tighter schedule.

At exactly 6:15, three dodrio raced out of their pens, their high pitched shrieking piercing the hillside academy and shook every trainer awake. Even some Pokémon jumped out of their balls in alarm. Soon afterward Professor Oak flipped a switch and a more normal revile reassured the rest of them that it was no emergency.





But not everyone was sleeping. Red had not been able to sleep once the light fell on his face, 30 minutes earlier. So he sat in the main lobby of the dorm, the same one he entered a few days ago and pondered what he was going to do next. He had learned the basic type advantage systems, but his own Pokémon, a normal type, barely had any effective strategic advantage. He then tried every possible way to get Snorlax to do any moves, let alone even move when it wasn't hungry.

He called his mom yesterday and asked how things were. She had squeezed out every aspect she could about how he liked the place, who his roommate was, if he was nice, what Pokémon he had now.

She gave some advice that went in one ear and out the other. Normally he would cling to every word she said, but after so much disappointment in one day, his eyes glazed over and his hair fell in depressed clumps down his face. His mother, somehow always alert even at night, had caught on his feelings.

"Satoshi my sweet, what's wrong? You don't sound so excited to be there."

He slumped over the monitor, letting his face switch from sadness to confusion to frustration...

"I know, I know. It's just that, well, my Pokémon isn't helping me like others' do."

She moved in closer to the monitor, her hand folded across the table, the other holding the receiver tightly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my Snorlax doesn't listen to my calls during training. All of the other trainers have Pokémon that listen to them, and they're winning matches and stuff!"

"Well, that sounds tough."

"I know. And do you know how long they have had their Pokémon?"

"How long have they had their Pokémon, Red?"

"Only a few months! I have no chance if this keeps up."

"Why so?"

"Well, because who knows if it will just keep ignoring me over the next few months. Then I'll have to fight someone and lose and it will be so humiliating because... well because I suck at training!"

He turned to his Mother with moistened eyes. His mother returned with a stern look unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

"Satoshi Tajiri! I will not have you act out in this way! Sit up!"

He immediately sat up.

"Now, stop thinking like that. Think about what you're going to do next! What will that be?"

"Try...Try to find a weak Pokémon with a bad trainer."

She shook her head slowly.

"No, no. That is not how a trainer gets any better. You must find a better way to train your Snorlax. I don't care about how much it sleeps or eats, there must be a way to train it."

His eyes widened as she finished that sentence.

"Say that last phrase again."

"I said, I don't care how much that Pokémon eats, it can be trained."

"Mom... when it ran as fast as me, it had been towards food. Maybe..."

His Mom caught onto his logic.

"If you use food as a reward, it will listen!"

"MOM! THAT'S IT! THANKS!"

He even kissed the receiver before hanging up the phone.

It was that morning that he had planned the whole operation out. The moment the guard unlocked the gates, Red was first out the door to the nearest fruit tree and up the trunk before the first match began. Using his knapsack, he gathered as many apple-like fruits as his sack could carry.

Snorlax awoke to a stubborn trainer holding its favorite fruits in his tiny hands.

"Snorlax, this will be how it goes. I reward you for every action I command you."

The confidence filled his lungs as he juggled the apple in his hand, before finding his hand empty and a massive monster towering over him licking its chops.

"Okay...Let's try that again. Arm up." He motioned with his arm what to do. Snorlax stood there with its head tilted in misunderstanding.

"Arm up." He hoped that Snorlax copied him sooner or later.

Snorlax tilted its head the other way before lifting its own arm like Red was. Soon afterwards an apple was tossed towards its mouth, disappearing in a crunch. The monster looked down with a smile, as if it solved a difficult puzzle.

"Arms up." Now it listened immediately, as it followed Red's commands and lifted both arms up high, only to catch another apple.

Red couldn't believe this was working. So he tried one other approach.

"Arms up." This time he didn't motion himself.

The monster didn't move. Only after Red moved himself did Snorlax lift its hands and greet another apple to its mouth.

Red's Pokémon became his mirror, copying his every move. By the time lunch came around, they had shaken the ground with jumping jacks, been told to stop doing those, shared a laugh after that, stretched their arms and legs and swung their hands like vines, all while Snorlax ate a constant barrage of apples rewarded to him.

Professor Oak found his office shake every so often that morning and afternoon, after asking the lady at the lobby what the commotion was about. She answered that it was an unusually large Pokémon being trained near the apple orchard.

"Ah, it's a nice day outside, so I guess I'll go see what the commotion is about."

He traveled across the grassy plains and sandy piles to find a massive Pokémon taking orders from a tiny trainer. Now it was jumping on one foot, a hand on its nose and another in the air while its trainer did the same. For a second, he nodded his head in approval, surprised that a trainer could do such a feat. Then he noticed that it wasn't just any trainer; it was RED. The boy who stopped a Gyarados just by his wits and a Pokéball. Now he could make a Snorlax do jumping jacks on the condition of having an apple waiting for him.

"Red Tajiri, I am very impressed young man."

The young trainer turned towards him, his hair soaked with sweat and his shirt plastered to his body. He hadn't even eaten lunch yet and he had been training since early that morning non-stop.

"The only problem is how jumping jacks will help your Snorlax."

Red smirked at his mentor, "Easy. Like this!"

He swiped his hands wildly. "Double Edge!"

Snorlax whipped its hands faster than the naked eye.

"Headbutt!"

It took the pose of a battering ram and lunged towards his trainer.

"Body Slam!"

The massive hulk of Pokémon turned and lunged two feet horizontally before crashing down on the ground unharmed.

"Good. Now, use Rest. You deserve it."

The Snorlax gladly collapsed on its back to resume its usual behavior.

Professor Oak never saw a trainer teach a Pokémon a move set like that without using TMs. Body slam isn't able to be learned by Snorlax until level 35...

Within 1 day, Red had gotten a Snorlax under control and taught it 3 vital moves. But that only sparked another boy's curiosity even further.

No one bothered the training duo, as Snorlax looked too menacing to be challenged, yet one trainer decided to cool down the waters.

A boy decked out in a blue vest and brand new sneakers rushed towards his Grandpa and the protege, ready to show him what a real trainer looked like.


Blue stormed up the hill in a confident stride, his hat tilted sideways and brushed an air of arrogance Red learned to hate immediately. He strut up to Red's face, eyes flicking up and down.

"Gramps, why do you even bother with these smuts? They never amount to anything anyway."

These SMUTS?!

Red didn't care that Blue was older than him. He didn't care that he threw wild punches at him, without any thought or strategy. He just wanted him to-

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"Hah. No. Get off of me you smelly twerp!"

He pushed the younger boy down, sending him head over heels down the hill into a humiliating heap on the ground. All he heard was the older boy laughing condescendingly on the top.

Tears wet his face as he gathered himself up and charged again, only to be stopped by a strong grip.

"Red, m'boy! Stop this nonsense!"

Professor Blaine rushed in to stop the fighting, while Oak stood away from the fight, his hands forcefully in his pockets.

He faced this as long as he could remember but that word, "smut", triggered an animalistic response unlike anything he could ever do. Sobs leaked out of his mouth as Blaine crouched down to his level.

"You think this is the proper way to fight?! Get up and teach him a lesson. Use the Snorlax you've been training. Show him what it's like to face Red Tajiri!"

He looked up again and let the words resonate within him. If he was going to fight, he would do it his way. He calmly walked up to Blue and challenged him to a match.

"You're challenging ME?! Hah! Yeah right! I dare you to try and face me."

Red let his Pokémon do the rest of the talking. Snorlax burst out of the Pokéball in a sleeping heap.

Blue laughed as he let loose his own single Pokémon, a yellow and brown hedgehog with enormous spines and a sharp snout- a sandslash.

Blaine and Oak sat on the sideline as the two combatants faced each other. In these smaller battles, there are no referees. Someone just needs to announce the battle beginning and ending. Red did the honors.

"Let's get this battle started."

TO BE CONTINUED