Gary was ready.

He’d prepared everything he could possibly need. Two changes of clothes, four sets of underwear, a towel and one extra pair of boots. Spare clothes were important, everyone said that. Then there was the survival equipment. A knife he’d secreted away weeks before. A compass and a map for navigation. That small pop up tent he borrowed from the neighbours two days before. Then there was the food. Four packs of berry buns, and three sachets of Normal type food.

It was all neatly packed away in his backpack.

Except for the most important of all, the pokeball. It was the key piece of his equipment, the only thing that made this trip possible. That was secured to his belt, something he’d borrowed from home. It wouldn’t be noticed. Both Dad and Hannah had so many spares.

The pokeball was the sign that he was ready. He found it one day - or it found him, rolling out in front of him as he explored the woods. He didn’t steal it. He called out looking for its owner but no one answered. The pokeball was for him. It was fate.

It wasn’t hard to sneak away. Dad was busy as usual. Hannah was in the city, but far too busy with her own Pokemon and friends to hang around. He saw her kissing a boy yesterday, which was eww.. but perfect if he needed a cover story later. Hannah would trade a lot to keep his mouth shut. As for everyone else, Viridian was a city, and no one paid attention to kids. No one even recognised him here.

The trip to the forest was the dangerous section. He was too exposed on Route 2. There were plenty of trainers around, and he skirted around them as best he could. It was fun in a way. Like the stories about Auntie Agatha’s in the war. All the trainers became Johto soldiers. He sneaked forward, hiding behind trees and ducking beneath bushes to avoid notice. He was deep behind enemy lines, one a very important mission to... capture a Cyndaquil! Yeah that sounded right! The Johtoans had lost it, and it was his job to recover it. It was no Charmander, but it was cool enough.

Gary sneaked through the Route, losing himself in the game. It was easier if he strayed from the path, walking deeper into the trees. It felt more real. After a while the forest grew denser, and he started to struggle to walk through the brambles and overgrowth.

It didn’t deter him, even as his legs stung from scratches. He was going to be a trainer. This was nothing.

The game fell away as he began to search for a Pokemon. An hour later, he found one.

It was such a small fuzzy thing, almost wispy at the edges.

“Huh.” Gary said, leaning in to examine it. The fuzziness made him think of Venonat, but the colouring was wrong. This Pokemon was darker and the fuzziness wasn’t from fur as much as a faint smokiness.

Gary grinned and reached for the pokeball at his waist.

He’d never seen anything like this Pokemon. He’d never heard of anything like this Pokemon. He hadn’t even read about - not even when he snuck into Dad’s lab and peaked at his research. Or his office to check on his files. Not once. Hannah had never bragged about seeing anything like this.

He could see it now. Returning back home, not to give up but to present a never seen before Pokemon. No - not home, to a Pokecenter where it could be registered and where people could hear about it. He would make Dad come to HIM to find out about this new discovery and for once everyone would be talking about-

An almost haunting cackle split the air, sending a shiver down Gary’s spine.

“Ooh,” Gary grimaced. “That was unpleasant.” He took another look at the Pokemon.

“Maybe you’re not a Bug type..” He pondered out loud. “Maybe you’re a Ghost or Dark.” Instantly his eyes narrowed and he scanned the forest around him.

“Aunt Agatha! If you’re here you have to come out!”

A bush shook and Gary twisted to stare at it. Disappointment at not finding a new Pokemon clashed with the thrill of victory as he spotted one of Auntie's pranks in advance.

“You promised!”

But a few, long seconds later the bush was still. No one came out.

A smile grew on Gary’s face. It was easy to ignore the embarrassment of a false guess with no one here. Really, how could she have been here? He snuck out earlier without telling anyone. Sis wouldn’t go back home till dinner time and Dad was busy with-

The Pokemon cackled again and Gary blinked. Right. The Pokemon. It would do him no good if he didn’t catch it. Everyone would just say he was making up a story again like the time he told them about the Dratini pond in the hills. They knew Dad had a Dragonite but they didn’t believe him about the clutch at all! They never believed him. This time he would show them, he would-

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Oh. Right. The Pokemon.

Gary inched forward, readying his finger on the trigger button. This should be easy. Baby Pokemon were meant to be easy to convince if their parents weren't nearby.

“Hey little buddy. How about you come with me? I can take you somewhere with lots of food.”

The small Pokemon shook a little.

Gary’s smile deepened. That was a yes right?

Gary was so focused on the little Pokemon he didn’t see what tripped him. The Pokeball went flying into the air. He went crashing to the ground.

“Ow,” Gary groaned, rubbing at his hands. Blood dripped from a nasty cut on his left palm. It was so much worse than the scratches from the thorns. An entire forest full of grass and he happens to land on a rock. He groaned. “I didn’t pack any bandages!”

Then his eyes widened. “No, the Pokemon!”

His dreams died before his eyes as he scanned the clearing around him. It was gone. All his hope of recognition, power, Dad seeing him for once. All gone. His fall and shout must have scared it off.

Groaning and holding back a whimper, Gary scanned the clearing. Nothing.

Where had his pokeball gone though?

Standing up a glint of light caught his eye. Gary walked around a bush and there it was. The red and white metal resting near the base of a tree.

“How did I throw you so far?”

He bent down to pick it up and noticed a pale cream at odds with the rest of the forest.

“Huh. What’s a Weedle doing here? And so small..” Gary tilted his head. “I thought it was too early in the season for babies.” It was why he’d left home at this time. He wanted a strong Pokemon, not something he’d have to nursemaid.

As Gary walked closer his skin started to prickle. The Weedle was very small. It was also slightly damp and there was a small piece of cream and green shell..

“Oh no.”

The Weedle wasn’t moving.

Gary barely had time to come to grips with this as the trees above started to buzz.

He didn’t have time to run as needles descended.

-.-

An hour later, a figure flashed into being a kilometre away, the powerful Pokemon that had transported him appearing beside him.

Samuel brushed a hand across his belt, rapidly releasing his entire team. His heart was frozen, but he was well practised at working while pushing that away.

The forest shuddered as their six cries bent the world.

“Find him,” Samuel whispered, barely able to bring himself to say that much.

When he returned home and found Gary missing... Only the looks on his old friend’s three faces and the assurance that they’d discovered a trace had kept him from falling apart.

Dragonite and Charizard took to the skies. Arcanine and Tauros to the ground. Exeggutor and Gyrados stuck with him, Exeggutor being able to search from afar, and Gyrados circling around Samuel carefully, feeling his emotions out of balance and wishing to protect him from them, as Samuel protected Gyrados from his own so often.

At Arcanine’s pained yowl, Samuel’s heart froze.

Pink spiralled without a word and Samuel was beside his shaggy monster. Arcanine whimpered again, pawing at the ground.

Samuel walked past him, too busy trembling to notice his friend's pain.

A small shape lay on the floor, torn to pieces by brutal strikes. There was so little to identify the body, he only knew it by the green of the jacket he’d gotten Gary for his last birthd-

Samuel collapsed to his knees, eyes burning.

“No, nonononononononoonono”

Shakily he pulled the small, still form to his chest.

“Gary. Gary. Gary. My son. My son Gary. Please wake up. Please. Please. Please.”

He didn’t notice the roars around him as his other friends arrived.

He didn’t notice as Arcanine curled up and buried her head in pain.

He didn’t notice as Gyrados and Tauros went on a rampage, crushing vast swaths of forest in their wake.

He didn’t notice as the temperature rose by hundreds of degrees, as Charizard, his starter, gave into his rage and the forest burned for miles.

He didn’t notice as the nearby swarm of Beedrill burned to ash. As resting colonies of Caterpie, Pikachu, Pidgey and Spearow were extinguished. As the eggs that lasted far longer began to crumple and disintegrate.

He didn’t notice as Viridian Forest’s ecosystem was forever changed.

He didn’t notice, shielded by a pink barrier and a dragon’s wings.

He didn’t care.

Samuel stroked his son’s beautiful face and cried. “I love you Gary. I love you so much.”

He didn’t care as the fire grew deeper and hotter. As the dying cries of a thousand Pokemon woke something. As from the flames wings took shape. As a burning screech split the air for a hundred miles.

Caught in their rage, three Pokemon heard the screech and answered with roars of their own. They were angry, furious. Three champions, more powerful than any other in the land, drew together to fight as one. But they couldn’t, not without the piece that bound them all.

In their rage they didn’t care.

“I’m sorry Gary. I’m sorry son. I.. I..”

Three champions met a legend. The fire was put out. The legend left.

Two champions returned.

Kanto, the world, became a different place.

Hidden from them all, a small wispy shape cackled.