Pokémon Red (Book 2)

Sparkles

Red's POV

Pokemon Centre will always be my favourite sleep place. I woke up on the lower bunk, since Lyra feels way more comfortable on the upper one. I walked to the table and looked through the window near it.

The weather was pleasant, light and felt like it would rain. And rain is never great on the day you're gonna have a gym battle.

I clipped my Pokeballs onto my belt and walked outside. The month of July was finally here, and I was happy that soon this hot weather would not be a problem.

Lyra was downstairs already, prolly reading her magazines or something. I packed my bags and locked the room.

Going downstairs, I found out that she really was reading a magazine.

"We gotta move." I said.

"Wait, you're not planning to go to the gym. Are you?" Lyra asked, throwing off her magazine to the glass table in front of her.

"I'm not planning." I said. "I'm going."

"But, rainy day." Said Lyra. "Not good."

"I've been to a gym before like this. And I won the match with ease. And I'm gonna do it again."

"Here we go again, the grandpa trainer lectures." Lyra ignored.

I walked to the door and opened it. "You're coming or not?"

"Ugh." Lyra stood up in rage. "I don't even know why I'm traveling with you."

"Cause I'm the Kanto League Champion." I said, smiling.

"You were." Lyra gave a subtle grin and walked past me, outside the PokeCentre.

I felt bad, the way she said that. Well, nothing to be sad it's just because of the time travel, which...cannot be undone.

But I had several more chances, to regain that loss and I had one of them right in front of me– the Johto league and I had to win it. Whether it means defeating Giovanni's son or my own sister, whatever is the cost.

Olivine was definitely not a city. It was a living creature. So busy, every person seemed to be in a hurry. Most of the people I walked by were on office phone calls, good thing I didn't opted for anything except for Pokemon training, boring regular life.

And here we were, right outside the Olivine City Gym to win our 5th gym badge. The gym had no special features, it looked like a regular gym. I was unaware of this gym's leader or any of his Pokemon.

"This says." Said Lyra, reading a sign on the door. "Gym closed. If important - Olivine lighthouse."

"Well, our luck will finally run out." I said. "Okay, let's check out the lighthouse  then."

"What, are you crazy?" Lyra pushed me to the wall. "We are not going anywhere. I want a fun journey Red."

"I need you to understand that we already lost a month because of that little experiment of Team Rocket."

"But we still have two months."

"Are you even thinking clearly? Just two months, for 4 more gym badges, Lyra. Okay, let's calculate, we took sixty five chapters to get 4 gym badges. So another sixty five for the other 4 gym badges and that's a hundred and thirty chapters in total."

"What's your point, Red?"

"The point is, can we finish it in lesser time, let's say in another 20 chapters. Can we collect the rest of the gym badges within another 20 chapters?"

"That's impossible!"

"Yes, I know that very well. That's why we need to do that. Pokemon league starts in the second week of September. Right now, is the second week of July. Exactly two months."

"That's one heck of a challenge."

"It is. The question is – are you willing to take it?" I asked, walking towards the lighthouse which was in a visible distance.

"Do I have a choice?" Said Lyra, walking behind me. "What about the rain?"

"Do you actually believe that?" I walked briskly towards the lighthouse. It was visible but not that close. It was located on the other part of the city.

I walked inside and towards the first person I saw. The guy looked like a sailor, amd wore the exact uniform that the sailors from S.S Anne were wearing.

He was sitting on a couch and was continuously looking at his wrist watch.

"Excuse me." I said. "Do you know where the I can find the Olivine City Gym Leader?"

"Where?" The sailor asked.

"No, I'm asking. If you know where he is."

"She is on the top floor, use the lift." He pointed at the lift and Lyra quickly pushed the button.

We got inside. "Thanks." I said, pushing the button for the top floor.

The elevator doors opened and a girl was seen, along with her Pokemon. I would've pointed the Pokedex towards it, but she didn't look well.

"What happened?" Asked Lyra.

"Sparkles has a medical problem, I was just waiting for her medicines to arrive but they saw their delivery man is on a vacation." Said the girl.

"We were looking for the gym leader."

"I am the gym leader. My name is Jasmine. And, sorry I won't be able to battle because Sparkles isn't well."

"Um, can we help in some way?" I asked.

"Only if you could bring her medicines from Cianwood City. It's not that far and there's also a gym there, so you'll anyways go there."

"Okay, we'll get her medicines." I said.

"Thank you. I'll give you the details, what's your PokeGear number? And aren't you both late? Cause a few trainers came about two months ago to battle."

"Yes we are." Said Lyra. I handed my PokeGear number to Jasmine.

"Thank you, I'll send you the address." Said Jasmine. We walked inside the elevator and pressed the ground floor button.

We silently stood in the the elevator, thinking about absolutely nothing.

"Where is Cianwood?" I asked.

"You have to cross route 40 and 41, both are in water. Do we have a Pokemon on which both of us can sit?"

"Ditto. Transform into a Lapras." I grinned.

"Great!"