Pokémon Red (Book 2)

Head To Head

Red's POV

I stood outside a house. A house I was supposed to be outside. Professor Oak had told me to go to a man named Kurt, in the belief that I would deliver him the GS Ball.

Last year, I messed up real bad. I found the GS Ball in Rock Tunnel and delivered it to Oak using Lavender Town Pokecentre machine. Unfortunately, it was sent to Professor Ivy, who lived in Orange Islands.

Just to fix my mess, a trainer I already knew, Ash Ketchum, was sent to the Orange Islands to get it. Now, he delivered the GS Ball to Kurt a few days back.

I looked at the old unpleasant home. I remembered those old nineteenth century films in which the houses had almost the same appearance.

I walked to the front porch and rang the rusty bell and started to tap the wooden floor with my feet impatiently.

The wooden door of the one storey house was opened by a five year old girl.

Her face was light peach. She wore a cotton pink t-shirt with blue denim shorts. Her nicely combed hair were the color of a newly grown coconut.

She looked at me in surprise. She hurried out and took out her mobile from her pocket. 'Can I take a selfie with you ?'.

I hesitated, being famous was a real problem. Almost everyone I met knew me. No one knew Blue, only because he came second. Coming second was no big deal, if only I was second, my life would've been much better.

'Hello, I am looking for someone named Kurt', I said, looking at the name plate on the main door that said - Kurt.

'Oh', said the girl. 'Grandpa, the Indigo League Champion is here to meet you'.

It was too overwhelming for me that the girl knew who I was exactly. Moreover, Oak sent the GS Ball to an old man ? To do what exactly ?

What could an old man in a small house probably without any equipment do ?

'Send him in, Maisie', said the voice of the old man. The voice was commanding.

I walked inside the old house. I could figure that many generations had lived in the very house. But the house outlived them because of its concrete lifeless body. Some of the windows to my left were broken. The rest remained yellow and shady by time.

The floor was dark oak, with non-uniform polishing at places. The walls looked newly painted, but the paint could also be seen on floor near the walls.

If I ever entered the house at night. I wouldn't be coming out in one piece. Or maybe I won't be coming out at all, who knows ?

At my left was a parlor where an old man sat on a rocking chair. He smiled at my face as soon as I looked at him.

'Come on here, please take a seat', he said, gesturing his hand to a couch in front of him.

I walked to him and quietly sat on the couch. He looked at me, then at a table between me and him. I realized he wasn't looking at the table, he was infact looking at a box kept on that table.

'That box contains the mysterious Pokeball', said Kurt. 'Or the GS Ball as you call it'.

I crawled my fingers on the table towards the box. But Kurt blocked me and snatched the box away. He looked at me with trust.

'I am counting on you, kid. Keep the box safe, let no one touch it. Keep it away', said he. 'And do not open the box'.

I felt strange. I had a bad feeling about it. 'Why ? What is inside the ball ?'.