I arrived at Viridian City right at Sunset.
Oh, I would describe the city but it's not worth a grand description. It has well paved roads unlike Pallet Town and the buildings are slightly bigger, that's all.
Nothing uniquely different from what I haven't seen in the twenty years of life I have lived. What was striking to me was the wanted poster of a pikachu on a bulletin board beside the police station. I peeked inside the station to find a growlithe peering back at me.
'It's so cute' I heard a growlithe remains motionless until ordered by it's trainer.
"What business do you have here kid?" I hear a feminine voice right behind me.
I turn around to meet Officer Jenny looking down at me. I recall her from the anime but didn't think she'd be so good looking in person. I stifle my laugh while thinking that her figure-hugging police outfit must turn on all the criminals while she's chasing them.
"I'm a pokemon trainer from Pallet town" I say, bringing out my pokedex which also serves as my identification.
"This town's gym is closed kid. You should keep moving to the North, onwards to Pewter City"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you for the information."
I see her smile for the first time. Her pearly white teeth are so distracting. She's exactly my type except for the downer fact that I'm a fucking child right now. Maybe in a few years I could have a chance...
'Wishful thinking' I take a final look at her and ask her about the wanted pikachu poster.
"Thats the infamous pikachu who's spotted frequently in this city, hated by all the shop owners as it keeps stealing food without being noticed. Once, we even gathered a large mob to search for it everywhere at once but we found it no where to be seen."
"Ah that's a huge bounty for such a small pokemon though" I ask her to keep the conversation flowing, anything to keep talking with her for a bit longer.
"That's because it struck down a wealthy merchant's pet clefairy, she is still furious and won't stop raising the bounty until they see the pikachu's head on their lap."
'Damn that's pretty hardcore'. Rare pokemon like Pikachu are found in the wild of the Kanto region, they live in big groups deep in forests and are wary of humans.
'This pikachu must be sort of an outcast to it's colony.' Pikachu was a core team member of the Original Red, I recall Red's powerhouse packed team of pokemon. It consisted of all the three Kanto starters in their final stage, a lapras, a snorlax and finally the mascot of Pokemon, Pikachu.
'This might be another lucky encounter for me.' Pikachu are very rare to come across and if this one roams this city regularly, I can catch this to clear the gym of Cerulean city.
"Thanks for letting me know Officer..?"
"My name is Jenny though, you'll come across many of my identical cousins with the same name if you're traveling as much as the average Pokemon trainer. I'll let you know not everyone is okay with getting asked the question 'Are you the same Jenny from the previous City?' so keep it in mind for the next time."
"I'll make sure of it." With that I keep moving to the Pokemon center of this City. Which is also located exactly at it's center. Maybe that keeps it at the same distance from every point in the city.
What I need right now is a place to rest and do my mundane activities like taking a dump for example.
After reaching the huge pokemon center, which is very hard to not notice from half a kilometer away, I check in at the reception and apply for a night's stay. Healing pokemon of registered league trainers is free of charge as it's funded by the league but other services like showers and restrooms come with a charge.
I left my home with 3500 dollars, most of which was earned via defeating Blue. Staying for the night and other mundane tasks will cost me atleast 500. I don't mind as the pokemon center is the most secure place in this city. I'll think of earning money tomorrow by battling some local trainers.
I'm greeted by Nurse Joy and she already knows me for some reason. Maybe Prof Oak contacted her in advance or this could be Officer Jenny's doing. I give her my pokemon and she tells me it'll take a while for my rattata to heal as it's famished.
The others got healed instantly via connecting their pokeballs to some healing terminal. I dunno what happened inside but maybe they replenish the energy of the pokemon very quickly, similarly to how other pikachu can recharge another pikachu's electricity by transferring it via touching their tails together.
I notice a pair of Chanseys carry my rattata on a stretcher to some room just behind the reception.
"You can collect your rattata at the earliest by tomorrow morning" She says ,trying to soothe me.
"Thanks for your service" I reply after collecting the others, still in their pokeballs. I'm yet to properly greet the new additions to the team.
I go to my prescribed rest room and take out a set of fresh clothes to wear. My clothes are covered in dust from rolling on the grassy terrain. I didn't take the straight forward path in route 1. Trainers can get stuck there by misjudging the amount of time they'll take to travel.
Even I miscalculated my ETA by straying and going too far from the route in search of some unique pokemon to capture. Next time I'll plan out my schedule more thoroughly.
After showering and finally wearing a clean set of clothes, this time without a hat. I observe my hair which already covers my forehead if I don't comb it to the side. I think I need to go for the effective buzz cut again. It's just so easy to maintain style with shorter hair.
'That's for later.' I think as I bring out every one except for Tyson the rattata who's currently getting treated.
My two fliers greet each other immediately, seems like they already know each other. But Bob being kept in seclusion is excited to meet new pokemon.
Bob tries to reach for Percy the spearow's wing to greet him by a handshake, something I did with him ever since we've met. Percy did reciprocate Bob's greeting by meeting Bob with it's talon. Similarly did Icarus.
Icarus and percy immediately took flight into the air looking to search for some prey. A weedle perhaps, I let them go. I'm not a pokemon feeder yet, nor do I carry the knowledge of each Pokemon's food. I did bring some berries from my house but Bob already finished them on the way here.
By letting Percy and Icarus roam freely I hope they'll trust me as much as I give them the freedom to do whatever they want. I don't mind babysitting Pokemon but I'm looking for pokemon capable of taking care of themselves so I can focus on being a better trainer for battles.
A trainer can do many things like breeding, feeding, etc. But I only wanna know how to battle with my pokemon. I'll learn of those things once I advance anyways. I think of what Bob will prefer to eat now, only eating berries won't provide him all the nutrients he needs.
I decide to head outside and eat at a restaurant for the first time. I'll try to pack some food later when I leave for Viridian forest. Before that I need to succeed my goal that is to search for the wanted Pikachu for myself.
With only Bob at my belt in his pokeball. I head outside after contacting Mom via the telephone in the pokemon center. She was glad I reached the City so quick. She told me it took most trainers 3 days to do so.
I think an average trainer from her perspective is setting the bar pretty low. But I'm not interested in finding out the average trainers' capabilities. I'll face all the strong trainers in this city to gather more experience for my pokemon and myself.
I have a feeling that Icarus and Percy won't be returning for a while, so I can get to dine leisurely
I ordered some aquatic plant salad for Bob and I got the chef's special 'Pan-Seared River Magikarp Fillet'. Magikarps aren't found in these parts of Kanto so they're incredibly expensive to import. It tasted like any fish I ate before but with an earthly aftertaste.
"How is it Bob?" I ask my sole companion.
"squirt-squirt" He cries out enthusiastically. Keeping him full will allow him to grow faster. The experience he acquired today isn't much when compared to when he beat Blue's Bulbasaur as his first fight.
Bob probably considers that Bulbasaur as his rival. Well, next time they meet both of them will have evolved to their next stages.
I need to actually train my pokemon. Training pokemon is different for each trainer I think. Some can just allow their machop to train martial arts in a dojo or allow a caretaker to provide love to a pokemon who evolves with friendliness.
My method will be different. I'll only train in wild areas. Starting with the route that connects Viridian City to the Indigo League Plateau, routes 22 and 23.
I don't know much about these routes but a day's training will suffice. I don't want my pokemon to disturb the surrounding ecosystem too much. Also facing the same species again will provide no extra stimulus.
Some pokemon like ekans and mankey also roam freely there. I could capture those to add them to my box back in Prof Oak's lab. He gets access to research my pokemon and I get to store my extra Pokemon there. A win-win situation. I know pragmatically I won't get to use all my captured pokemon equally if I'm planning to challenge the Champion within a year or so. But someone like Bob will obviously stay with me for the foreseeable future.
My team composition will keep changing for every battle. That's how my skill as a battler will grow. I won't be depending on the same mons but my knowledge of the previous battles itself.
After dinner I head out to enjoy the night air. The air here isn't as polluted as on Earth. Every area is clean and trash dumping is controlled. Possibly due to the fear of muk invasions.
I try to look for some able trainers to battle but most kids aren't out right now. The grown ups are mostly tired from the day's work so no one is in the mood for a battle.
I might have to host some battles among my own pokemon to see who's the strongest at the moment. Having some competition will encourage their competitive spirit and provide them with the zeal to improve. I know some pokemon have advantage over others and it won't be a fair battle. But knowing how to fight against a bad match up is a must for every capable pokemon.
I return after my walk to the pokemon center that is open 24/7. I don't know how it runs on so much power concurrently. Maybe I'll find some electric Pokemon doing the dirty work in the back, I don't mind that if they're being cared for though.
I arrive at my restroom to find both of my fliers at the bed side table. I don't know if this is common for other trainers but I don't mind letting them roam freely outside their pokeballs. After all I haven't released them officially so they won't be captured by other trainers and it saves me the time and cost of prepping their meals.
They cry out together signaling me to take them in their pokeballs again. "Good night guys"
I placed my three pokeballs beside me before sleeping on the bed. Just in case something happens to the place.
I wake up at dawn, hearing the cry of a dodrio right outside. I gather my belongings and my washed clothes which I wore yesterday.
I go to the reception and get Tyson the rattata. He seems very happy to be finally healthy again.
I thank Nurse Joy, having a feeling I'll have to visit again by today. I go to the Poke Mart right beside the Poke center to buy 10 pokeballs, some antidotes and several potions. My first nuzlocke taught me the importance of these items. In a vanilla playthrough having my pokemon faint from poisoning and healing them at the Poke center would be the optimal way to save money but this is real life. I don't want to see my Pokemon suffer needlessly from something that I can cure.
The pokecenter is like a huge shopping mall with many shops to browse from. I'd buy something as a souvenir but I have only 67 dollars left.
'I'll earn some money back by today.' This will be a great place to train as I can rush to the Poke Center for replenishing my pokemon's energy anytime. Thanks to the running shoes from Mom.
With having finished breakfast consisting of eggs and grilled Goldeen. I start introducing Tyson to everyone in the party. Percy looks relieved his friend is finally well. Icarus eyes Tyson the rattata like a snack which I reprimand him for. Bob pats Tyson on the back, after he realises he finally has a friend who he can see eye to eye without having to look up every time.
Gathering everyone in their pokeballs and eyeing some trainers who have potential to be challengers in battle. I leave for routes 22 and 23. To train and gather more companions.