Finding Red

12

"Nuria Ember! And just keep going! Don't let Totodile get close," Crystal shouted.

Red commented as Nuria began to pelt flames from her mouth, "Not the move I'd have made, but it could work. That Totodile could lean through the pain still, though."

"I need to train," she admitted.

The red-head scoffed. "Yeah, you do."

Red nodded in agreement. "We'll get there, don't worry. Just try your best with this fight."

Nuria began to pummel the Totodile with as many embers as she could. Crystal bit her nails while she watched the opponent's Pokémon try to muscle its way through the fire that so barely seemed to affect it. She felt the fear strangle her heart and watched as the Totodile took a millisecond of a step forward. She realized within that instant that the Totodile was going for a scratch.

"Nuria dodge it!" She cried out. "Then tackle."

The Totodile stepped in, prepared to scratch Nuria, but the fire-mouse jumped back, using the momentum of an ember to push her. The stranger cried out a command and the Totodile began to charge up a Water Gun. With clumsy strides Nuria tackled the Totodile as it began to launch its attack. The water-type hit the ground, and sprawled itself out in a way that obviously indicated that it was finished. The stranger returned his Pokémon.

"I won?" Crystal said in astonishment.

"You won," said the redhead with an annoyed look on his face as he looked off into the distance. "You shouldn't have won that battle. How much training have you done?"

She looked him dead in the eyes. "I haven't."

"Figures," he said as he rolled his. "I really shouldn't have expected anything less."

"What's that supposed to mean, thief? That's right, I haven't forgotten that you stole a Pokémon from my old boss's lab," Crystal said.

He shook his head. "I'm not a thief. And the name is Silver. I'd honestly prefer never to see you again, so just try to leave me alone, ok?"

"Hey! Wait! Not until you give back that Pokémon and apologize to those kids!" she shouted, as he took off.

He chuckled as he ran. "Never promised to do those things."

"What a butt!" Crystal screamed at the air as he vanished.

Behind her Red laughed. "That he is."

She turned around to look at the battle legend of old. He continued to smile for a moment more before looking at Nuria with a curious expression. He then looked at Crystal and nodded in the way the coach would nod at a quarterback. Crystal let him do his thing as she pulled out her map from her bag. Route 30 was long, almost as long as as Route 29, and did not get her to Violet City.

"What are you looking at?" Red asked.

Crystal shook her head. "It's a map of this route. It's very long."

"Don't tell me you're going to attempt the foolishness you did before? I would hate for you to pass out while you walk," said Red.

Crystal gave him a snarky look. "Oh yeah, sure, like I would actually choose to fall asleep when I'm walking."

Red looked back at her. "You're kidding me, right? This is coming from the girl who walked from her hometown to Cherrygrove City non-stop because she was afraid of the woods."

"Point taken," said Crystal as she took Nuria into her arms and began to walk.

The silence started as the two marched across more hills. Crystal felt the cool breeze rejuvenate her, cooling the sweat that had been perspired while she battled Silver. Her mind wandered to the mysterious trainer. She had encountered him in New Bark Town and he'd been so much friendlier. But now? Now she had no idea why he'd become hostile without cause. This was the second time he'd attacked out of nowhere. She stomped in frustration.