Chapter 21

"Come on!" Red yelled. "Let's get inside, quick!"

He charged through the rain with only his Ivysaur at his side. Both splashed through puddles formed by the precipitation as the droplets bore down. Selven was enjoying the shower far more than his trainer was. His entire body was drenched in cold water while the sky was pitch black, lightning crackling in the background. The wind in front of Red was picking up speed and strong enough that he would have to avert his eyes.

"I feel kind of good about this!" Selven yelled. "This storm reminds me of when us Bulbasaur would get to soak in pools of water!"

"Yeah, Grass-types can get a kick out of the rain!" Red cried. "Us humans don't like it so much!"

Everyone but the Grass-type had been given terrible wounds from their wild encounters. The wild Pokemon near Cerulean City were more fierce than those near Pallet and Pewter. That one month of training Red had spent having his Pokemon fight the wilds on Route 9 was more dangerous than the entirety he spent training in the wilderness between Pallet Town and Pewter City. It was the only reason he could rival Misty in power. But the result of traversing through such a harsh area had left Leta, Cinder, and Hurzer nearly dead from their battles with wilds trying to get to Vermillion.

That meant Selven was the only one of his Pokemon that could be out to protect him from any wilds that might snag a vulnerable human. They had to fight off wild Pokemon during their two weeks of travel on Route 5 before nearing Route 6. It would have only been one week of travel had the wild Pokemon in this area not been so fierce, meaning Red had to use all of the spray medicine he bought at Cerulean to heal his Pokemon throughout the week. He no longer had any medication to spare. But that all changed once he saw a series of large houses with a fence.

"Look!" Red said as he pointed to the buildings. "There!"

"What's that place?" Selven asked.

"It's an official Pokemon Daycare!" he said. "The old couple that lives there are professionals who take in trainers' Pokemon to raise them and become stronger!"

"Are you going to let one of them take us in?" Selven asked as he raced through the rain?

"No!" he said. "But they're known to take in trainers for a few nights! We can take a rest from the rain there! I've been waiting for us to get here! The map on my Pokedex says that near here is the end of Route 5! They usually have medicine to heal up traveling trainers' Pokemon!"

However, on approaching the Daycare's buildings, something immediately looked wrong. Contrary to what Red knew of the Daycare near the end of Route 5, no Pokemon were visible within the fences' confines. Two of the three buildings within the Daycare had their doors ripped off their hinges, while the other was wide open. Part of the roof on the two buildings caved in.

"What?" Selven asked. "Red, this place looks-"

The trainer ran towards one of the buildings to enter, gasping at the sight. Dead bodies of Pokemon and humans littered the room, Red noticing he was stepping in pools of fresh blood as he entered. They wore green uniforms that Daycare workers that Red recognized from photographs in geography class and Team Rocket uniforms. Pieces of the walls had been torn off or burnt to ash, and water fell in from the holes in the roof.

"What the-?" Red said. "This is insane! Selven, check for survivors!"

The Ivysaur walked to the nearest body while Red did the same. He checked the pulse of a young woman with a large gash in her body, presumably made by the killed Scyther near her, to find she was dead. He did so with two other workers to find they were no longer among the living.

"No one looks like they survived to me," Selven said. "What could have happened?"

"Team Rocket," Red said. "But I've never heard of them attacking a Daycare Center. It's well fortified, considering the Kanto military uses them to train Pokemon used in war. I know Team Rocket's been active in the areas near Cerulean City, but this...I never expected this."

"Red!" Selven said. "We need to check the other buildings! There may still be survivors!"

"Good thinking," Red said.

They ran out of the building before rushing through the rain into the other house with the door torn off. Inside was mostly the same thing, blood, dead bodies of Daycare Workers, Rockets, and Pokemon, and damage to the internal structure of the building. However, something worse lurked in the corner. Hostages lined the back of the room.

Bound with ropes were nearly a dozen workers, some looking as young as Red was, while the elderly couple that ran the Daycare was also tied, most gagged with either tape or rope. Against the wall was a large tub of Pokeballs, big enough to contain hundreds. And in the rightmost corner of the room were two trainers dressed in Rocket uniforms.

"Who are you?!" the black-haired Rocket grunt said before she turned to her partner. "Greg, I thought you said the storm would be enough to deter everyone until tomorrow!"

"I didn't know some random kid would just burst through on a stormy night!" the red-haired male grunt said. "Get off my case!"

"What did you two do to the Daycare?!" Red demanded.

"What do you think we did?" the female grunt asked. "The boss had been planning to burglarize this place for ages. The storm allowed us to do so."

"Yeah," Greg said. "Of course, storming this place with all the strong trainers guarding it was a little harder, so we were the only survivors. But we got some good Pokemon and trainers out of it, and we were waiting for the storm to lighten before making our getaway. So... will you agree to come with us, or will we have to take you by force?"

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"Don't give him the opportunity!" the female grunt said as she plucked a Pokemon from her belt. "Use your uninjured Pokemon! Go, Tauros!"

Emerging from the flash of light was the Wild Bull Pokemon, roaring as it stomped its roof against the linoleum with enough force to shatter the tiles. The male trainer sent out a Dugtrio that immediately dug its bottom claws into the tiles below, piercing through the floor beneath it. Once it was rooted firmly into the ground, it glared on. Red froze in panic, unsure of what to do at first. He looked to his Ivysaur, who was just as paralyzed with fear as he was.

"Sorry, Marge," Greg said. "This is my last Pokemon."

"My Tauros is my last one, too," she said. "But it'll have to be enough."

I can run away if I hurry. Red thought. I can lose the Rockets with less visibility in the storm and get out of here. But...but if I do, the Rockets will enslave these people.

He shook his head.

No! Red thought. I said I'd do my very best to keep my Pokemon safe! If I stay here and fight, I have no shot of winning! Selven's my only Pokemon that's healthy enough to keep fighting, and this is two against one! It would be foolish to stay here because if I lose...they do too!

He attempted to gesture to Selven and flee before remembering what Leta told him after he let Kevin go.

If you cared about us. She said. You would never have done that in the first place...you confused providing for us with being our friend. And a real friend would never do that.

Her words pierced through his mind. It was what Cinder told him as well. He was not a good person who genuinely bonded with anyone, even if he had been one in the past. Red only saw people as stepping stones in his quest to become the most powerful trainer to prove to his childhood bullies that he was worthy of living. And if he fled now, Cinder would be right that the compassionate person he once was could never return.

You're no longer that boy. His Charizard said. You're no longer the person I cared for. The ambition you had of surpassing your father...it went to your head and...it poisoned you.

Well, I'll prove you wrong. Red thought. Right here and now.

"Selven!" he said. "Scatter Poison Powder throughout the room!"

"But that will kill even the innoc-" Selven replied.

"I know what I'm doing!" Red shouted. "Just do it!"

The Ivysaur obliged. Selven forcefully expelled a cloud of dark green pollen from the small opening of the red-petalled bulb. The prehensile leaves growing from the base of his flower stem flapped the pollen at his opponents across from them and the entire room.

"Useless!" Greg cried. "Dugtrio, use Sand Tomb!"

The three brown heads emerging from the ground began spinning at his order at a full three sixty degrees. As soon as the Mole Pokemon circled in place, a wind column of dust enveloped it before towering above it. The Dugtrio suctioned the green pollen into the whirlwind of the soil before disappearing into the vortex.

"B-but!" Selven cried. "How did-!?"

"One of Dugtrio's defenses against ranged moves is to suction it into its Sand Tomb that forms a tornado of sand," Red explained. "This especially works if the said attack is a Poison move as Ground-types can neutralize or filter toxins. Spending time studying the Pokedex entries of various Pokemon gives me information on each Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses and how to exploit them."

"But if you knew Poison Powder was ineffective," Selven asked. "Why order me to use it?"

"A diversion," Red said.

"What?" the Ivysaur asked.

"Tauros!" Marge shouted. "Take Down!"

The Wild Bull Pokemon grunted before barreling towards Selven at full speed. As its three tails whipped itself, Red's fear intensified as he knew that meant that the Normal-type was spurring itself on. Traveling at such speeds, he knew Leech Seed could be knocked away, like Misty's Starmie using Rapid Spin and Vine Whip did not have the physical strength to stop such a beast. Luckily, Red didn't need sheer force to slow down the Pokemon.

"Razor Leaf!" he shouted. "And put some spin on it!"

An astounding amount of fern leaves sprouted from the base of the Ivysaur's stem, the foliage quickly shooting from his back into fully developed plants. As soon as they were fully grown, Selven swung the leaves back before detaching them from his body. The swinging motion caused the leaves to spin in midair.

He had now weakened the Tauros. Not all of the leaves damaged the Normal-type. The effectiveness of their power depended on where they struck the Wild Bull Pokemon. The Razor Leaf that hit the front of its body mostly bounced off without cutting much skin. Red expected that such an object moving at such speed could use to deflect thrown objects.

But the cloud of leaves that blasted forward did more than strike its head and shoulders. The leaves that spun to hit its legs and the sides of its form left gaping wounds that caused massive blood to gush out. The ruined floor of the Daycare was dyed red with the Pokemon's blood as it began to stumble more than charge at Selven. However, it nevertheless continued running at the Grass and Poison-type.

Razor Leaf is a versatile move that a trainer can use in different ways. Red remembered reading from the PokeDex entry. If the user shoots the sharpened leaves straight at the target, it will give it a stabbing motion, like an arrow. However, the spinning leaves usually have a more slicing movement, cutting different materials better. I guessed that the Tauros would deflect the stabbing leaves while the spinning leaves would be more effective. It looks like I was right.

"Use your Petal Dance to form a shield!" Red ordered.

Selven's petals began duplicating before detaching from the top of his flower stem. The red flowers swarmed forward, flying through the air elegantly before forming a closed gate in front of the Ivysaur. The barrier of interweaving streams of red flowers locked into place for the Tauros to collide against. Selven stumbled backward from the physical force of the Take Down despite the Petal Dance cushioning the blow. However, the only damage Selven took was a pricked forehead.

"Now use it to bring him down!" he ordered.

The chains of interweaving petals came undone in front of the Ivysaur. The flying flowers spiraled around the Tauros. They wrapped around every one of the Tauros's legs and entire body as they pummeled its skin at high speed. The wounds caused it to roar before collapsing onto the ground, wincing in pain.

"Oh-oh no!" Marge shouted. "G-Greg! Do something!"

Red then turned his attention back to the Dugtrio. The Mole Pokemon was beginning to wind down the Sand Tomb just as the Tauros collapsed. Red was surprised at how fast the Dugtrio could filter that much Poison Powder. Even knowing it was one of the few Ground-types renowned for its speed, seeing it in practice was different. However, it was too late to do anything now.

"Petal Dance the other Pokemon now!" Red shouted.

The Ivysaur took no time to waste in sending the petals through the air to spiral around the Dugtrio. Usually, the Mole Pokemon would bury itself in the ground to escape, but there was too little time to react after just using Sand Tomb. The red petals enveloped the Ground-type in a spiral before enclosing it. When the Ivysaur withdrew the flowers, its body was gray as the plant material had sucked away much of the nutrients from its body. Confidence filled Red as the Dugtrio's three heads fell limply to the ground.

"Wh-what?" Greg said. "We lost!"

"How-?" Selven asked. "How did you-?"

"Simple," Red said with a smug smile. "I've been researching the basic techniques of Pokemon within the Kanto region and took it into account. Dugtrio using Sand Tomb to filter all that poison meant it couldn't attack me simultaneously. Bringing Tauros down was the hardest part, but I figured the spinning Razor Leaf would be enough to deal no damage when using Petal Dance to shield yourself. Fighting two against one isn't hard for the other if two can't attack simultaneously. Half of winning any battle is knowing what your opponent will do. The other half plans to counter it accordingly."

"Wow," Selven said. "Pretty smart."

Yeah. Red thought. Just like Lance would do.