Chapter 23

Professor Oak’s screams echoed throughout the hallway of the Pokécenter in the early morning, as it woke all the guests up. Redwald, Greta and Eusine, who were sharing the same room, looked at each other in the eye in shock, and quickly took their jackets on to leave the room and find Professor Oak.

Professor Oak was digging his backpack in the hallway and still screaming as if the world had come to an end. He kept pushing three Poké Balls, but there was no sign of any Pokémon. Quickly, Redwald, Greta and Eusine gathered around Professor Oak. Blake and Fennel arrived after seconds. They attempted to calm Professor Oak down and get to know what happened, but Professor Oak was out of control, so that, all he could do was scream more and more…

“I know what to do. Keep him safe for a minute or two!” Fennel said before she ran away. While Greta and Blake tried to calm Professor Oak down desperately, Redwald and Eusine could only apologise other people who kept appearing before the doors unpleasantly and implied that they would prefer silence in this early hour of the morning. Soon later, Fennel and the nurse of the Pokécenter appeared on the hallway. Fennel was holding a glass. She brought the glass closer to Professor Oak. Once Professor Oak received the very weak smell, he stopped screaming with no sense.

“I knew this would be the solution.” Fennel said. “A glass of hot wine is always what Professor needs in times such this.” Then, she thanked the nurse for providing hot wine in such short time, and focused on Professor Oak.

“Professor, please tell us what happened.” Fennel said. Professor Oak took a slip from the wine. “Well…” He said. “I am not quite sure what happened, but I believe, the three Pokémon we brought, Fennel, have escaped.”

“What?!” Fennel responded. She was as surprised as Professor was. But she did not scream like he did. “But, how?” Fennel asked. “How could you let them escape, Professor?”

“I didn’t!” Professor responded, angrily. “They were with me and just fine last night during the dinner. I thought I called them back in their Poké Balls, but apparently, I didn’t.”

“And you know how they get sassy and spoiled when you leave the three together, Professor…” Fennel said sadly. She knew the trouble was ahead.

“They must have escaped from Pokécenter already.” Professor said. “We have to make up a plan and start searching for them right away!”

“Wait!” Blake said. He seemed quite unpleasant with himself. “Will somebody explain me what is going on here?” He asked, arrogantly staring at the floor.

Fennel knew they owed an explanation to everyone. But she also knew they were running out of the time, every time a second passes. “Follow me.” She said. “I will explain you on the way.”

She started to walk through the hallway. Professor Oak, Redwald, Greta, Eusine and Blake followed her right behind. The nurse also fell behind.

“Professor Oak is invited to a conference in Pewter City, as you already know. Tomorrow, he is supposed to introduce the official Kanto region starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle to the attenders. He is prepared to talk over it, what are the good and bad uses of those species, et cetera. However, the three we have at the moment are just impish. Very impish, actually. Once you leave the three together alone, they will mess up your house or escape to play hide and seek.”

“Normally, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Professor and I, with the help of Clefable, would search them in the backyard of the laboratory, and find the Pokémon eventually. But they are stranger to the big cities like Pewter. They won’t know what to do, or how to react to all the strangers out there. They might be in a serious danger at this point, which is why Professor Oak lost his control and freaked out.”

“It’s okay, mum.” Redwald responded. “All of us are here to help. We will find all the three Pokémon no matter what before it’s too late.”

Fennel, despite of walking too fast to rush, stopped and turned his back to look at his son. She had a proud smile on her face. “You are really meant for this journey, Red. Thank you.”

A long, rectangle table in a meeting room was big enough to let everyone sit around it. The nurse stated that the room would be used for important meetings concerning the city and the city hall. Professor Oak could use it as he wished to fix the problem. However, because he was frustrated, Fennel decided to take over the control. She checked everyone in the room. Along with her, Professor Oak, their three students Redwald, Blake and Greta, as well as Eusine and the nurse were there to help.

“Let’s see…” Fennel said. “Bulbasaur. Due to her typing and nature, Bulbasaur loves the authentic places. If she freaked out, her first direction would be anywhere with lots of plants and trees. Nurse, can you think of anywhere close by?”

The nurse nodded her head without giving a second thought to Fennel’s question. “Of course. She must have headed towards Pewter Jungle. She must be somewhere in there.” She said. “It may be not safe for a naïve Pokémon like her. There are dangerous Pokémon out there.”

“No problem!” Eusine responded. “Greta and I are going there to rescue Bulbasaur. Professor, if you lend me her Poké Ball, I promise you to bring her safe and sound.”

His determination surprised everyone, but especially Greta. If she considered splitting in groups of two, she would consider Eusine willing to do it with Redwald, considering they were in a great sync since the beginning of their special training for Pewter gym battle. All of a sudden, why did he decide to go there with her, instead?

Professor Oak handed Bulbasaur’s Poké Ball over Eusine. “Thank you, Eusine.” Professor said. He had a tired, kind smile on his face. The wine calmed him down enough to handle the situation, Eusine thought. Greta brought her Metapod from her room and gave it to the nurse, asked her to take good care of her while she was gone. Knowing the dawn was still a couple of hours ahead, Eusine and Greta rushed outside to find the Pokémon in Pallet Jungle, in the darkness of the still going on night.

“As for Squirtle… Of course, his first option would be the most obvious one, anywhere with lots of water. But as far as I know, Pewter City has neither a lake, nor a sea, or anything resembles those things, am I right nurse?” Fennel was thinking through.

“You are right, Assistant.” The nurse answered.

“In this case, Squirtle is most definitely in the city. He is probably enjoying himself near a fountain, if not freaked out. But I am confident about it. Squirtle is the most careless and joyful one. It is extremely hard to intimidate such Pokémon as Squirtle.”

“I have a city map.” Blake said calmly. “I can spot all the fountains and alike in the city, and check on each one of them until I get Squirtle. I also have my Spearow to help me out.”

“That sounds good, Blake. Thank you.” Fennel said. Professor Oak stood up and stated that he wanted to go along with him. “I am with you, Blake.”

“Grandfather, you should sit and relax.” Blake said. “You aren’t feeling well, and it is not safe to have you around at the time.”

“That’s absolutely unacceptable to be rejected on rescuing the Pokémon that I am in charge of.” Professor Oak responded. He was insistent on helping out. Blake gave in quickly, accepted his offer and took him with him before they left the Pokécenter.

“As for us, Red, it is up to us to find Charmander.” Fennel said.

“Do you know where he could be?” Redwald asked. Fennel was already sure about it. “Yes. Anywhere high.” She said.

Fennel and Redwald changed their outfits quickly, got prepared to rescue the Pokémon and left the Pokécenter in a rush. The outside was still dark, but the sun was not too far away. The nurse shouted out behind them and wished a good luck for everyone.

“What do you mean by high, mum?” Redwald asked, while they were still running. Fennel did not slow down, as she knew how serious the situation could get if they got too late to rescue the Pokémon. “Long story short, Charmander has a desire to fly, Red.” She said. “It is in his genes. He can’t help it, we can’t help it.”

“In that case, where are we heading to?” Redwald asked. Fennel showed the longest building to Redwald, which could be spotted from any point of the city. “To the Clock Tower.” Fennel said.

While they were running, Redwald realized how silent and calm the streets were, as everyone was sleeping. When they arrived in the city or they left the city to train in the jungle, Redwald never thought of imagining the city with no people. Now, seeing the city like that made Redwald a bit depressed. It felt like they were living in a place, where used to be very popular, but now no one lived.

Fennel turned from the corner and followed the stone sidewalk. She was about to be short of breath, but she did not care. She felt responsible for everything with a very good reason.

“This morning, I was talking to Professor Oak in the laboratory. I thought the trio were asleep, but apparently at least Charmander wasn’t.” Fennel said. “We were talking over how exciting experiment it would be for them to see a modern city for the first time in their lives. There, I brought up the possible danger for Charmander. He tends to go up high places and jump off. He injured himself seriously before, but we are watching him closely to prevent any further injure. There, I mentioned the Clock Tower. Not only in Pewter City, but Clock Tower is one of the highest buildings in the whole Kanto. For a Pokémon like Charmander, it was not too hard to climb it up to top of it here. Charmander must have heard me. As soon as they got here, I am sure that Charmander looked over a chance to escape from the Pokécenter and find the building, which is not hard at all. You can literally see it from any point in the city.”

“Don’t worry, mum!” Redwald responded. “He will be alright. We just have to get there as soon as possible.”

“I hope so, Red.” Fennel said. The two kept running until they got there. After turning from another corner, they encountered a slope. They walked up the way and eventually arrived where the Clock Tower was standing.

“Charmander!” Fennel shouted out before she took a deep breath. She was exhausted until she made it all the way up there. But when she checked Redwald, she saw his son was just fine. “The adventure is working good for you.” She said. “You are fit.”

Redwald knew they could not waste any more time. He reached to his Poké Ball and called Pidgey out of it. “Come out, Pidgey!” He said, as he pushed the button on it. Pidgey appeared floating in the air.

“Pidgey, there is a Pokémon up there. If he attempts to jump off, I want you to catch it.” Redwald said. Pidgey nodded his head, made a sound and flew up to the Tower.

“Mum, I am following the stairs.” Redwald said. “If Charmander is still running up there, maybe I get to catch him.”

Fennel nodded her head. “I am here to watch out anything.” She said. As Redwald left there and entered the building, Fennel walked around the Clock Tower to check the top from all the aspects. Charmander was not up there yet, for sure. But it was matter of time.

Greta and Eusine entered Pallet Jungle in a rush. As much as Greta was curious, she was also too excited to think straight. Unexpectedly and mysteriously, Eusine wanted to go along with her, and for very irrational reasons, Greta did not know how to react properly. In the meantime, Eusine was watching around to find a trace of Bulbasaur.

“Maybe Pokédex will give us some hint where to look.” Eusine said. Greta nodded her head. “Maybe.” She said. But she did not understand why Eusine kept looking at her, until it hit her. He was expecting Greta to take off her Pokédex. Greta reached to her backpack and took Pokédex out. It did not take too long for her to find the Pokémon.

“There must be plenty of flowers in this jungle.” Greta said. “Do you remember anywhere in particular, maybe that you saw while you were training with Red?”

Eusine took a moment to think. “Let me see… Once I left the group to cook for everyone, and I saw Tangela having a nap on the grasses. I thought it was simply because she was tired. But later, I realized that there was a flower synthesising a very light smell that people can’t sense. The Grass and Bug type Pokémon are so sensitive to the smell that they want to follow it. Later on, the smell puts them in sleep, so that the flower can suck energy from these Pokémon in order to grow. The flower is called Evening Primrose, of course! The sense of smell is stronger when the sun is gone!”

“But if the smell is very light for humans, how are we supposed to find it, Eusine?” Greta said, desperately. “Do you remember the spot?”

“I don’t, Greta. But what is wrong with you?” Eusine responded. Greta did not see such reaction coming. Surprised, she looked at Eusine, as if she was expecting an explanation for his attitude. Eusine pointed out Greta’s backpack. “Paras is our chance to find it.”

He was right. Greta could really not think straight. She did not say anything, a bit shameful, she reached to the Poké Ball in her backpack and called Paras out. Paras appeared sleeping on the grasses. Greta gently woke him up.

“Paras… Can you hear me?” She said softly. Paras slowly opened his eyes. As a premature Pokémon, coming to himself was a bit harsh for Paras. Eventually, however, he managed to pull himself together. He stood up and stared at Greta with empty look on his face, almost crying out as “What do you want, Greta?”.

“Paras, I need you to follow a smell.” Greta said. “It must be too strong at this time of the night. Just try to sense it and follow where it leads you.”

Paras nodded his head. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on only smells in the area. Eusine was worried that it could take longer than they expected until Paras senses the smell. It could be easier if Paras was not sleepy. However, after waiting slightly more than four minutes, Paras finally moved his first muscles and turned around to find a proper direction.

“Is this where it comes from?” Greta responded with hope in her. But Eusine lifted his hand and put it on Greta’s stomach. With his other hand, Eusine made the sign of “Be quiet”, by putting his index finger on his lips. He probably did not want Greta to distract Paras, she thought. Paras rolled around himself a bit more, and eventually, found a direction to walk. Greta and Eusine followed him right behind, hoping Paras did his part of job fine.

While they followed Paras slowly, but in a rush, Greta could not help but think about Eusine. She never realized like that before, how attractive Eusine was. His well combed hair was always in a perfect shape. His crystal blue eyes always glowed bright with hope in it. His small nose could not fit better on his nice face. The gentle smile he usually had between his thin lips would always give hope to others around him, no matter how hard things would have gotten.

“Why are you so perfect, Eusine?” Greta thought. He first appeared when Greta and the others were under attack of the Beedrill Pack back in Pallet Town. Ever since then, he did nothing wrong. He only helped Greta and Redwald more and more. If he did not stick to them, Eusine would have probably already arrived where he wanted to go.

“Thank you, Eusine.” Greta said gently. Eusine was surprised. He dropped the flower and looked at her. “For what?” He asked. Greta smiled. “Is that even a question?” She responded. “For making everything easier and better for Redwald and me.” She said. “You didn’t have to stick with us. You could have gone faster on your journey. We are only slowing you down. Still, you are happy to be with us.”

Greta expected Eusine to smile or give a positive feedback. Instead, she received an odd look on Eusine’s face. He was trying to figure out what Greta was thinking, almost.

“Are you alright, Greta?” Eusine responded. “You are talking like you will die in 6 months, and now you’re appreciating everything in your life.”

“Why would I have to know that I will die in order to appreciate what I have, Eusine?” Greta responded. “I am alive, I am healthy and I have feelings. What else would I need to be thankful for what I have? I have a free life, I am making my dreams come true and I have you by my side.”

“Redwald and I try our best to help you and each other, yes.” Eusine said. He sounded almost like he wanted to make sure that Greta’s you was not referring to Eusine personally, but both him and Redwald. Greta did not say anything.

At that moment, Paras fell down.

“Paras!” Greta shouted as she ran to her Pokémon. Once she turned him over, Eusine responded. “He is just asleep, which means the flower is somewhere around here.”

Right at that moment, a Pokémon appeared before the bushes and began to snarl at them. That was Bulbasaur, and she was using Growl. Greta and Eusine covered their ears with their hands, but the Growl was so lout that it woke other Pokémon up.

“Please, stop it Bulbasaur!” Greta responded. “Or you will have us be attacked by wild Pokémon in the jungle!”

But Bulbasaur was nowhere close to hear her out. Greta knew the only solution was to calm her down in a Pokémon Battle. She reached to her Poké Ball and threw it. Nidoran appeared on the grasses.

“Nidoran, use Scratch!” Greta ordered. Nidoran ran to Bulbasaur as her nails glowed. Once she came close enough, she jumped high and landed on Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur shook herself and got rid of Nidoran. Both Pokémon were staring at each other. Bulbasaur moved fast and quick and used Tackle on Nidoran. Nidoran stumbled back.

“Go with Double Kick!” Greta ordered. Nidoran quickly turned her back and began to kick Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur jumped and dodged the move. She responded with another Tackle. Bulbasaur’s head was so big and strong that a Tackle attack would affect a Pokémon like Nidoran very easily.

“Hold it, Greta.” Eusine responded. He reached to his Ultra Ball in his pocket and called the Pokémon out. “Haunter, it is your turn!” He said. Haunter appeared floating in the air.

“Bulbasaur’s Normal type attacks won’t hurt Haunter.” Eusine said. Then, he turned to his Pokémon. “Haunter, it is time to use Shadow Ball!” He ordered. Haunter created a black ball before himself and threw it to Bulbasaur. Once again, Bulbasaur jumped and dodged the move.

“Bulbasaur is really fast, Eusine.” Greta said. “We have to find another solution.”

“It is not over yet!” Eusine responded. “Use Hypnosis, Haunter!”

As Haunter’s eyes began to glow, Bulbasaur did not fall for it, and used Vine Whip. The vines distracted Haunter and made him fall down. Bulbasaur was not calmed, however. She jumped high and used Razor Leaf on him this time. The sharp leaves hit Haunter right on his body.

“That’s a direct hit, Eusine!” Greta responded. Eusine nodded his head. “Bulbasaur can be really dangerous when she feels herself under danger.” He said.

Greta pushed Eusine and walked to the middle.

“Greta, wait!” Eusine yelled from behind, but Greta did not care. She was there to talk to Bulbasaur.

“Listen to me, Bulbasaur!” She said. “Look, my hands are empty, I am not holding anything. I won’t attack you, and won’t order anyone to attack you. All I want is you listen to me, is that clear?”

Bulbasaur was surprised. She took a moment to think about what Greta was up to. Greta took the advantage of Bulbasaur’s confusion, and began to talk.

“We are here to protect you. I am a student of Professor Oak, and my friend over there is my companion. Look what I have.” She said, as she slowly dug her hand in her backpack. After that, she showed the Poké Ball. “This is your Poké Ball, do you recognize it?”

“Professor Oak is so worried about you, and Charmander, and Squirtle, that he gave us your Poké Balls and wanted us to bring you all back.” She said. “Do you believe me?”

Bulbasaur was still confused. She did not say anything.

“I could force you to get in the Poké Ball and take you back to Professor Oak. But you would feel under attack and you would freak out in your Poké Ball. Instead, I am offering you to come on your own. Come along with us, no need for a Poké Ball, and let us make you come together with Professor.”

Greta inclined and opened her arms wide. “Are you coming along, Bulbasaur?” She had a gentle smile on her face. Bulbasaur, still deliberate, walked towards Greta and agreed on coming along with them by nodding her head. But she made it pretty obvious that Bulbasaur still had doubts on trusting in Greta and Eusine.

“It is fine.” Greta said. “As long as you come along with us, you will see what we are up to.”

“You have improved a lot already, Greta.” Eusine said. He would not expect Greta to calm Bulbasaur down by just talking to her. After the cooperation, Greta and Eusine called their Pokémon back in their balls, and the group walked back to Pewter City.

Blake reached to his Poké Ball and threw it while he ran through the street in the darkness. Spearow appeared in the air and landed on Blake’s shoulder. Blake stopped and turned on his Pokédex to get the data of Squirtle.

“We are looking for a Squirtle.” Blake said. “He is probably the only Squirtle in the city. So, if you spot one, find me directly and take me to him. He loves fountains, so he can be anywhere near a fountain.” Blake showed his map. “You see, the green points that I drew are all fountains in the city. There are not many, but you can take the western side, Spearow. I will be checking on the eastern side. You know where to find me.”

Spearow nodded and flew away. Blake followed the eastern path to the fountain. “I am sorry, grandfather. I just had to leave you behind. You are definitely not fast enough to catch up with me, especially when you are tipsy.” Blake thought. He left Professor Oak on a bench and let him fall asleep there. Blake did not know if he did it for the sake of Squirtle, or just wanted to prove himself that he can deal with great things on his own. Earning his first badge way before Redwald was definitely a sign of proof that he was greater than very loved Redwald, but was it good enough?

He tried to not be distracted. He reached to the area where the first fountain was standing in. The fountain had lights around it. It was the only visible object on the sidewalk. The rest of the sidewalk was pure darkness. If someone walked through there, Blake would never be able to see them. He had to make sure that Squirtle was not hiding.

“Oddish, come out!” Blake said as he threw the Poké Ball. Oddish appeared on the sidewalk. Blake nodded his head. “Please, use Flash!” He ordered. Oddish shook her leaves and gathered energy from outside. After that, her leaves on the top of her head began to glow bright, and lightened the street. It was very powerful light that could be even more effective than a street light.

“You are my angel, Oddish.” Blake said. He checked around the street but it was too obvious, there was no sign of Squirtle around there.

“He’s not here.” He said. “Please, come along with me. I need you to lighten up my way, my angel.”

Oddish cheered Blake’s compliments joyfully. They both kept running on the street until the next spot where the fountain would be standing. Blake followed the same pattern, checked around the area and came to the conclusion that Squirtle was not anywhere near either.

“I don’t think Squirtle would have gone farther from this point.” Blake thought. “If he aimed to be around a fountain, he would have just picked one of these two already. It is pointless to go the way more.”

Just as he turned his back, he saw his Spearow flying back towards him. Blake shouted on the empty street, when all the residences were asleep. “Did you find him, Spearow?”

Spearow shouted back at his owner. He made an avian sound, nodded his head. Blake knew what it was supposed to mean. The Squirtle in the target was spotted. Before waiting for Spearow to arrive him, Blake ran towards Spearow and asked him to lead the way. Oddish followed them behind.

After running around 15 minutes in rush, excitement and wonder, Blake finally reached to the fountain with Spearow and Oddish. Squirtle was there, enjoying himself in the calm, cold water of the fountain. However, he was disturbed as he heard Blake’s footsteps and Spearow’s wing flaps. He opened his eyes unpleasantly, put his feet on the ground, and looked at Blake intimidatingly.

“You must be enjoying cold water more than hot ones.” Blake started the conversation, not being sure if it was a good way to do it. “I have heard that the creatures of water tend to be more comfortable in cold water. People, in the other hand, prefer it warmer. In my case, I like to take bath in cold water as well.”

Squirtle scowled and used Water Gun on Blake. Blake realized it so late that he could not take his time to dodge it. Instead, he was all soaked up from top to the bottom. That behaviour pissed him off so much that Blake shouted in anger furiously.

“What is that you are up to?!” He shouted. “I came here all the way at this hour of the morning, just… just to chase an irresponsible Pokémon such as you, and what I have in return is this nonsense, childish, immature behaviour of yours?!”

Blake was shaking due to the coldness of the night. He did not overdress, nor had anything for back up. Everything he owned was back in the Pokécenter.

“Enough already. I have no time to waste with you.” He responded. Angrily, he reached to Squirtle’s Poké Ball in his pocket. Just as he was about to push the button on it and call the Pokémon back, Squirtle fired another Water Gun and threw the Poké Ball back.

“Oddish, I didn’t mean to, but we are about to have a battle.” Blake said. Surprisingly, he sounded as calm as he could. But on the inside, he was having strong earthquakes. Oddish stopped glowing his leaves with Flash, walked before Squirtle and waited for orders.

“Oddish, start with Stun Spore!” Blake ordered. As Oddish jumped and shook her leaves, Squirtle hid himself in his shell by using Withdraw immediately. Oddish synthesised spores that would paralyze Squirtle, but Squirtle went underwater and dodged the move. Blake was forcing himself too hard to keep it calm.

Squirtle came to surface and used a quick Tackle on Oddish. Oddish stumbled and fell back, but she could go on. “Use Absorb now, Oddish!” Blake ordered. Oddish stepped forward and used Absorb on Squirtle. As she absorbed Squirtle’s energy, Squirtle felt dizzy.

“Now, use Cut!” Blake ordered. Oddish’s leaves on the top of her head became sharper like a knife. Oddish ran towards dizzy Squirtle and used Cut on him. Squirtle had no chance to hide in his shell, as he stumbled and fell down in the water of the fountain. In a sudden, Blake walked back and took Squirtle’s Poké Ball from the ground. He walked back at him and called the Pokémon in. Blake was outraged, but finally succeeded what he was supposed to do.

“Thank you Spearow and Oddish.” He said, before he called them back in their Poké Balls as well. After that, he walked back to find Professor Oak and go to the Pokécenter.

Redwald saw Charmander’s tail whipping from the stairs. The traces of its fire were seen on the wall occasionally, as the parts where his tail touched were relatively dark. Redwald followed Charmander, and eventually reached to the top along with him. Charmander was too excited to experience the highest point of the city, where he could get at the moment.

Once Charmander arrived at the top, he stretched his head from the small window to the outside. Nothing could make him happier than enjoying a high view of the city. He did not care if it was dangerous.

“Charmander, hold it!” Redwald shouted from the background. Charmander turned his back. He did not seem happy to see a trainer back there.

“Please, come in!” Redwald said. “I’m…” He was breathless. He took a second to breathe properly. “I’m Professor Oak’s student and Fennel Walker’s son. I am sure you are familiar with them.” He said. “I want you to know that Professor Oak and my mom are worried about you. You have to come back with me.”

Charmander did not care. He fired an Ember on Redwald and turned his back again. Redwald stumbled and fell down a couple of steps. He, however, pulled himself together quickly and climbed the stairs again.

“Don’t think about jumping off!” Redwald said. “It is not safe for you. I understand that you have a desire of flying, but there are safer ways to come close to it!”

Fennel Walker came just behind. She was calmer and more silent compared to Redwald. Fennel seemed worried about Charmander.

“Charmander, I understand why you are wishing to fly so much.” She said. “It is in your genes. You are meant to fly eventually. But it only happens when you are trained well enough and evolve into your last evolution chain. Until then, you can only work harder for it.”

Charmander did not enjoy what he heard. Redwald thought that asking help from other Pokémon could convince Charmander easier. He reached to his Poké Ball and called Eevee out. “Help me out, buddy!” He said. Eevee appeared on the steps of stair.

“Look, Charmander.” Redwald said. “He is my buddy, Eevee. I received also him from Professor Oak.”

Eevee greeted Charmander joyfully. Charmander was confused. Redwald came relatively closer to Charmander. “Look at how happy he is with me. I am a trustworthy trainer, you can count on me.”

Charmander fired another Ember on Eevee and Redwald. Eevee suddenly got furious and attempted to use a move on Charmander. But Redwald stopped him. “Charmander is not enemy, Eevee. All we need is gain his trust.”

However, Charmander seemed to be tired of the conversation already. Without having a second thought, he jumped off the building and let yourself enjoy the cold breeze of early morning, while the first lights of the sun just appeared on the top of the mountains.

“Pidgey can never be able to catch Charmander!” Fennel shouted out. “It is too dark and Pidgey is too light for it!”

Redwald quickly reached to a Poké Ball and called Tangela out. “Use Vine Whip and catch Charmander immediately!” He ordered. As soon as Tangela appeared on the floor, she extended her vines and caught Charmander in the air. Tangela could not provide the balance in the air, but shaking Charmander in the air did definitely not help her.

“I will hold you and pull you two back gently, Tangela.” Redwald said. “Is that alright?”

Tangela attempted to nod her head, but as she lost her balance even more, she lost all the control on the floor and began to fall down along with Charmander.

“Now it is even more impossible for Pidgey to catch!” Fennel shouted this time. Redwald quickly reached to another Poké Ball and called Poliwag out.

“Create a great bubble and soften the ground for Charmander and Tangela, Poliwag!” Redwald ordered. Considering Poliwag did not even know how to use Bubble, Redwald could only hope that Poliwag would do it anyhow. After all, as long as it is not for move purpose, Poliwag had the ability to create bubbles out of his body.

Poliwag focused on what he was asked to do. He closed his eyes, created a soft but durable bubble out of his mouth. He also needed it be big enough to hold Charmander and Tangela at once. But the first bubble burst.

In the meantime, Pidgey caught Charmander in the air and tried to fly as high as possible. As long as Tangela held onto Charmander with her vines, and Pidgey was able to hold them high, everyone would be safe.

“Thank you, Pidgey!” Redwald shouted from the top. Then, he turned to Poliwag. “It is all up to you now, Poliwag.” He said. “Please, please do your best and save them!”

Poliwag nodded his head. He closed his eyes once again and focused on creating a great bubble once again. Poliwag directed the bubble towards the ground. In the meantime, everybody watched the bubble going to the bottom with the hope inside that it would not burst. Eventually, the bubble touched the ground and bounced.

“You can start going down slowly, Pidgey!” Redwald said. Pidgey attempted to go down slowly, however, he lost his balance and all of them began to fall down. Tangela was the first one to touch the bubble. The giant bubble did not burst, but bounced even more after Tangela’s touch. Pidgey and Charmander also touched the soft bubble after. The bubble bounced once or twice more, and eventually burst. As a result, Pidgey, Tangela and Charmander touched the ground safely.

Redwald breathed deeply.

Blake and Professor Oak were waiting for others to arrive at Pokécenter. Blake took his time to meet the annoying Pokémon. Unexpectedly, the more he got to know about Squirtle, the more he liked him. Squirtle, despite of being spoiled and sassy, was actually a challenging Pokémon, who would be quite eager on his goal if he had a reason for it.

“Do you see, Bulbasaur? Professor Oak is over there, waiting for you!” Greta said, as she entered the Pokécenter and saw Blake and Professor Oak sitting on the table. Bulbasaur joyfully ran towards Professor Oak. Happily, Professor Oak hugged the small, green, bulb Pokémon.

“You worried me a lot, lady.” Professor Oak said. Bulbasaur only laughed as a respond to that. “I don’t know how I will get to deal with the three of you, honestly.” This time, he meant what he said.

“Bulbasaur has a good heart inside, Professor.” Greta said. “I believe she will get better as the time passes. Have some faith in her!”

At that moment, Redwald and Fennel walked inside of the Pokécenter. Redwald was holding Charmander on his lap. Charmander was enjoying his ride on Redwald’s arms. They walked towards the lobby and stood next to Professor Oak’s table.

The sun rose a bit more. The streets could be seen from inside, at least. The nurse just turned off the lights, as it was officially the morning hours. Professor Oak sat on the table, turned to the window and watched the dark blue, cold streets of Pewter City.

“I am sorry for worrying you at this time of the day.” Professor said. “And genuinely thank you all for helping out.”

“Don’t even mention that, Professor!” Redwald said. “After all your support and help for us, what would it even mean anyway?”

“I want to reward you for your hard work and determination.” Professor Oak said. “If you please, you are free to obtain the Pokémon you rescued this morning.”

A silence remained in the lobby.

“What do you say, Bulbasaur?” Greta was the first one to speak. “I know how much you love nice smells. I have a lot of perfumes that might interest you! Also, you love all the natural mazes. On our journey across Kanto, I bet you get to see many of them!”

Bulbasaur ran around Greta joyfully. She would be happy to go along with her, clearly.

“Very well…” Professor Oak responded. He took Bulbasaur’s Poké Ball from Eusine and handed it over Greta. “She is yours from now on, then.” He said. Greta put her hand on Bulbasaur’s big head. “But you are still young and need some rest after tonight.” Greta said, before she called the Pokémon back in her Poké Ball. Bulbasaur was captured.

“How about you, Charmander?” Redwald responded. “You desire to fly because it is in your DNA. Furthermore, the only way to get there is training harder and harder! You need nothing better than a trainer who aims to compete in the Pokémon League! On our way, I can train you as much as you want, and eventually let you reach to your best! How does it sound?”

Charmander scowled. He seemed to be very determined for his goal, and Redwald seemed to be very serious on his statement. Eventually, he nodded his head. Fennel handed Charmander’s Poké Ball over Redwald.

“Very well, Charmander.” Redwald said. “You need to have some rest as well.” He pushed the button on the Poké Ball and called the Pokémon in. He was officially obtained.

“I guess, I let Squirtle come along with me as well.” Blake said. “We didn’t have a proper beginning, yes. But I see Squirtle has the potential inside. He only needs to be mature and serious about our goal. I guess I can take him there. Considering his species, it would be a worth trouble to get in.”

Blake reached his hand to Professor Oak. Oak gave him Squirtle’s Poké Ball. Blake called the Pokémon who was running on the floor back in his Poké Ball, and said nothing.

After their exciting, hyperactive but tiring morning ritual, everybody got back in their rooms to have some more rest except Professor Oak and Fennel, who had to get ready for their conference.

“But now, you don’t have your Pokémon to show, Professor.” Fennel said while they were packing their bags.

“Photos will be enough this time, Fennel.” Professor Oak said.

Humans

 * Redwald Walker
 * Greta Parker
 * Eusine Hunter
 * Blake Oak
 * Professor Oak
 * Fennel Walker
 * The Nurse
 * Pokécenter Guests

Pokémon

 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)
 * Beedrill Pack (mentioned)