It was late afternoon when we arrived at Viridian city, and nearly night when we managed to make it to the Pokemon Center.
"And here we are!" Misty declared as she led us through the front doors, where a large crowd of trainers were all gathered around.
"The next conference is going to be soon, so there's a lot of high level trainers gathering here on their way to the Indigo Plateau. I don't even know if there would be a room available." She continued as I set her ruined bike down by the door, and we followed her inside.
"I wonder if any of them are battling to prepare for the conference?" I mused out loud, right before I felt a slight tremor beneath my feet. "I guess so."
We continued on our way to the front counter to see if any rooms were still available while ignoring the looks we were getting. Well, that May and I were getting.
"Hello, and welcome to the Virdian city Pokemon Center." The woman manning the counter said in greeting as soon as we approached her. Another Nurse Joy.
"Hello! We were wondering if there were any rooms that were still open for the night." May immediately asked. I guess she wanted to hurry and get settled after being outside and getting rained on earlier.
"You're in luck. We only have two rooms left available in the entire building. Should I book both of them to your group?" Nurse Joy asked while looking us over one by one.
"Please! I really need a shower!" Misty stated with a tone of desperation. Then again, I guess she did get rained on AFTER swimming in that lake earlier.
"Very well. Here are your keycards with your room number, and each room has a phone if you need anything. Before you depart though, are there any pokemon that you would like to have looked at or taken care of?" She asked next, and I immediately pulled all of the pokeballs off of my belt.
"Actually, my pokemon should be pretty exhausted after today. But I also caught five of them, so I think having them looked at is a good idea." I said while handing them over to the nurse. Leaf did the same with her Bulby, but May and Misty both held on to their own pokemon. I guess none of theirs really required attention.
"Thank you. We'll take really good care of them for you." The nurse said reassuringly, before passing the seven pokeballs on to her assistant, a Chansey.
With our check-in complete, the girls and I made our way to our rooms before stopping right outside the doors.
"Ok, so who gets what room?" Misty asked while looking between the three of us.
"I'll share with Noah!" May immediately declared while grabbing my arm with both of hers, and then steering me towards the door with the same number on our keycards.
I pretended not to notice the glare Leaf shot at her, or that May stuck her tongue out back at her before the door closed behind us.
"This is...nice." I said while looking around the room.
It was small, with only two twin sized beds on either side of the room with a small nightstand between them, and the tv mounted to the wall. Thankfully, we did have our own personal bathroom.
"Well, they ARE free for League certified trainers to stay in, plus they aren't meant to be luxurious. Only a place to rest and have your pokemon taken care of." May said as she readily started making herself at home. "Usually I choose to stay at a hotel or something since the accomodations are typically a lot nicer, but after the day we've had this will do."
"Fair enough." I said while also making myself comfortable.
"Do you want to use the shower first?" May suddenly asked.
"Huh?" I uttered back.
"The shower. Do you want to go first since I usually have a whole routine to go through." May repeated herself. "I can also use the time while you're in there to feed my pokemon."
Knowing that May actually had a whole routine when it came to her pokemon's care, I decided to accept her offer and made my way into the bathroom with my bag.
The hot water was heavenly.
I didn't want to get out as the scalding water poured over my body, easing away the tensions and stresses of the day. But it had all also been exciting.
Meeting Leaf and Misty. Catching my first pokemon, as well as the battle with Ekans afterwards.
With so much happening on the first day of my adventure, I couldn't wait to see what else was out there in this strange world.
Thankfully the Pokemon Center had an endless supply of hot water, as I ended up staying in the shower for nearly half an hour. Long enough that my skin was more than a little red when I finally emerged from the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of sweatpants.
"Enjoy yourself?" May asked as I finally emerged, only to freeze as her mouth dropped open.
"Too much skin?" I asked hesitantly, though part of me reminded myself that May had seen it all before.
"W-well..." May sputtered momentarily, prompting me to reach into my bag and pull out a tshirt.
As I pulled the shirt on though, I was sure I heard a noise from May that sounded like either relief, or disappointment.
"I'm gonna go check on my pokemon now." I said after I finished pulling the shirt on, pausing only long enough to scratch her Manectric under the chin as it lounged on her bed before leaving.
I made my way down the halls of the Pokemon Center barefoot, the carpet soothing under my toes, while looking around for any signs of where my pokemon might be. I'll admit, I was sightseeing as much as looking from curiosity.
Nearly everywhere I looked there were people with their pokemon. And not all of them were from Kanto.
In an area that looked like a restaurant, I saw several people enjoying their dinner with their pokemon or casually talking to one another. One whole corner was even taken up by a sole Snorlax, while an entire team of Chansey worked to shovel food into it's mouth.
Another room looked like a lounge where several people and pokemon were relaxing. Inside, I saw a competition between a Mr. Mime and Mr. Rime while several people debated who was the better at miming. Whoever wasn't focusing on that, was busy watching the tv as it aired footage of exceptional Gym battles.
Eventually, I made my way back to the front desk to ask the Nurse Joy from earlier where I could find my pokemon, only to be greeted by the sound of yelling.
"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE! NOT ONLY DID YOU STEAL MY BIKE AND ALL MY STUFF, BUT YOU EVEN DESTROYED IT! I DEMAND YOU PAY ME BACK FOR IT!"
I followed the sounds of yelling to find Misty and Ash in the reception area, the former standing over the latter as he kneeled on the ground.
"I said I was sorry! And it was urgent!" Ash pleaded with her.
"Sorry isn't good enough! Do you even have any idea how much that stuff COST?! The bike alone was a gift from my parents when I left home! How do you plan to replace it?!" Misty shrieked while pointing to the ruins of said bike by the door.
I could only shake my head wryly as Misty continued berating Ash, even as a crowd of people began to form to watch the show. Instead of joining them, I walked up to the receptionist to ask about my pokemon.
"Excuse me, I was wondering if I could have my pokemon back." I said to her politely, even as Misty continued yelling behind me.
"Of course! We gave your pokemon a complete checkup, and all of them are very healthy." She said while typing a few keys on her computor, before a Chansey returned with six pokeballs.
"Thank you." I said while putting them on my belt, and then going to see about getting some dinner for all of us.
Soon I was seated at a table with a fresh pizza in front of me, and six bowls of pokemon food for all of my pokemon.
"Alright, come on out!" I declared, calling all six out at once.
"Char!"
"Tatta!"
"Karp!"
Charmander, Rattata and Magikarp all appeared happy to see me as they appeared, though Magikarp was just flopping on the seat across from me.
"Gee?"
Pidgey meanwhile looked me up and down cautiously, as this was the first time seeing each other since I caught it.
"Kansssss..."
Ekans meanwhile hissed quietly while glaring at me suspiciously.
"Spear!"
Spearow however was the most agitated amongst them, probably because it didn't recognize me or know when it was caught.
"Hello there everyone." I said in greeting, mostly to my pokemon that hadn't met me yet. Though all I got was a mixture of looks from that as they apparently sized me up.
"Yeah, I thought that sucked too." I said tiredly, earning me a comforting pat on the shoulder from Pidgey.
"Well, dig in everyone and get to know one another. We're going to be together for a long time after all." I finally told them, and they all turned their attention towards their food. Though Spearow and Ekans still kept an eye on me as they ate.
As I picked up a slice of my food and bit into it, a delicious pepperoni and Pinap berry pizza, I also called out to my phone.
"Rotom, call professor Oak."
"Calling professor Oak!"
The phone hovered in front of me for a second as the ring tone sounded from it, before the screen lit up with the image of the professor as he too was sitting down to eat.
"Good evening Noah! Glad to see you made it to Viridian city ok." The professor immediately greeted me with a smile.
"Yeah, we just got here a little over an hour ago." I told him before taking another bite of my pizza.
"I see. It was a little surprising to see you, Leaf and May get their after Ash with how late he was this morning... But then again, I guess having an angry flock of Spearow chasing you can be quite the motivator!"
"Right? He passed us on the way here, and all those Spearow looked MAD." I told him with a smirk.
"Indeed. That reminds me, did you really get yourself an Alpha Spearow on your first day?" The professor asked with a knowing smile.
"Well, we DID find them all after a bolt of lightning struck them. So it was a little too tempting compared to leaving without one. Of course, I had to look for the strongest one of the flock." I said while eyeing Spearow pointedly, who looked away from me with a huff.
"That's quite understandable. By the way, I threw in a bit of a bonus for you on that one, considering it was an Alpha." The professor said with a conspiratory smile.
"That reminds me! Is it normal to pay us just for catching pokemon?" I asked him curiously.
"Not normally, no. But in your case I decided to make an exception since I wasn't sure how much time you would spend battling. Plus its safe to say that you're at something of a disadvantage compared to the others who started their journey this morning. With that in mind, and with your goal specifically being to catch every single pokemon, I figured setting that up would help you out."
"Thank you sir. I really appreciate it, and all of the help you've given me." I said with a sudden rush of emotion.
"Not at all my boy. I'm pleased to give youngsters like yourself a hand as they make their way out into the world. Even more so since all of the pokemon you catch will further my research. It also helps that you appear to be quite skilled at catching pokemon. I don't think I've ever heard of somone managing to get a full team on their first day. Even Gary only managed to catch four pokemon."
"Yeah? I wonder if that means Gary would take me seriously as a rival now." I mused with a smirk.
"Possibly. You should give him a call after this to compare notes. I also have something of a bet with him regarding you and the others. So I can't wait to cash in on it!" The professor said with a gleeful tone, making me wonder what the terms of this bet were.
So after the professor and I said our goodbyes, I decided to give Gary a call next. Thankfully the professor already put his, Leaf's and Ash's numbers in my phone.
"What is it?" Gary asked when he finally picked up, the camera showing he was in what looked like a penthouse suite, relaxing in a jacuzzi.
"Evening Gary. Just wanted to see how your first day went." I replied while fighting the urge to roll my eyes. Of course Gary was staying in a penthouse suite instead of the Pokemon Center with the rest of us plebians.
"I'm Gary Oak. Of course my first day after leaving Pallet town went well! I already caught myself several pokemon, enough to be some kind of record!" Gary proudly boasted.
"Really? Well, I caught some pokemon too." I told him.
"I bet not as many as me!"
"How much?" I asked him.
"100,000." Gary said without missing a beat.
"You're on. You first." I told him, confirming the bet immediately.
"Humph! I caught myself a Sandshrew, Rattata, Bellsprout, and Pidgey. Beat that!" Gary declared cockily.
"Damn... That's quite the lineup." I admitted with sincerity, before smiling. "Not as good as mine though."
I then grabbed my phone and turned it around to show Gary the SIX pokemon sitting across from me, one more than he had.
"Wha-?! How-?! You-?!"
I smirked as Gary began to sputter incoherently at the fact that I just won our little bet. Though I already knew that when we made it.
"Now then, I do believe that is 100,000 big ones that you owe me." I stated, still smirking at him through the phone.
"Humph!" Gary snorted, even as I got the notification that the money had been sent to me. "You may have more pokemon, but mine are better than your's. We'd wipe the floor with you in a battle any day of the week!" He declared.
"Oh yeah? Then how about a battle after we both reach Cerulean? That way we can have the time to train them up a little." I suggested. After all, even if I manged to win in a battle against Gary, it would be because I have more pokemon than he does.
"Fine. I'll see you then!" Gary stated with finality. Before he hung up though, his phone turned to to capture the image of several naked women gathered in the jacuzzi around him, probably as a final jab at me about who was better.
"That guy... Doesn't he realize it doesn't count if you pay for it?" I asked no one in particular while shaking my head wryly.
The rest of dinner passed fairly uneventfully, aside from me trying to keep Spearow and Pidgey from fighting as the former tried to steal food from the latter. Soon enough my pizza was gone, and so was all of the food in their bowls.
"Alright everyone. Let's return so you all can get some rest for the night." I said while holding up five pokeballs, one for Rattata, Pidgey, Ekans, Magikarp and Spearow. The first four returned to their pokeballs alright, but Spearow apparently had different intentions.
"SPEAR!"
Spearow shrieked as he took flight, dodging the beam as he flew up to the rafters overhead.
"Don't be like that! Come on!" I called up to him, but Spearow just ignored me.
"Char?"
"I guess he's just gonna be difficult for a while." I told Charmander while shaking my head wryly.
"Come on buddy." I said, leading him out of the restaurant while following the signs to what appeared to be an arena. I also pretended not to notice Spearow following us as we went.
Though not as large as some of the official League arenas I had seen on tv over the last few days, the arena in the Pokemon Center was big enough for regular battles between trainers who were staying there. This arena was no exception as Charmander and I entered it, being large enough to house several trainers and their pokemon as they all watched the ongoing battle between a Scizor and Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch!" One trainer ordered his pokemon.
"CHAN!"
The responding pokemon cried as it's right hand, which looked like a red glove, caught fire and begn to move so fast that I couldn't even keep up as it fired off dozens of attacks within a matter of seconds.
But Scizor wasn't going to take that lying down.
"Scizor, use Aerial Ace!" The opposing trainer ordered, and his pokemon silently complied.
Scizor moved with such speed that I was unable to follow it completely, not only avoiding the high-speed barrage of punches, but also delivering a powerful attack to it's opponent without any hesitation. Or mercy.
"Hitmon....chan..."
Apparently that was straw that broke the camel, er, Camerupt's back, as the fighting type collapsed to the ground without another word in defeat.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! Scizor wins!" The Nurse Joy who was officiating the battle declared with a tone of finality, while Hitmonchan's trainer recalled it to it's pokeball.
"Damn..." He swore angrily, stalking away from the arena after his loss to make way for the next contender.
"Is there anyone still willing to take on my beloved Scizor?!" The other trainer declared arrogantly, though apparently it wasn't unfounded as everyone else hesitated to step forward.
"I will."
Everyone turned towards the speaker as they stepped forward, taking the place of the last trainer as he held up a pokeball.
"My partner and I think we can take you on!"
"Let's go then!" The other trainer declared, accepting the challenge.
"I choose you, Charizard!"
I cocked my brow as, of all pokemon, a Charizard took the stage.
"CHAAAAAAAAAAR!"
The roar it released made even my bones vibrate from how intense it was, while I could feel the the heat of the flames it released even from here.
"Char...."
I glanced beside me with a smirk as Charmander immediately became entranced with the other Charizard, his eyes filled with awe at it's imposing figure.
"One day, you'll be even stronger than it." I said while placing my hand upon his head, earning me a look of anticipation in return.
"!!!"
I looked up suddenly as a feeling of dread suddenly overcame me. The same feeling that filled me right before Ekans attacked earlier.
A quick glance around the arena didn't reveal any type of threat though, before the glass windows in the ceiling began to shatter as glass rained down.
"What's going on?!" Someone cried out in panic.
"Prepare for trouble." A smooth voice declared loudly, before several figures began to rapel down from above. Each one wearing black clothes adorned with bright letter R.