Maybe, Maybe not

With a heavy heart, you resign yourself to your fate. The two of you are going to be Rattata dinner. It seems so cruel for it to end this way. Your career was promising, and you were looking forward to becoming a Pokémon master. You'd never see Blue again, never eat your mom's pancakes again. You'd never even see your home again. But worst of all is that your Charmander would die. He was one of your closest friends, despite only being with you for a day. And it's your fault that he's going to die. If you hadn't chosen him, if you had chosen Squirtle, he would be alive.

Wait, you can still save him. You recall Charmander as he looks at you shocked, betrayal in his eyes. He was ready to fight to the end, ready to die alongside you, and you took that from him. You hope he can find it in his lizard heart to forgive you. Hopefully whoever takes his Pokéball off your corpse is a good person.

A single tear rolls down your face as the swarm overtakes you. The Rattatas climb onto your back, nipping at your skin, and you can hear Skye screaming for help. You fall under the weight of dozens of overgrown rats with a finalizing thud.

You can hear nothing but the chittering of hundreds of Rattatas, and your body is set aflame as they start to tear at you.

So, it ends.

Memories of home flash through your mind.

Your father hugging you one last time as he makes his way to Mt. Moon,

Your mother pushing your 3-year-old self on a swing,

Your parents holding you as a toddler while you suck on a little Horsea pacifier,

Meeting Blue for the first time,

Your first time riding Kingdra on the ocean,

Your first time flying in the claws of a Charizard,

The sound of a flock of Fearows,

"SCREEEEEE!"

The very loud sound of a flock of Fearows,

"SCREE!"

Wait, this isn't a memory...

"SCREEEEEEE! SCREEEEEE!"

"The Fearows... The Fearows are coming!" You hear Skye yell, and the swarm scatters in fear. You can hear the flapping of wings as the Fearow flock flies overhead, scaring off your attackers. They run in terror, fleeing from the fearsome predators. A Fearow could eat a dozen Rattatas and still be hungry for more, and these Rattatas knew it.

"Run!" You hear a voice yell, and you wearily make it to your feet. Skye stands up beside you, and the two of you drag your way into the gate past a couple of armed guards. The gate slams shut, and both of you collapse, exhausted from the near-**** experience.

"Holy shit, you guys are alive!" One of the guards says, crouching down in front of you. He starts to tend to your torn-up back, and you can see a female guard doing the same to Skye. She reaches out for you, and you take her hand in your own. Skye smiles at you tiredly, squeezing your hand to reassure you, and you squeeze back. Her hand is incredibly soft, softer than Blue's. The two of you are then carried over to a medic tent and patched up with bandages and healing spray. Medical technology had come a long way since your parent's time, and in less than a day your back would be good as new. A decorated officer enters the medic tent and looks at the two of you sternly. You sit up automatically, something in his demeanor demanding respect, and Skye does the same in the next bed. At some point, they gave her better clothes, and she's now dressed in a white tank top and some cargo pants. Her long blonde hair is in a ponytail that goes halfway down her back, and her brown eyes are anxious as she takes in the furious officer.

"What were you two doing out there this late? Don't you know that you have to be in city limits by nightfall?" He barks, and both of you wilt under his blistering glare.

"That was irresponsible, and you're both very lucky that she has a voice that can shatter glass. You could have died because of your recklessness! Now tell me! What was so important that you just had to be out there?!"

"I was on my way from Pallet town, and I saw her get into a battle with a smurf. I helped her afterward, and then we ran into a scientist, and that really slowed down our travel." You say nervously. Skye nods in agreement, equally nervous. The officer sighs and rubs his forehead.

"Did the two of you run into a Dr. Johnathan Scorchfield by any chance?" He asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, that's the scientist! He healed our Pokémon!" Skye says.

"God dammit, Johnny." You hear him mutter under his breath.

"Okay, I'll forget it just this once. Don't make me save you again. Now get out of my sight!" He barks, and you both scramble off the beds and speed-walk out of the tent, feeling his glare burning a hole in your backs. You collect your bags with your Pokémon in the front office, and after checking to make sure that both Rattata and Charmander's Pokéballs are secure, you leave and finally enter Viridian city. Skye gently wraps your hand around her own and starts to lead you into the city.