To Viridian City

Chapter V - Route 1

About an hour goes by in Professor Oak's lab. You made the mistake of asking a couple questions which led him to lecture you for way longer than you would have liked. And then he went on for a further half hour, telling how someone had broken into his lab and stolen a Pokémon from his collection. You couldn't take anymore. Noticing Blue took off a while ago, you figure you should too. After many attempts to end the conversation between Oak and yourself, you finally step out the into the edge of Pallet Town.

The sun was barely visible as it sank under the hill in the distance. The sky was painted a beautiful orange and red as dusk settled. You take Squirtle out fo your arms, put it on the ground and take out its Pokéball. You point it towards Squirtle and order it to return. A beam of red light erupts from the center and engulfs Squirtle before returning to the ball. You clip Squirtle's ball on your bag strap and head towards the Pallet Town exit.

Route 1 wasn't the largest route in Kanto, however, it seemed to drag on for a while. You feel your now heavy eyes start to droop as you try to keep them open. Night had settled and it made navigating the maze that was Route 1 much more difficult than if it were light. A rustling of bushes and yelling catches your attention. Now more awake than you were, you hide behind the trunk of a large tree to see a young boy commanding his Pidgey to tackle a small Rattata. This battle doesn't last long, his Pidgey was clearly a higher level than the opponent. Just as the Rattata was about to collapse, the young boy threw a Pokéball at the almost fainted Pokémon to catch it. The boy stared in anticipation as the ball shook from side to side. What was merely seconds seemed like hours. The ball eventually glowed a warm amber and confirmed the catch. The boy grinned and praised his trusted companion before returning it to its ball.

"That was amazing." You congratulate the boy for surprisingly holding his own. The boy smirks, clearly, he was proud that he impressed you. "Hey, don't suppose you know the way to Viridian City?" You ask. The grin soon cleared from his face.

"I might do." He spat, smugly. "But it'll cost ya'." The grin reappeared instantly. You were a little concerned at the boys asking price, he was a kid so it couldn't be that bad right?

"Alright what do you want?" You ask, intrigued.

"A battle, I see you have a Pokémon there." He nods his head towards your bag where Squritle's ball lay idle. You shrug your shoulders.

"Okay, one on one, winner pays $100." You offer you terms.

"Not risky enough for my liking." The boy kept his smug tone. "If we're going to do this, we need to raise the stakes."

"What did you have in mind?" You ask, now getting tired of the kid's games.

"If you win, I'll give you $200 and the directions to Viridian City." His grin widens as if he had something horrible planned. "But if I win, you pay me $200 and I get to see under there." He chuckles to himself, pointing towards your skirt. You're shocked that a kid could have such perverse thoughts.

"What? No, that's disgusting you creep." You yell, now you're done. Despite you not being the confrontational type, this kid had really pissed you off. You were tempted to beat the directions out of him.

"Kay." He said rather cheerfully. "Have fun getting lost." He began to walk away. You were almost glad that was leaving until a thought crossed your mind. How hard could it be? Squirtle is way stronger than some Pidgey. You see the kid getting further and further away. You need to decide fast...