The next day...
Machine, Hakel, Kusa, and Yellow all uttered a sigh of relief as they reached the laboratory of Professor Elm. It had been a long trip but, they had finally made it to Johto. Their journey was going to be begin, right here and now.
"We... finally made it." Machine said, staring at the majesty that was Professor Elm's laboratory.
"Let's go see him." Hakel said, as they all nodded and walked up to Professor Elm's door and knocked on it easily. "Professor Elm, hello? Are you there?" There was no response coming inside the building. "Uh... Professor? Are you there? If you're wondering who it is, it's the Pokédex Holders from Kanto! We've come to introduce ourselves right before we embark on our journey!" There was still no response.
"Is he.... asleep or something?" Yellow asked.
"We won't know until we go in there, will we?" Kusa asked.
"It's locked, Kusa. There's no way to get in the damn place." Hakel responded as Machine scratched his hair, walking away from the group to look for another entrance.
As he started to walk to the back of the building, he saw something that could get them into the laboratory. "Ah-ha! Found it!" Machine turned back around and called to the others shouting, "Hey, everybody! Back here! There's an open window back here!"
As they all started to head back there after hearing Machine call to them, he turned around and saw... a young boy a bit younger than him, sprawled on the ground, unconscious. "Huh?" Machine asked as he walked over to the young boy, who looked as if he had endured a tough battle in the past couple hours.
"What'd you find, Machine?" Hakel asked, rushing to see what Machine was looking at.
"A kid..." Machine said, showing them that a young boy with a Billiard cue next to him was lying there, unconscious. "And he... looks like a Pokémon Trainer..."
"He looks hurt! What happened to him?" Yellow asked, as she put her palm onto his heart. "Let me see if can search his wounds for anything about what happened here..."
"Hey look!" Kusa shouted, noticing that a smoking ring was around them in the grass. "In the grass, there's signs that flames used to be here!"
"Oh yeah!" Machine shouted, as he knelt down to feel the leftovers from a ring of flames that was apparently here. Machine felt it and noticed that it was still kind of fresh with heat. "Guys, I think this kid was in a pretty tough battle. The heat coming from this circle is still pretty warm."
"That means the battle between this kid and his enemy was not too long ago!" Hakel shouted, snapping his fingers. "I got it! Do you think it could have been the Reddosuta Shikaku?"
"It's definitely a possibility." Yellow said, as she finished examining the boy. "But his wounds don't tell anything that we would find interesting. Apparently, he was hit from the back with an Elekid's Thunderpunch and was knocked unconscious from that point on."
"Does that mean you can still heal him, Yellow?" Kusa asked, wondering about the kid's safety.
"Of course. He just has a few scratches, bumps, and bruises, that's all. After I heal him, he should be just fine." Yellow answered, nodding to Kusa with a smile across her face.
"Fine then. Seeing as something obviously happened here last night with this boy, we might as well stay and see what he knows. He might know what happened to Professor Elm." Machine said, as he leaned against a tree and sat down on the soft grass that covered Professor Elm's backyard.
"I can answer that one." Another voice said, entering the area. They all turned around to see a young boy, who was bit younger than the unconscious boy, walking to over to them with a bump on his head.
"You can?" Kusa asked. "Who are you?"
"My name is Joey." He introduced himself and bowed. "I'm Professor Elm's professional assistant and I was doing my job until... well, I met the boy that you see lying on the ground."
"So, he distracted you from your job, I guess?" Hakel asked, as Joey nodded.
"Yeah, his name's Gold. He was actually helping me in some ways. But, when we got here, a young boy with red hair and a sarcastic sneer on his face appeared and stole Pokémon out of Professor Elm's lab!" Joey stated, shocking all the heroes.
"What?!" The four of them asked surprised.
"Yup, it's all true." Joey said, nodding to them. "I guess Gold got into a battle with him and lost, just like the rest of us were knocked out by him and his Sneasal."
"Sneasal?" Machine asked, taking out his Pokédex. The Pokédex almost instantly recognized Machine's voice pattern and recorded an entry for Sneasal.
Sneasal, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. The electronic voice said. Vicious in nature, it drives Pidgey from their nests and scavenges any leftovers it can find.
"Sounds like you had a hard time, eh, Joey?" Machine asked as Joey recognized the Pokédex he had in his hands. "What's wrong?"
"That Pokédex!" Joey exclaimed, pointing to it. "It looks like the Kanto version! Could you all possibly be... from Kanto?!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Hakel nodded. "We're the leading Pokédex Holders in Kanto! We actually came here to challenge the new Gyms and earn our place here in the Johto Region! We came to Professor Elm to introduce ourselves and then embark on our journey but... he's not there."
"Then you must be the Pokémon Trainers, Professor Elm was expecting! You were sent by Professor Pine right?" Joey asked as the three of them nodded. Yellow was too busy healing Gold's bruises to do anything. "Well, that's awesome. That's just awesome. I can't believe I'm actually meeting some of the Pokémon Trainers that defeated Team Rocket and brought it to its knees! You guys are like legends in Kanto! In Johto, I'd say, you'd be just as well known!"
"True, true..." Kusa said, as they all smiled. "We are pretty awesome."
"Anyway, you guys said you wanted to know what happened to Professor Elm?" Joey asked as Machine nodded for all of them. "Well, according to what I remember, before I was knocked out, Professor Elm had slipped on this icy floor that that boy and his Sneasal had made. Right now, he's in the hospital. Unfortunately, with no visitors."
"Damn and we, of course, get here after the action's over." Machine said, slamming his fist onto the tree there.
"Finished." Yellow said, as she finished healing Gold. "He should be all better now. In fact, he should wake up soon too..." Yellow and the others backed away from him to give him some space, as they saw his body begin to shake a bit. His eyes opened slowly and flickered a few times as they became used to the light.
"Hey, Gold!" Joey called to him, happily. "Are you alright man?"
"Joey...?" Gold asked drearily. "Where the hell-" His eyes opened wide, as he jumped up and grabbed Aibo and Exbo's Poké Ball's, searching for Silver quickly. "Joey! What happened to Silver? Where in the hell did he go? Did you see in which direction he went?"
"No, unfortunately not. He escaped before we were able to catch him." Joey said as Gold fell to his knees, and sighed in defeat.
"Well, whatever..." Gold said, looking to see four people standing behind Joey. "Hey, who the hell are you four? I've never seen you in Johto before or in... New Bark for that matter... Are you working for Silver and the people that attacked me?!"
"Gold!" Joey shouted, stopping him in his tracks. "They're not our enemies, Gold. They're actually pretty famous in Kanto after a certain event that happened over there."
"They're from Kanto?" Gold asked, pointing at them with his Billiard cue which he had taken from the ground without any of them noticing. "So... you guys seem to know me, but I don't you guys. Who are you anyway?"
"Actually..." Machine said, realizing what Joey had said was a bit over exaggerated. "We've never heard of you either. Joey here, was just explaining to us who you are and how you tried to defend the lab against a thief and... lost."
"Yeah... That's all true." Gold said, upset by the whole matter. "Honestly, I was just trying to get my backpack back from this one guy and get Exbo's friend back..."
"Exbo?" Kusa asked, as Gold threw his Poké Ball up into the air, releasing a Cyndaquil out of it. "Oh, Exbo! A Cyndaquil! I have one of those as well! Come out!" Kusa threw her Poké Ball up into the air, releasing her Cyndaquil in front of Gold's.
"It looks like you and Gold have the same starter Pokémon..." Hakel stated, observing who's Pokémon looked stronger.
"Do you all have your own starter Pokémon?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, of course. We all got ours before we got here." Machine said, calling out his Totodile next to Kusa's Cyndaquil. It danced around happily and then hopped onto Machine's shoulder. Hakel then called out his Chikorita, who hopped into his arms and nuzzled him with its head. "How did you get yours, Gold?"
"Well... I kind of took mine with Professor Elm realizing..." Gold said, laughing, however, he was a bit ashamed of doing that.
"It doesn't matter, Gold! All that matters is that you were able to get one!" Kusa said, patting him on the shoulder. "How about we have a battle against each other? That should lift your spirits!"
"You're right! Let's do it!" Gold shouted, nodding to Kusa.
A few minutes after a few short introductions from Machine, Hakel, Kusa, and Yellow, Gold and Kusa began their battle.
"Alright, you ready, Gold?!" Kusa asked, as Gold nodded to her.
"I'm ready whenever you are!" Gold responded, confident as ever.
"Right! Then let's start! When either of our Pokémon faint, that's when it ends!" Kusa shouted, as Gold agreed once more. "Let's begin then! Cyndaquil, attack!"
"Exbo, let's make this quick! Ember now!" Gold shouted, blasting a giant wave of flame from its back directly at Kusa's Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil dodge and use Tackle onto Exbo!" Kusa ordered as her Cyndaquil dodged the blast of fire at an alarming speed and then slammed its side into Exbo. Exbo went sailing backwards, surprising Gold that Kusa was such an amazing Pokémon Trainer. The rumors that he had heard about them must have been true.
"Don't think that just because you're awesome Pokémon Trainers who defeated Team Rocket that you can win against me! I'm on a whole different level!" Gold shouted as Exbo got back up, charging for Kusa's Cyndaquil once again.
"Exbo, Smokescreen now!" Gold shouted as Exbo charged forward and jumped into the air. Exbo then released a giant blast of white smoke that covered the entire battlefield, masking everyone's presence.
"Hmph." Kusa said, confidently. Everything was quiet within the inside of the smokescreen until they all heard something dash through the smoke. A few collisions were heard within the smoke, however, it was soon ended when a giant torrent of flame erupted out of the top of the smokescreen, blowing it all away instantly.
When the smoke cleared, Exbo had been defeated and Kusa's Cyndaquil had won the battle. "Alright! Nice job, Cyndaquil!" Kusa and Cyndaquil then gave each other a hug, happy that they had won their first battle in the Johto Region.
"Whoa..." Gold said, calling Exbo back to its Poké Ball, accepting the defeat. "That was amazing, Kusa. You guys are going to do very well in this Pokémon League. I have to hand it to you. You defeated me without even sending a command or even seeing your Pokémon. How did you do it?"
"Gold, if you haven't learned this by now, then I may have to explain what happened." Kusa said, calling her Cyndaquil back to its Poké Ball. "Pokémon are a special species, as everyone knows. I only won because my Cyndaquil felt what I was thinking through its own special senses. By interpreting what I was feeling, Cyndaquil was able to use its Ember attack and then create an even larger torrent of flame by spinning around on the ground. Exbo couldn't see or hear much of anything in that smoke, so essentially when you used that, it was your own demise. I only won because of my connection with my Pokémon despite the fact that I've been with it for only about a few hours."
"Really? Your Cyndaquil was able to feel what you were thinking through your own emotions and then use an attack according to that?" Gold asked, barely believing that any Pokémon Trainer could actually do that.
"Yeah, that actually makes sense, you know, Gold?" Joey asked, as Gold nodded. "Maybe you could learn a thing or two about Pokémon from these guys."
"You're right!" Gold said, still kind of disappointed that he lost. "Anyway, where are you guys headed off to now?"
"Hmm... Let's see..." Yellow said, taking out her Pokédex. "It seems that the closest city with a Gym is Violet City."
"Violet City it is." Machine said, nodding to his comrades.
"I guess that means I won't be seeing you guys for awhile." Gold said, as he shook their hands and turned away from them.
"Wait a second, Gold!" Hakel shouted, stopping him. "I have a question for you."
"What is it?" Gold asked as he turned back around.
"What was the name of that thief who stole Totodile's Poké Ball from the lab?" Hakel asked, almost forgetting to ask.
"What's it to you?" Gold asked.
"If we ever come across him, we'll have to defeat him. So, we'll have to know at least his name." Machine said, almost reading Hakel's mind.
"His name is... Silver." Gold said, almost hesitating to tell them. "And don't worry guys, I'll help you out with that!"
"You are? How?" Kusa asked.
"I'm going to become what you guys are! A Pokédex Holder!" Gold shouted, as the four of them jumped at the response.
"Gold... You realize it can't be done as easily as you're making it out to be..." Yellow stated.
"Why not?!" Gold asked, surprised by her remark. "That bastard Silver had one so why can't I?"
"Silver had one?" Machine asked. "How is that even possible?"
"I don't know but I guess he stole it. Just like his Totodile." Gold said, as the four Kanto Pokédex Holders sighed.
"That explains why Professor Pine contacted us right after we left Kanto telling us to, 'find new recruits'. The new Pokédex he invented must have been stolen and he wants us to find the person who stole it." Machine stated. "Silver must have been the one to steal it."
"So, you're saying Gold may be able to get one after all?" Joey asked.
"Yeah... But, not by himself." Hakel said. "Professor Pine is going to see that you're reckless and headstrong. Probably too much for your own good."
"Are you serious? I'm the most cautious person you could EVER know!" Gold said, as they swore they saw his nose grow a little longer than before.
"What the hell ever!" Machine said, poking him on his forehead. "If you don't go with us to see Professor Pine, you WON'T be able to get yourself a damn Pokédex!"
"Oh... okay." Gold said, pushing away Machine's finger. "But where do we contact him?"
"He's not in Johto right now, is he?" Yellow asked.
"No. He was here a couple of hours ago." Joey said, surprising them all.
"What?!" The four of them asked surprised.
"But we only left a few hours ago? How in the hell could he get here before us?" Kusa asked surprised as the rest of them.
"Did you guys take a boat here?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, why does it matter?" Machine asked.
"Oh okay, now I see." Joey said, nodding his head. "If you guys didn't know this, Professor Pine and most other people traveling from Johto to Kanto, take the Magnet Train in Goldenrod City. The people who want to come to Johto from Kanto use the Magnet Train that stops in Saffron City, I believe."
"Is that how he made it here before us? That train must be REALLY fast if that's the case!" Machine stated, as Joey nodded.
"Correct. The Magnet Train is incredibly fast. It travels between Goldenrod and Saffron in about... 340 miles per hour. He's probably here right now, in that case." Joey explained as the four of them sighed. "In Cheerygrove City, I think."
"That's not too far from here!" Kusa said, looking on her Pokénav's map, pinpointing the place instantly. "Let's go see him then!" Machine, Hakel, Yellow, and Kusa waved goodbye for Joey for now and headed on the road to Cheerygrove City. Gold followed after them, hoping that they would be able to convince Professor Pine to give him a Pokédex. He knew that would be the only way to keep up with Silver.