Pokémon: Journey of Legends

The road to Viridian City from where Vanessa met Misty wasn't exactly a long one, but it felt like an eternity nonetheless, especially after it started to rain and they still needed to get to the city. The girls were busy chatting about mundane stuff for some minutes, but neither of them could push off the worry they felt after seeing the flock of Spearow angrily flying toward the direction where Ash and Pikachu had gone. Hoping that they safely arrived at the Pokémon Center without trouble.

"Why are they following him like that?!" Misty asked as they got off from the shade of the trees they were hiding. "There are so many of them. I don't think I ever so so many Spearow together. Are you sure that these are from Route 01? It makes no sense!"

"Pikachu wasn't listening to Ash and refused to assist him in capturing a second pokémon, but Ash instead of figuring out their situation... Ash tried to capture a Spearow on his own to prove himself a worthy trainer," Vanessa tactfully explained, without taking her eyes off the direction where the horde had gone. "Without Pkachu's help, Ash decided to throw a rock right on the Spearow's head. A fight started after that, the Spearow was furious and instead of attacking Ash, he was resenting Pikachu. He cried out for help and the horde... you know the rest."

"No way! With a rock?!" Misty asked in disbelief. "He tried to defeat a pokémon with a rock?!"

Vanessa felt somewhat ashamed of herself for not managing to avoid that, she never expected him, or anyone, to try to attempt something so foolish, still, those two didn't deserve all of that response, she became thoughtful then, finally offering a theory as for why those birds were so mad, "I think that the Spearow that Ash and Pikachu fought was a hatchling, his egg must have hatched not very long ago... maybe he was the offspring of the leader of that flock? Alpha Pokémon and leaders of any kind are extraordinarily respected by social species like the Spearow and the Pidgey lines."

Misty looked grim at that notion and they were both silent for a while, finally, she said, "You two are lucky that there wasn't a Fearow among those birds that would have been... terrible. Do you think they are going to be alright, right?"

The black-haired girl hesitated for a second, the truth is that she didn't know, but she hoped for the best, "They must be close to the city already. Hopefully, the flock would give up their chase when they see a city full of trainers and the is a Ranger Office in Viridian too, they would not allow a rampage in the city. Ash and Pikachu will be alright... I know it!" 

"Yeah yeah, you're right, sorry," Misty said sheepishly, but before she could say anything else, her words died in her throat she watched a huge thunder strike in the direction they were going. "Do you that-that was... no way!"

"We need to start running!" The other girl replied in a hurry, as she started to run towards the direction of the strike. "We need to get to the city. Fast!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" Misty said as she ran after her.

Vanessa was tired, really tired. All the running was already bad enough, but under pouring rain and the anxiety of not being able to do anything if the flock got to Ash before he could get to the city was worse. She missed her grandmother's Alakazam and how he would teleport them to faraway places in an instant. Her dad's Clefable could do that too. Vanessa made a mental note of trying to add a member that could that for her and the team one day. 

The two girls ran, and ran, and ran, and ran some more. Until their legs felt like burning and they could barely catch their breaths, but when they saw something they stopped abruptly. The sudden rain had passed and the sun was out, but it was a mess. Vanessa was staring at the scene with a complicated gaze.

"Oh, no that that's my bike!" Misty exclaimed in shock, seeing her bike destroyed. "What-how?! I spent all my money on this thing! I-what do I do now?" 

"They did it!" Vanessa suddenly exclaimed, "That thunder was Pikachu's! They chase the horde off. They did it, Misty!"

The ginger girl seemed to finally remember the circumstances where she lent her precious bike and sighed heavily, she wasn't so mad anymore. "Yeah, yeah, they could have... and I was worried about my stupid bike. Sorry about that, I was being immature."

"Ah, don't worry about that, it's fine," Vanessa waved her hand in dismissal. "You should be mad, you lost your bike, but still... you kinda helped save their life and even lost something because of that, if you want I will be more than willing to provide you with a new one."

"Do you have any idea how expensive those are?" Misty asked, but not unkindly, just, genuinely curious.

"It's alright, I told you I owed you and your Pokémon one for what you did at the river," The black-haired girl replied with a firm tone. "When we get to Viridian we can work this out, don't worry. I am just happy they made it out and that you were there."

The ginger girl looked shocked for a second, before coughing awkwardly, obviously flustered by the recognition, cleaning her throat she said, "It was nothing. I did what any person would have done. A trainer should help another trainer in need, just like champion Lance always says." 

Vanessa laughed at her flustered reaction but did not want to tease the girl, now much more relieved, she finally stated, "We should get going, they would be at the Center. I want to have Magikarp checked up properly."

Just like that, the two girls made their way to the city in a much more steadfast way and soon enough they arrived. Viridian was a beautiful city in a different way than Lavender and Pallet were. The city was lively and bustling with pokémon and their trainers. The girls decided to immediately head to the Center and when they got there they found a tired Ash sitting in the waiting room.

"Hey, there, Ash," Vanessa called out to him, quietly so she wouldn't disturb the other trainers and pokémon. "How is he?"

"Vanessa! And... what's your name again?" The boy exclaimed but proceeded to sheepishly scratch his head trying to remember the ginger girl. "Thank you for helping us out."

"I'm Misty. How is your Pikachu? We found my bike on the way, is he ok?" The girl asked in return.

Ash's smile vanished and his look became one of worry, "I-I'm sorry about your bike... I-I don't have money to repay you, but I am gonna do it one day! Nurse Joy took Pikachu, he was in bad shape, but he is gonna be ok. I know it."

"Don't worry about it," Vanessa said, finally taking a seat next to him, the other girl did the same. "I will take care of it. She saved my life as well. I am glad Pikachu is fine now," The girl then, got up again as if she finally remembered something, "Sorry, I need to get to the reception. I need to have someone looked after."

"Did something happen to Shade?" Ash asked in concern. 

"Who is Shade?" Misty suddenly asked, visibly confused.

"Her Gastly! He is so cool! You should have seen how he used Mist and bought us time to escape!" Ash replied, gushing in admiration.

"No, Shade is fine," Vanessa laughed in response. Looking at Shade's Pokeball fondly, "I captured a new pokémon. We were helped by a Magikarp at the river and I asked her to join my team... I will introduce you to her later though. I bet she wants to know about you and Pikachu as well."

"This is so cool! Wait, how do you know it's a female?" The boy asked, genuinely confused.

"The barrels on the females are white and the males are pale yellow," Misty casually explained, but there was something off about her tone.

Vanessa nodded in agreement, "It's like she said. I'll be back in a minute."

"I am gonna go give Mom and Professor Oak a call," Ash decided. "What about you, Misty?"

The girl shook her head and dismissed him, "My pokémon are fine. I'll just wait here."

The girl left the other two trainers in the waiting area and walked her way to the reception. There she found a Chansey and a brow-haired man wearing a nurse uniform. 

"Good afternoon and welcome to the Viridian Pokémon Center. How may I help you?" The nurse said.

"Hi, I'm Vanessa and I wanted to have my Magikarp examined," The girl replied, "I caught her a few hours ago and I just wanted to make sure everything is alright with her. A full check-up, please. Ah, can you please register me as a challenger in the League, please?"

"Alright, wait a moment... ah, can I take a look at your trainer ID?" The nurse asked in a tone that gave away how many times a day he must have asked that same question. 

Vanessa gave her trainer ID and handed over Magikarp's Pokeball after she finished the registration process. Now, all she had to do was wait. She thought about joining the others right away, but instead, she went out to the training grounds. Finally, realizing her partner and mentally prepared herself for the earful.

"Gastly! Gastly!Gass!" As soon as Shade was released from his ball he started his tirade, furiously.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry I didn't let you battle, I didn't do it because I didn't trust your abilities. I did it because we could not defeat all of them at once," The girl listened to her mad best friend until he was done before he replied and argued her case. "And Ash and Pikachu are fine now. We met this girl, Misty, and she helped us out in the river. I-I also captured our new friend!"

Hearing about the river Shade was ready to start all over again, but he stopped and curiosity got the best of him, "Gassstly Gass?"

"Our number two is a brave female Magikarp!" Vanessa replied, but all she earned was looking at an unimpressed looking Shade, so she quickly added, "She willingly helped me and Ash from drowning, you know? She saved us and she didn't need to. After that, I offered her a spot on the team and she agreed... so be nice to her and be the great senior she deserves. She is new to this training stuff."

"Gasstly? Gass!" Shade looked ashamed of himself. "Gasss... Gastly!"

"It's alright, buddy. I'm alright, don't worry about it. You can't meet her yet, she is being examined now," The girl said, but then she reached for her new precious device. "Wait, I think the Pokédex scanned her after the capture. Let's see what it has to say."

[Magikap: The Fish Pokémon. Magikarp is an aquatic pokémon with large, heavy reddish-orange scales. It has large, vacant eyes and pink lips. Its pectoral and tail fins are white. On its back is a stiff, three-peaked yellow fin, resembling a crown. There is an identical fin on its underside. It also has long barbels that are white on a female and pale yellow on a male. A long-lived Magikarp can utilize its immense splashing power to leap high enough to scale mountains according to local legends. It also has a strong enough immune system to survive in the most polluted of waters. However, it is usually overlooked by Trainers because of its perceived weakness: even in the heat of battle, it will do nothing but flop around. It is believed that the ancestors of Magikarp were much stronger than modern Magikarp, and this led scientists to research this species.]

[Species: Magikarp

[Type: Water

[Gender: Female

[Ability: Swift Swim

[Moves: [Splash][Tackle][Fail]

Vanessa felt Shade's concerned look on her back but pretended she didn't. Instead, she stated, "Well, I am her trainer now. It's my job to make sure she is happy and learns to battle, just like I did with you, you know? I don't care what the Pokédex says, she is gonna be great. Plus... you will be there to help me take care of her while she can't defend herself, right?"

"Gastly! Gas!" Shade replied with an 'isn't that obvious?' look.

"Thank you, buddy. I knew I could always count on you," Vanessa said, earning a gentle nudge from her ghostly friend. "Ah, I signed up for the League. We are officially on the gym challenge. There is one here in Viridian, it's a ground-type gym the leader is a guy named Giovanni. What do you say?!"

"Gastly!" Shade replied excitedly with a determined look.

"Huh- sorry to burst your bubble, but the gym is closed, the gym leader is on indefinite leave and is not expected to show up for months," A voice said from behind her. Vanessa turned around only to see a boy, no older than her, with sandy blond hair and a frustrated disposition. As if feeling her curiosity he added, "I'm Andrew, but my friends call me Andy."

"I'm Vanessa and this is Shade, nice to meet you, Andrew," The girl replied, "Thank you for the info. I guess there is nothing we can do, buddy," Vanessa says to a now dejected ghost, "We'll leave for Pewter earlier than planned and start from there, it's not a big deal."

"Sorry, but- we are you two from?" Andrew suddenly asked, looking curiously at them. "I lived here my whole life and never saw a Gastly before, ghost types are rare."

"Well, we are from Lavender City," Vanessa stated, making the boy immediately have a sudden realization, the tower was very famous throughout Kanto so it was self-explanatory, "Are you a trainer too?"

"Yeah, that I am!" Andrew replied with a proud look in his eyes. "I am gonna become the best ground-type specialist in the whole of Kanto!"

"Gasstly?" Shade asked his trainer.

"Ground-type?" The girl asked, curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, Shade here wants to know what Pokémon you currently have and are you also on the circuit this year?"

"No, not this year. But I will do it next season and I will prove myself!" Andrew shook his head, "I only have one pokémon for now, my starter, a Sandshrew. But I want to catch more and build a powerful team and prove that ground types are the best!"

"Gastly!" Shade protested, making his trainer laugh.

"What did he say?" The blond boy asked.

"Shade thinks that ghost types are the best, that's it, but don't mind him too much, he is biased, you see?" The girl explained.

"What is your goal then? I told you mine. Do you want to be champion?" Andrew suddenly asked, making Vanessa stop in her tracks. 

"Yes, but not just that. I will be the best trainer that ever existed or will ever exist," She replied in a casual tone, "If I become champion I would have to be confined to Kanto and... I want to explore the world with my team, so I am not going for that spot anytime soon. There is just so much out there, you know? I gotta experience it for myself."

"Gastly!! Gasss!" Shade excitedly floated around.

Andrew looked at her with an odd look that turned thoughtful, he suddenly asked, "I want to challenge you to a battle!"

Vanessa looked at him and then at her starter who was definitely up for it, but she shook her head, "Not tonight, how about tomorrow? I had a rough day. I am just waiting for my second pokémon to be checked out and I am already taking too long to get back, I have to get back to the other trainers that I'm with and see how they are doing."

"Are you here with your friends then? Do you all travel together? I bet it makes it all the more fun!" He laughed wishfully in response.

This made the girl stop in her tracks and frown a bit, she was not sure if they were friends, even if deep down she already cared for Ash and liked Misty. Still, something told her that if she went with Ash, trouble would follow. She liked them all, but he was a rival in the league, just like Gary. Vanessa did not want to travel with him, not for now.

"I am not traveling with them," She quickly denied. "I like them, but Ash is competition, you see? Misty... I don't know very very well. My journey started only this morning."

The boy looked surprised at her addition, but quickly shook his head and said with a resolute gaze. He offered his hand for a shake saying, "It's a deal then, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Until tomorrow," The girl nodded in agreement as they shook as they said their goodbyes for the night, "Bye, Andrew."

"Bye, Vanessa. Take care, you too, Shade!"

"Gasstly!!" Shade said all too pleased with himself now that he had a battle scheduled thanks to the boy.

On the way back, Shade decided that he would rather shadow hop instead of returning to his Pokeball and Vanessa didn't feel like arguing otherwise. She found the others in the food hall. Misty was munching on a sandwich while drinking some soda. Ash was wolfing out a large pizza. Before joining them she bought herself a sandwich as well and some juice. 

"Ash was wondering if you registered for the circuit this year," Misty stated causally, earning a glare from the boy which felt curious about the other girl.

"Yep, all done. Unfortunately, the city gym is closed," Vanessa said taking a seat at their table, "What about you too?"

"I am gonna be a Pokémon Master so I am totally in! It sucks that the gym is closed though," The boy replied, obviously disappointed.

"I am gonna become the best water type specialist," Misty announced proudly, "but I want to learn more about water types. I left home so I could travel and better myself and my team. Still, I won't challenge the gyms or anything this year."

"My dream..." Vanessa hesitated for just a second, but feeling comfortable now that they had shared their dreams, she said, "My dream is to be the best Pokémon Trainer ever, find new pokémon and train them so they would become the best."

"So what are the plans now?" The ginger girl asked, not really towards anyone specifically.

"Pewter City is the closest place with a gym," The black-haired girl stated. "I am going there, but I'm not in a hurry. What about you two?"

"I'm going to Pewter too!!!" Ash excitedly said. "Wanna go together?"

"I'm following him until he pays for my bike," Misty announced, "I know you said you'd pay, but he was the one that destroyed it!"

"I said I was sorry!" The boy argued.

"Yeah, good luck to you two, and thank you for the invite, Ash, but..." Vanessa almost changed her mind looking at the boy's lost puppy eyes, but she hardened her heart. "I am gonna be a rival. I am sure we will always meet since our goal is the League, but I want to do this on my own. I will have to trust you, Misty, to make sure Ash and Pikachu won't end up in trouble again."

Misty snorted looking at the boy with a 'see, she trusts me more than you' sort of look which earned yet another hateful glare. Ash turned his attention back to Vanessa and finally nodded his head in respect and determination. Vanessa was happy that Ash respected her decision without fuss. Everything was fine until the alarms of the Pokémon Center started to blast and an announcement was made as the voice of a nervous woman echoed across the building.

[The Pokémon Center is under attack—a group of dangerous thieves. Do not engage. Find shelter and await for help!]

"Officer Jenny told me about them!" Ash exclaimed. "It's Team Rocket, we have to do something, I have to get to Pikachu!"

"Gassstly!!!" Shade stated furiously as he emerged from her shadow and startled the other two trainers.

Vanessa and Misty exchanged knowing looks. Magikarp was there as well, she would never let anyone steal her pokémon from her or any trainer. The girl was exhausted and it looked like she would not get any sleep soon. It was time to face the invaders and ensure they wouldn't steal any pokémon from the Cneter so she immediately said to the other two firmly, "Let's go!"