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A flame whizzed right by his left ear! Sparky jumped to avoid it and shot a jolt of electricity at Charmander. It hit him square between the eyes, but with a shake of his head, his opponent recovered quickly.

Charmander retaliated with a scratch, but Sparky again dodged nimbly to the side, out of harm's way. He shot another electric attack and again landed a hit, but it was obvious that where Sparky excelled in speed and agility, Charmander made up with brute strength.

Sparky cried out as Charmander's paw rammed right into his head with another scratch, this time successful. Taking advantage of the Pokemon's momentary stun, Charmander blew out an ember, succeeding in another hit, causing Sparky to yip and withdraw with a burn that stung terribly. It sapped his strength with each passing second.

Panting, Sparky took a moment to recover before once again jumping at Charmander, hoping to catch him off guard. Wary of Sparky's speed, Charmander was prepared. He braced himself to the ground, ready to jump. Sparky launched himself in the direction of his opponent, but Charmander simply uncoiled his legs and launched skyward off the balls of his feet; Sparky soared right past.

Another flame came straight at Sparky's hide, but he was too weak to avoid it. It knocking him down and caused the burn mark to sear again with renewed intensity.

"Okay, Charmander, that's enough!" called Red, and Sparky was relieved from the onslaught. "Now's our chance! Here we go!"

Sparky flinched as the ball rushed toward him, expecting it to hit him and cause more damage, but then it opened and a red light emanated from it. To his surprise, the light engulfed him and he felt as if all his weight had disappeared. He looked down and saw that the ground was rushing away from him. He grew smaller and his body lost its form.

And then -

Darkness!

There was absolute darkness and a tangible silence all around. He tried to move an arm. He couldn't! He tried to move his tail. But there was no tail! He tried to cry out but heard nothing. It was a nightmare! Sparky was suddenly afraid.

He called upon every muscle in his body, attempting to regain some feeling, some sense of control. Was he still alive? He couldn't even be sure of that, except for the many real and terrifying thoughts swirling around his head. A head that was barely there, and had no shape.

He had to get out!

With all his willpower he struggled, terrified, not wanting to let himself be trapped in the darkness. He couldn't think straight. It didn't even occur to him that he knew the creatures who had just sealed him inside this dark chamber. Only one thought permeated his his entire being. Escape!

With a surge of might he cried out again, and - he heard it! There was sound! Color, smell, taste, he was aware of them all! He looked up and saw the ball flying away from him. He was back on the ground, and could once again feel the wonderful dirt beneath his paws. Thinking quick - or perhaps not at all - he jumped up. His eyes darted to the left, to the right, still in a terrified, instinctual surge of fear. He saw the fire lizard, the one who had just beaten him in battle. It tilted its head at him and Sparky felt a sudden restlessness spring up his paws, into his legs. He twisted around and darted down the path, into a bush. He fled.

************************************************************

Pleased with his clever maneuver, Charmander shot an ember, hoping to put an end to the battle quickly so that they both could recover. It had been a long fight. Sparky was a better battler than he gave himself credit for. He would be perfect on the team!

Sparky hit the ground hard as the fire hit him. He twitched. "Okay, Charmander, That's enough!" called Red. "Now's our chance! Here goes nothing!"

Charmander watched eagerly as Red threw his Poke Ball at Sparky, who made no attempt to avoid it. He winced with sympathy when he saw how badly the damaged his friend was, but he knew another trip to the Pokemon Center would fix that right up. He cheered silently as the ball rocked once on the ground, twice. It began to roch a third time, but then - Oh no! Sparky reappeared from the ball.

Had the ball rejected him? Was he not weak enough yet? Charmander was confused. Then he saw the look on Sparky's face. It was as if he had seen a phantom. He jumped to his feet and darted his eyes to the left and to the right. When he saw Charmander, it was as if some supernatural force had taken ahold of him. Seemingly possessed, Sparky twisted and ran away down the path.

Concerned, Charmander took a step after him, but Red held out a hand. "No, Charmander. Leave it be. It looks like it just doesn't want to be caught. That's too bad. I really wanted a Pikachu . . ."

With a jolt, he realized Red was right.

Sparky had gone with them to the Pokemon Center in Pewter, the city just beyond Viridian Forest. He had seemed completely freaked out by all of the humans around him, and almost refused to let the nurse bring him near the machine that would heal him. It was only with Charmander's encouragement that he had made it out in one piece. And when Red had suggested that they all tour the city together, Sparky had instead led them back to the forest.

Of course! It had not even occurred to him that Sparky had wanted to back out. He should have noticed how weird his friend was acting.

Why had he gone along with the battle? Sparky knew that this battle was supposed to end with him being the new recruit to the team. Why had he agreed to fight if he intended to flee?

The answer came to him instantly. Sparky really did try, but realized his fear at the last moment. He had said, after all, that he had never wanted to be owned by a trainer, that he had planned to remain a free bird forever. Or 'free mouse,' as he had put it. Charmander chuckled sadly.

He knew what had to be done. He had to respect their friendship.

And that meant letting him go.

Head hung despairingly, Charmander turned to his trainer and signaled that he wanted to go back into his ball. He was ready to leave Viridian Forest for good.

Red held out the Poke Ball with a sympathetic look, and Charmander was transported inside.

With the peace of the Poke Ball, his home, Charmander could dwell alone.

************************************************************

Finally! He was at last ready to start the first step of his adventure!

Red stood outside the Pokemon Center at the front of the city and looked around. It was a small city, almost as small as Pallet Town, though not quite. He looked at the brochure pamphlet he had gotten inside the Pokemon Center and planned his next steps carefully.

The first item on the list was the largest, and filled him with glee. There was a Pokemon Gym here! In large, stone-dark print, the notice said this: "You must first win the League Badge from Pewter City to gain access to Route 3. Fight hard and valiantly, an you may move on in your path as a Pokemon Master." This wasn't a problem. Red hadn't planned to leave the city anyway without first getting his badge.

Before he could do that, though, he wanted to check out some of the other things on the list. There was a Pokemon museum! Inside were fossils of rare Pokemon, said to be extinct. There was also a spacecraft that left some pretty interesting things lying all around Pewter City, most interesting of which were in Mt. Moon, just beyond the city.

He couldn't go to Mt. Moon yet, he reminded himself. But he could study up on what he should expect to find there.

There was also a mart in the town, which would be perfect for restocking his items, many of which had been depleted on his trip through Viridian Forest. He would have had to be a fool not to take advantage of this.

First he went to the Pokemon Mart, where he bought some more Poke Balls, just in case he should have another chance encounter with a rare Pokemon like that Pikachu his Charmander had seemed to make friends with.

He also bought some potions and some antidotes. Just in case he came to a similar place to the forest on the road ahead, he wanted to be safe. The poison from the bug Pokemon was dreadful. He paid for all of this with some money left over from home and and change he had found on the road.

Now for the museum!

He walked through the city, past some small houses and a nice, grassy park area. He marveled over how similar it was to Pallet Town, although instead of a Pokemon Laboratory, there was a Gym looming in the distance.

Patience, he told himself. He'd get there eventually.

He arrived at the museum and went inside. He was stopped by the lady at the front desk.

"If you would like to tour the museum, you must pay an entrance fee," she said in a bored voice.

"Oh! Yeah, of course . . ." He should've expected this. The museum wouldn't be free. But seeing as how the admission price was so small, he didn't mind paying it.

"Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your stay."

Red was amazed by the delectate bones and artifacts shown on display throughout the bottom floor of the museum. He went to a particularly interesting window behind which he could've sworn stood the fossil of a bird Pokemon, but for the huge, ripping claws, both at its feet and where human hands would be.

"What is this?" he asked of a staff member as he admired the huge wingspan and crushing jaws of the creature before him.

"Long ago," the man began, as though he had told the story a million times, "there were three Pokemon, and they were some of the mightiest of Kanto. They helped keep order and peace, and chiefed over all of the Pokemon living here. Two of these Pokemon," the man said, bringing Red to another window where he could see the fossils of what seemed to be a shell and a ripper, "were both of the sea. Scientists speculate that the amount of land present in olden Kanto was very small. The region consisted mostly of water and of water Pokemon. These two Pokemon governed both."

He brought Red back to the first window. "Now this here was the ruler of the sky. It had control over the wind Pokemon and all of the land above water, just the same as the two below. Together these three Pokemon worked as one to keep the land whole."

"What happened to them?" Red inquired.

"We don't know for certain. Some say that the climates in Kanto changed too much to allow them to live, and so they went extinct. Some go further still, saying that the responsibilities they shared were given to three new Pokemon, though we don't have any credible proof of this. The past holds many mysteries, some of which we may one day discover. But some we cannot, and will not ever know. We must keep faith that nature will guide life, both to certain ends and greater beginnings."

Red was silent, still stuck by the fossils, so life-like and powerful. He had never given so much credit to nature before in his life, but now he realized the wonders that were all around him. And this included these three magnificent beasts.

His thoughts were cut short as the man directed him upstairs. "My job is to stay down here and give people tours of the fossils, but please! Take a look at the exhibits upstairs. I'm sure some of your questions will be answered."

A whole new theme and sight greeted Red in the upper level of the museum. Outer space! He had always played with rockets and astronaut figures as a child, and he was eager to see a presentation.

Luckily, that was what was being given at the moment.

"July 20th, 1969! This was the date of the first lunar exploration. The rocket on the pedestal here is for display purposes only, but it is an almost exact replica of the original. The exploration team made it to the moon in a rocket just like this. Do you know what they found there?"

A little girl in the crowd piped up. "Was it Pokemon? I bet there were Pokemon on the moon!"

"That is exactly right." There were murmurs of fascination scattered throughout the crowd. "The first thing that the explorers saw when they left the rocket ship was a group of creatures, gathered around a single stone. They were chanting, almost as if giving life to it. Utterly oblivious to the human explorers, they allowed the team to study them and even take pictures."

"Where are these pictures?" asked a man standing in the crowd near Red.

"That is what is most mysterious," answered the presenter. "These Pokemon allowed themselves to be viewed. And when they were done with their ritual, they addressed the humans and showed no signs of aggression. They started what passed as a simple dance and even took the hands of an astronaut, allowing him to join. This went on for some time, and then, satisfied with the data they had collected, the researchers went home. But when they got back to Earth, all images of their exploration were gone."

"That's bull," scoffed the man, and some murmuring in the crowd seemed to agree with him. A few children laughed. "I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."

"Sir, please. I will have to ask you to leave if you cannot maintain a respectable attitude. As I said, the images were wiped blank, to the confusion of the research team. However, their notes were left intact. And so was this."

He stood to the side and the crowd gasped. A few "oohs" could be heard from the girls, for inside the glass case was a stone the like of which no one had ever seen before. It sparkled brilliantly, although there was no telling were the light came from. Colors shone in many directions at once, a hint one moment to strikingly solid the next.

"When the research team left, they were allowed to take with them a few stones and other artifacts. This is the largest of what has come to be called a moon stone. Only a few of these were collected, and they are shown in other museums throughout the region. You may observe the stone, but I ask that you refrain from touching."

He stood aside. "This concludes our session. I hope you all enjoy your stay, and please do not forget to collect your belongings."

There was sudden noise as people got up, some rushing to the "moon stone" to see it close up, and many talking excitedly with friends and family about what other mysteries where to be discovered on the moon and in the stone itself.

Mind buzzing with amusing speculations, Red got up to leave, but stopped himself as he came close to the man from earlier. The man was talking quietly into a walkie talkie, and Red couldn't help but overhearing.

". . . Did you hear that? Yes, it seems as if we were correct. They are hiding it in Mt. Moon. Do you . . .? Yes, sir. I mean, no, not . . . Yes sir. As you wish, sir. And what of the girl? . . . Of course. Yes,, sir. Rocket out." The man turned to see Red standing next to him and frowned angrily. "What do you want, kid?"

Red played dumb. "Oh I'm sorry, mister. I must've bumped into you. Excuse me."

"Stupid kids. You should watch where you're going," he sneered, and left the crowd. Red noticed a small, red R in the shape of a rocket at the bottom of the man's shirt as he walked away.

"What did I just hear?" Red wondered. He too walked away, in another direction, and left the museum.

********************************************************

"Challenger, I need your name and prior Gym experience."

Charmander stood waiting at Red's side as his trainer stammered, "My name is Red, and, uh ... well, this is my first Gym Battle."

"Very well, then you are allowed three Pokemon in this match."

Charmander could probably do it alone. He had to. He chuckled to himself.

"Items will be allowed and so will party shifting. The match is concluded when all Pokemon from either battler's party is defeated."

Meaningless information. It was just another battle. Charmander just wanted to get it over with.

"Are you ready?"

Red answered the affirmative and he was lead to the Gym leader.

"Hello there," Brock said lightly as Red faced him. I am your first Leader Challenge! Beat me and you will receive a Pokemon League badge. But first you have to get through my rock-hard Pokemon! Get ready to fight, trainer!"

Charmander bared his teeth, self-pity leaving him as he got ready for battle. Sparky? Who cared about the rodent? It was time to fight!

He stood impatiently, waiting for Brock to sent out his first Pokemon.

"Red! Prepare to face a power like none you've experienced!" said Brock as he threw a Poke Ball. It entered the field and out came a . . . rock?

Charmander almost fell over laughing. Rock? Brock? What a joke. As for the Pokemon itself, it looked weak. A jugged rock, the front wholly consisting of a face, with two arms sticking out both its sides, it wasn't much a force to be reckoned with. Charmander knew it to be called a Geodude, by Pokemon instinct, though he had never seen one before.

"Geodude, use Defense Curl!"

The Pokemon curled itself into a ball and seemed almost afraid of him. Charmander scoffed. This was going to be easy.

He landed a scratch, square across the side of the Geodude, without any difficulty at all. The Geodude was too focused on maintaining its defense to bother avoiding him. A hit! But -- ouch!! Charmander's claws raked upon solid rock, and the pain he himself felt was likely more than what the Geodude received. Claws stinging, he fell back. He wouldn't be trying that again.

"Now use Tackle!"

Still curled into a tight ball, the Geodude flew in to ram Charmander in the side. Thinking quick, Charmander retaliated with an Ember, but it did little damage.

He had underestimated the Geodude. It was so solid that not even his strongest attack could penetrate it. It was time for a plan.

"Have you had enough?" Brock asked. "The type-disadvantage here is overwhelming. And you only have one Pokemon. If you would like, rematches are accepted at this Gym, and you may come come back after you have trained."

Red scowled. "Don't count me out yet! Charmander, it's time to show this guy some strategy. Listen closely . . ."

Nodding, Charmander got back into position, ready for the next round of battle. This plan required perfect timing, and he needed to be focused.

"Are you ready?" called Brock. "Okay, Geodude! Use Defense Curl again!"

This went along exactly with Red's plan, and Charmander felt the giddy feeling that comes only with putting yourself in extreme danger. From the bottom of his lungs, he summoned a cloud of smoke, planning to distract the Geodude with a Smokescreen. It worked. The opposing Pokemon was surrounded by a cloud of black smoke that made it cough and cause itself to uncurl.

Now was his chance! Charmander flew into the Rock Pokemon and, right before he was sure to attack, stopped and started to wag his tail.

The Geodude was taken off guard by the Tail Whip and uncurled itself even more. Charmander took advantage of this. He had to be quick - the smoke around them was starting to clear . Attack! The type disadvantage was still present, but he could land a scratch without harming himself. It actually did a fair bit of damage. The Geodude had strong defenses with its defense curl in place, but beyond that it was weak.

As he flew back from the Geodude, Charmander tripped and fell over. Seeing its opponent's momentary distraction, the Geodude flew at him and landed a tackle. Panting, Charmander gathered up his strength. This was the plan. He sacrificed his own health to stop the Geodude from regathering its defenses.

He launched an ember out of his mouth and watched the Geodude jump as it was burned. Now! The Geodude was weakened by the fire, and Charmander went in for a final scratch.

He jumped away and the two stared at each other coldly. Who would hold out? Geodude opened its mouth as though to begin another attack, but then the burn took its toll. Ever so slowly, it fell and didn't move.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" the referee exclaimed. "Charmander is the winner!"

Red cheered and called Charmander over with a hug. "You did it!" he praised. "Now take this. It should heal you up for the next round."

Charmander took the potion and felt energy flow back into his body. He was rejuvenated.

"Very good," Brock observed. "Even with a type disadvantage, you still managed to take down my Geodude. But don't think this is over yet. My next Pokemon is much more powerful, and you only have your one. You have not even seen a battle yet."

"Bring it on!" said Red. "We can take anything you throw at us!" Charmander nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I admire your enthusiasm. But don't think that will save you. You haven't seen anything yet."

With that, Brock threw his Poke Ball.

And out came the hugest Pokemon Charmander had ever seen.

He shivered. This battle was nowhere close to being done.

To Be Continued