I awoke to the sound of gunshots outside. My mother was used to it by now, scared to leave the house even for groceries; the girl who lived next door, I think her name was Daisy, helped out with that. Mom was too weak to go out most of the time, anyway.

I remember distinctly thinking, “Today’s the day.” And then I shook my head. Thinking in cliches, really?

Groggily, I crawled out of bed, wondering to myself when the next time I’d see one of those was. I didn’t mind, though. I’d be back in time, and with enough money to get Mom the treatment she needed. And keep her safe, if not the whole town.

The crazy old guy who lived nearby used to have an entire army of Pokemon at his disposal, but as he grew older and their numbers dwindled, as well as the other residents of Pallet Town, he knew what he had to do. His own grandson and I were to carry on his legacy and, perhaps someday, restore peace, in some small way. At the very least, he asked of us to collect and build an even greater army than before. Today was the day that he bestowed one of his remaining three Pokemon upon us to use on our journey.

I sighed, went downstairs, said goodbye to Mom one last time for God knows how long, and raced over to the old man’s makeshift fort. My hair stood on end, almost excited, not only to get out of here and see what was left of the world, but to hopefully make a difference to everybody that mattered to me. Mom.

The man lectured for quite some time. He rattled off his plans, I tried to pay attention. I knew it wasn’t going to work, but I nodded and agreed to go along with it anyway. Without money, it’d be impossible to build an “army” to protect ourselves with. Pokeballs were $200; more than a month’s pay. It’d taken Mom and I years to save up the money I had on hand. But he insisted. As many different species as possible.

And finally, came the moment of truth.

I was amazed. I’d never seen anything quite like this before. These Pokemon, inside the small objects on his desk. With a press of a button, they materialized. No wonder they’d been so popular for military action. You could keep an entire army in your back pocket and nobody would even know.

The decision was not an easy one. Each was endearing in his own way. (Yes, they were all male. Old Man Oak made sure to tell us how uncommon females of these species were, and that’s why he was unable to breed more.)

Suddenly, the orange lizard, Charmander, looked up at me. I could see in his eyes, the trust, the bond that Dad used to talk about… I had to take him with me.

“Nikolov.” He would take my father’s dearest companion’s name. Create our own legacy together!

Oak’s grandson, who I learned through the lecture was named Josh, grabbed the nearest Pokeball in excitement as soon as I was done, and claimed it as his own. The water turtle, Squirtle.

Together, we spent some time going over the basics of Pokemon obedience training, basic survival skills (as we would be spending much of our time in forests and mountainsides), and first aid. For ourselves, and for our Pokemon, too.

After it was all said and done, Josh and I walked out of the Lab, Pokeballs in hand. We’d have to buy a belt once we got to the next town; Oak explained that it was much more effective than rifling through our pocket or bag. And the Pokemon seemed to like it much more. I wanted to keep Nikolov by my side.

Just outside of earshot, Josh sent out his Squirtle in excitement. “Hey, you. We should battle out Pokemon. Just to practice!”

I glared at him. They weren’t toys, I thought angrily. However, getting a chance to see Nikolov prove himself in combat would be interesting…

Reluctantly, I sent Nikolov out.



The battle was intense. The two Pokemon were quite young, however, they were born fighters. They were practically toe to toe.

“Char!” Nikolov cried out, receiving one last Tail Whip from Josh’s Squirtle. He growled angrily, and pounced on the unsuspecting Squirtle, ready to end its life.

“No! Nikolov! Don’t!” I shouted, reaching out helplessly as one of the last hopes for Pallet Town lay dying.

Nikolov froze. He understood, and stopped. He left the Squirtle’s side and ran back to me, a solemn tone to his once cheerful face. The flame on his tail burned brightly; he was proud of his victory, either way. Josh ran to his Squirtle’s side, horrified. He caught his first glimpse at what was going to be the next step in his life.

I called Nikolov back into his Pokeball and turned around, leaving Josh to tend to his injured Squirtle, and started on the journey to Viridian City.

Just outside the city walls were fields and fields of tall grass. Nikolov was adamant to keep us protected. Rabid, vicious Rattata and Pidgey would jump out practically anywhere, and while they seemed like only a nuisance to some, an entire flock of birds bigger than your head, pecking at your face and exposed flesh was quite a problem. But Nikolov preservered, and after only a few days’ travel, we made it to Vermilion City.

The city was in just as much disarray as Pallet Town, but had a greater semblance to what was once considered “normal” than anything I’d seen in my lifetime. More buildings, although very run-down, more people, more streets. And a Pokemon Center. I’d only heard of them. They were a place where injured Pokemon could receive medical attention, and all for free, amazingly. Doctors and nurses alike, worked around the clock, without wage. It was stunning.

I checked Nikolov in because he seemed quite exhausted and talked to some of the people there. Nearly all of them were homeless, staying for the night or just flat-out living there, some without Pokemon, even; one child I’d met had his Pokemon critically injured, and it died during surgery. He was too afraid to leave, since now he was alone, and his family had been killed just before he set out. Heartbreaking.

Nikolov was given a clean bill of health; he’d merely been fighting too hard. We ended up staying the night just to give him some real rest, not just under a bush on Route 1. He seemed to enjoy the comforting surroundings, but I warned him not to get used to it.

The next day, the two of us walked the dirty streets. Broken bottles and trash littered the pavement. We were searching for a Pokemon Mart, or “PokeMart” as most people called them. I needed Pokeballs. It wasn’t going to be just Nikolov and I, after all. After hours of walking through alleys and dead ends, finally. A small blue flag near the doorway to an otherwise normal-looking building.

Pokeballs and other related items were mostly illegal nowadays and could only be obtained via the black market. Blue flags were the universal sign, tacked on to the door to signal to traveling trainers that they could restock on supplies there. Nearly every city had at least one location like this.

Inside it looked like a normal, everyday convenience store. However when I approached the cashier, who instantly recognized me through his thick glasses as a contact of Oak’s, nodded and pulled out a hidden drawer behind the counter. Inside were dozens of Pokeballs and various medicines intended for Pokemon. I only had enough for a few Pokeballs and Potions, but I was set for some time. Nikolov would be healthy. The transaction was made and I left the shop quickly. Time to get to an open field, I thought, excited by the prospect of expanding my team.

I had a pouch full of Pokeballs and a feeling of excitement and elation I’d never known before. Most of my life had been spent in the shithole known as Pallet Town, and I’d never really known the feeling of freedom - even playing outside as a child was too dangerous, so I stayed in with Mom. I didn’t regret it, just… it was nice feeling that child-like sense of joy.

I left Viridian City and headed west, looking for a sign of life somewhere. The path was rocky and worn. Tire treads were weathered, but still visible in the dirt and dried mud. Nobody used this path anymore; not since the military came through that last time. Route 23, as it was called, used to lead to the Pokemon League, but that has since disbanded, as most, if not all, of the original League had been murdered, regarded as enemies of the state. I didn’t understand, nor did I want to question it. I knew how fucked up the world was from an early age.

A field blocked the path; tall grass had finally begun to grow in this area. I smiled, anxious to begin my search. Tall grass usually at least meant a Rattata, as they’d graze on the grains and small insects that flitted around, since the city didn’t have much to offer anymore. As I approached the small patch, a loud rustling sound came my way. Something was charging at me!

I threw my only Pokeball and Nikolov, who’d seemed to be watching the whole town, landed on his feet powerfully and cried loudly. The grass shook and long, pink ears popped out. A Nidoran! He eyed Nikolov wearily and snorted, sending a stream of dust from the ground airborne. He was unhappy to see us, and leapt toward Nikolov in an instant.

“Nikolov, let him have it!” I shouted over their cries. I never realized how loud Pokemon could be, having seen so few of them before.

Nikolov inhaled deeply and blew large flames toward the Nidoran’s feet, enraging it further. He wildly jabbed the horn on his forehead toward Niko, but he was too erratic and Niko managed to avoid any contact. I had no antidotes on me so I anxiously watched from the sidelines, praying that Niko wouldn’t be poisoned in this process.

Finally, the Nidoran landed and fell on his front paws, panting miserably. He looked up at Charmander, knowing he was bested, but stood his ground. Nikolov awaited my command, but did not take his eyes off the Nidoran for a second.

I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the new Pokeballs. I held my breath, tossed it into the air, and watched as a small beam of red light targeted the Nidoran, who seemed shocked at first. His body quickly transformed into a ball of light, and he was pulled into the open Pokeball, and it slammed shut.

Shake, shake, shake…

It stopped, a loud click resonated throughout the area. Nidoran was captured!

I threw my hands into the air in excitement, feeling a sense of accomplishment I’d never known before. My first captured Pokemon. It was an incredible feeling. I hugged Nikolov and told him how this new member of the team, who I’d decided to name Fyedka, will be helping us out. “New friends,” I explained, unsure if he could even really understand what I was telling him. I hoped that he knew more than just battle.

Satisfied, I’d decided to make camp nearby, and we settled in for the night. Fyedka’s training began almost immediately, and Nikolov was very excited to have a partner to do these exercises with. In the morning, we’d depart for Viridian Forest.

I awoke to the sound of footsteps, just outside of camp. Nikolov and Fyedka were tucked inside my backpack, inside their Pokeballs, and I suddenly felt quite vulnerable. Whoever was out there would know that I was awake if I dared dig them out, but I had no way to defend myself, otherwise. I held my breath and hoped the footsteps would go away.

“Addy!”

I jumped. That voice…

“Josh?”

I peeked my head out of the tent and sure enough, Josh stood triumphantly before me. He seemed to have been coming from where Indigo Plateau once was; checking out what we were up against, perhaps?

“Hey! It’s been a while. Probably won’t see each other again for even longer. Care to show me what you’ve got so far?” he said with a slight smile. He reached for one of his Pokeballs before I could even answer.

“They aren’t toys, this is a lot more serious than you’re making this out to be.”

“C’mon, it’s not gonna hurt anything.” He threw his Pokeball and out popped out a freshly-caught Pidgey. It still looked anxious, having only been around humans and Pokeballs a short time.

I sighed, grabbed my bag, and pulled myself out of my tent. I threw Fyedka’s Pokeball into the air and he popped out before me, ready to do battle with another Pokemon - for real, this time. Quietly, I whispered to him, “Be gentle. Don’t kill them. Just knock ‘em out for now.” He nodded reluctantly before diving forward, nailing the Pidgey squarely with his horn. It’d been focusing on Josh’s movement more than anything else, and already it’d paid dearly.

“Damn!” Josh cried, retracting the badly injured Pidgey. He grabbed his other Pokeball and tossed it forward. His Squirtle, looking a bit more confident this time, stood before us.

“Watch yourself, Fyedka,” I warned, knowing already that he’d have a new trick up his sleeve.

No sooner had I said that, the Squirtle began blowing bubbles, which it sent flying forward at high speeds. Fyedka was hit, but was unrelenting. He dove forward again and pinned Squirtle to the ground, his poisonous horn directly in Squirtle’s face. The match was over as quickly as it’d started.

I recalled Fyedka and grinned foolishly; I was proud of him already. He may not have even injured the Squirtle, but by besting it like he did, he’d certainly proved his worth in combat, and it was only his first real match.

“No, no, I don’t think so.” Josh shook his head and his Squirtle stood back up. “I wanted a real match, that Nidoran didn’t even touch Squirtle. He wants to fight, too, y’know!”

“Fyedka kicked your Squirtle’s ass, I just made sure he wouldn’t hurt him too badly,” I growled. But Josh wouldn’t take it for an answer.

Reluctantly, I reached for Nikolov’s Pokeball. I knew this would be risky; Squirtle had a major type advantage. But Nikolov was excited and ready to go. I nodded and he bared his claws.

“Char!”

He leapt forward and again, the Squirtle was pinned to the ground. Nikolov dug into the poor Squirtle with both hands, drawing blood and a lot of it. The Squirtle began to panic and shot a stream of water in Nikolov’s face, catching him off-guard just long enough to break free from underneath him and retreat into his shell.

Angrily, Josh recalled his Squirtle and folded his arms across his chest. “Hmph. I guess you won, afterall.”

I kneeled down next to Niko and scratched him gently on the back of his head, pleased with how he’d performed, despite knowing he was at the disadvantage. “Maybe next time we can skip this part,” I said, shooting a glare over at Josh, who merely put his Pokeballs away as if they were playthings.

He smiled and shook his head. “No way, Addy. I need to test you and make sure you’re training them properly. Next time, it’ll be a lot different!” He laughed, and started on the path back to Viridian City.

“Something’s up with that kid,” I told Nikolov, “But I can’t figure out what, yet. No respect for you guys, or what?”

Niko gave me a blank stare in return, and closed his eyes and tried to smile. He looked more frightening with his teeth bared like that than he did normally, but it was a cute gesture, nonetheless. I patted him on the head and called him back to his Pokeball. The battle had delayed plans slightly, but I figured we could still make it to the forest by nightfall, and so, we set out.