Chapter 2: Beginning, Part 2
Red adjusted his collar in the mirror. Despite the early morning chill, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Martin “Red” Redford was not, strictly speaking, chiseled from marble. In fact, he was on the scrawny side of things, with wide amber eyes and tufts of messy brown hair sticking out from underneath his red cap. His jacket was red and white, and underneath it he wore a black T-shirt. Baggy pants, a black belt, red sneakers, and a green backpack completed his look.
Besides his bloodshot eyes and the eyebags underneath them, his appearance remained largely unchanged since the last time he’d peered into the mirror. He stretched his arms and yawned again – he certainly wouldn’t be intimidating anyone off the road if they got in his way.
“Martin?” came a voice from downstairs. “Are you ready?”
“Give me another minute, Mom!” Red yelled back.
“Okay, honey. But Dr. Oak can’t wait forever, you know.”
When Red went down, Delia was at the door waiting for him. Before he could move outside, she stopped him and widened her arms in an embrace. Red sighed – there was no getting around this, was there? – and allowed himself to be hugged by his mother, one last time.
“Just be careful out there,” she said, kissing Red’s forehead. “I love you, honey.”
“I know.” Red smiled.
“Now, get moving! Dr. Oak’s probably there already!” Delia said, letting him out of her embrace and shooing him off playfully.
The fog still hadn’t dispersed over Pallet Town that early in the morning, and no cars passed him as he strode down the sidewalk. A cool breeze blew against him – as it passed, it rustled perfectly-trimmed bushes and blades of grass.
It couldn’t have been a better last day in Pallet Town, he thought.
Dr. Samuel Oak was out in his laboratory’s yard, watering the bushes. “Ah, Red,” he said to the arriving trainer. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Morning, Professor Oak.”
“I suppose you’re wondering about your Pokémon?”
Red nodded.
“That’s what I gathered.” Professor Oak set down his watering can and turned to the laboratory’s entrance, motioning for Red to follow him. “This way.”
As Professor Oak led him through the main hall, Red examined all the awards and certificates the Professor had framed and hung on the wall. He’d been in that laboratory many times before, but their sheer volume never failed to give him pause. It was little wonder why Gary wanted to be like the man so much.
Finally, the two arrived at Oak’s study. Sitting on the central coffee table was a Poke Ball with a small plastic thunderbolt fixed above its central button. “Here we are,” Oak said, gesturing to the Ball. “Go on; pick it up.”
It was only when Red leaned down to pick it up that the gravity of his situation started to sink in. He felt a pit in his stomach start to form; this event would define the rest of his life!
Professor Oak just sighed. “I don’t have all day, Red.”
Red plucked the Poke Ball from the coffee table. He stood up straight, weighed it with his hand – it was far lighter than he’d thought it would be – and then pressed the central button. The room filled with a light that flowed down and coalesced into a furry yellow creature.
“This little guy’s a
Pikachu,” Oak said. “They’re also known as the ‘Electric Mouse Pokémon.’”
“Pikachu, huh?” Red motioned to pick it up – and promptly met the business end of its tail. He yelled and staggered back, clutching his cheek; the blow was light, but it had enough force to leave a bruise.
Professor Oak sighed again. “I hoped that this wouldn’t happen. This Pikachu’s a bit of a rebel, you see – well, I guess that part’s obvious by now.”
Red glared at Professor Oak. “Can I get a different one, please?” he said, though his speech was slurred somewhat from the slap.
Oak shook his head. “Last one I have.”
Red’s shoulders slumped. “Do I really have to accept this asshole as my Pokémon?” At the ‘asshole’ remark, Pikachu giggled.
“It’s this one or nothing. All I can do for you.”
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Fine,” Red said. He pressed the button on his Poke Ball and a red ray shot from it – a ray that the Pikachu sidestepped.
“Oh, forgive me. I’d forgotten to mention that this Pikachu hates Poke Balls.”
Red cringed. “Are you
sure you can’t get me another one?”
“No can do, Red. Here, let me get something that might help you…”
***
Much to Red’s surprise, Gary was waiting outside, leaning against a tree with a bag of supplies lying next to him. “Yo, Red,” he said with a sneer. “Got your first Pokémon, I see.”
Red, who was wearing rubber gloves while holding Pikachu by a leash, just groaned. “Very funny, Gary.”
“I just came over to drop off some supplies for gramps when I saw
you.” Gary stuck out his tongue. “Getting the hang of training yet?”
“I don’t need grief from you. I’ve got my hands full already.” Red yanked the leash with both his hands, forcing Pikachu forward. “Bye, Gary.”
Gary stopped Red. “Hey, hold up, man! This could be our last chat together!”
“We’re friends on Global Link.” Red grunted. “Now can I leave please.”
“Tch, fine.” Gary stepped back to make way for Red. “Good luck on your journey.”
Red smiled back. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”
It was when they were well into Route 1 that Red stopped yanking his Pikachu by the leash. “We can’t go on like this,” he said. “You need me, and I need you. So we’ve got to get to an arrangement somehow.”
Pikachu just scratched itself. “Pika pi.”
“How about we start with names? I’m Red, and you are…” That was when Red realized he hadn’t nicknamed it yet. “Pika! You’re
Pika from now on.”
“Pi-ka-chu.”
“Alright, Pika. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, why don’t we start over?” Red motioned to undo Pika’s leash…and then met Pika’s tail face-first once more.
Red balled his fist. “Alright, you little piece of s – “ He stopped, and considered why punching something that could knock out a Gyarados with its powers was probably a bad idea. Then he sighed.
“We can’t keep doing this, Pika.” Red groaned. “Like I said, you need me and I need you. Set aside your feelings and think about it; who’s going to feed you if I’m not around?”
Pika stopped and placed its paw on its chin. “Pika pi…”
“See? And I’m willing to negotiate with you,” Red said, before remembering that he couldn’t exactly negotiate with something that could only say its name. “Y’know what, here.”
Red knelt and unlocked Pika’s collar, then did away with his rubber gloves. “There.
Now can we trust each other, at least for a bit?”
Pika nodded. “Pikachu pi,” he said, wagging his tail. Red smiled. It was a start, he supposed.