Skidding to a halt in front of the Pokémon Center I walked inside trying to level out my breathing. It seems Team Rocket was keen on getting what I won from them back. Not that I'd allow that. Digging into my pocket I pulled the card with my check in number and dialed it into the video phone the furthest in the back. I sat down and sighed listening to the ringing trying to calm down. I nearly didn't notice Lance picking up his face was lined with concern when I didn't respond immediately when he said hello.

  "Hey Lance, I know you didn't expect to hear from me on the first day."

  "You're right, I definitely didn't and am curious as to the reason for it." He got comfortable in the chair and smiled. "You are calling from Celadon City Pokémon Center. I take it you had some first day jitters?" He chuckled a bit. "I had something similar happen to me. It isn't that uncommon."

  "Do you have a way to check my registered Pokémon?" I ask deciding to push the conversation forward to why I called. It wasn't like I didn't want to hear about Lance's journey, but the reason I called is not a social one.

  "I do." He responded immediately his brow furrowing slightly. "I guess you'd like me to take a look. Go ahead and slot your Pokédex in the slot to your right and I'll be able to see the data." I did as he asked, and he started typing on the keyboard in front of him. The surprised look on his face would have been comical if the situation wasn't so serious. "Explain." His voice got serious it was a drop in tone and his eyes narrowed.

  "Celadon Game Corner." Those three words got his full attention. I continued to explain from there. "I headed there after registering for the circuit. I was going to attempt to play for an abra. Having a Pokémon with the ability to teleport away from danger was the overall plan. Paying a little money to get a get out of danger card to play would have been worth it. Although I ended up getting much more than I expected to get due to some kind of event that was going on. Apparently, today is something that happens every year just like the start of the League Circuit. The prizes were extremely different and had extremely high price tags. Dratini was forty thousand coins, and each TM was an exorbitant amount as well. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a go and try to get something out of it. My goal was a Chansey at ten thousand but then I hit the Grand Jackpot getting me a stupid number of coins. I figured that it be best to cash out nearly all the coins I had because I was leaving town later today."

  Lance hand his hands folded under his chin with a faraway look on his face. "I see, so you ended up calling me because something managed to concern you about what you got or what happened as you left the Game Corner?"

  "Yes," I say nodding. "I was being followed after I left. I managed to lose them by cutting around a corner and bolting here. I don't remember seeing either of the two inside the Game Corner, so I doubt they knew anything about that unless someone from the Game Corner itself told them who to look for."

  "That is actually concerning." Lance started to type on his keyboard again seeming focused on the screen in front of him. "It seems you weren't the only one who has reported being followed after leaving the Game Corner after winning big. They end up mugged not too far away from the Game Corner. I'd think it's a coincidence, but there was an interesting report that crossed my desk a few months ago. Several Eevee and Eevee eggs were stolen form a breeder. The case is still open and has no leads. If whoever stole the Eevee is connected to the Game Corner and is pawning them off as prices to make money. Then when someone actually wins, they call someone to tail them to steal back what was won it keeps the prize pool full. That however brings into question who is the owner of Celadon Game Corner?" He started mumbling to himself too quiet for me to hear as he starts clicking and typing away trying to piece things together.

  I do my best to keep myself from smiling, Lance is getting suspicious of the Game Corner and that's good for me. Should he end up gathering evidence a bit earlier then the region will be a bit safer for me to run around in without too much trouble. I wait for a few minutes as he continues his information dive.

  I clear my throat snapping him from his digging around. "I don't really think staying here in Celadon is safe for me."

  "I'll have an Alakazam pick you up and take you to Viridian City Pokémon Center. I'll be sure to alert Erika and officer Jenny to a criminal element in Celadon. Until then you should probably send over the locked Pokéballs. I'll have them sent over to my folks."

  "If at all possible, could I maybe give some of these Pokémon a home that they will be given the attention they deserve. I know I'm not experienced enough to handle all of them yet maybe four at most right now... I am going to stick with my starters, a Chansey, and Porygon. I want to keep my focus small until I get a few badges."

  Lance nodded a look of understanding on his face. "I feel that. I didn't expand my team past four until I had to at the sixth gym in Johto. Steel type Pokémon are no joke. So, you plan to send the rest over?"

  "Yeah, for now. I plan to talk to them and find out if they want to battle at all. I won't be able to train a Pokémon who doesn't want to." I say pulling the two other balls that contain Eevee off my belt I set them on the transporter one at a time. Each one vanishes in a small flash of white light. I open my bag and place each ball that has a Pokémon in it on the transporter each vanishing in the small flashes of white.

  "Oof that's quite a few Pokémon I wonder what Grandfather will think." Lance chuckles rather amused. "Looks like the Alakazam is there for you. I'll see you when you check in next. Keep yourself out of any more Game Corners, will you?"

  I chuckle a bit myself before nodding, Lance having ended the call just after. I collect my Pokédex from the slot it was resting in and put it in my jacket pocket. Moving towards the entrance of the Center I spot the Alakazam waiting for me. The whiskers are shorter, so this Alakazam is female. Just one of the little things I remember from the games. I nod to the Alakazam, and she nods back. A faint glow of her eyes and a flash of light I find myself in a new location.

  The Alakazam's mastery of the move Teleport must be out of this world. Usually there is some discomfort the first few times for someone who has never teleported before. I offered my thanks to the Pokémon and it teleported away and likely back to wherever Lance had requested it from.

  Getting a better look around the area it is reminiscent of the show I watched as a child. Specifically, where I'm standing in front of the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Meaning if things go according to what I know, Ash and Misty will show up here at some point tonight and Team Rocket won't be too far behind. I wonder if I were to head south, I could spot Ho-Oh. Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!

  Opening up my Pokédex I snag one of my newer Pokéballs from it. While I'm heading there, I should get information about my newest members and meet them more formally tonight. I should camp out instead of dealing with the mess that will happen at the Center. While heading south I listen to the Pokédex speak in a robotic like voice.

  {Porygon the Virtual Pokémon. A man-made Pokémon created using advanced science and technology. It's unique make up allows it to enter devices like computers and freely move around cyberspace. Porygon is a Genderless Pokémon, at a height of 2'7" and a weight of 80.5lbs. Its known moves are Tackle, Conversion, Thundershock, and Sharpen.}

  Replacing Porygon's Pokéball on my belt I grab Chansey's ball and scan it.

  {Chansey the Egg Pokémon. Chansey are few in number and very difficult to capture. Chansey are said to be bringers of happiness and good fortune, and while this has not been proven scientifically several trainers agree that it's true. Chansey are always female, at the height of 3'7" and weighing in at 76.5lbs. Her known moves are Pound, Copycat, Defense Curl, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Charm, Covet, Minimize, Tail Whip, Echoed Voice, Life Dew, Sing, Aromatherapy, Gravity, and Seismic Toss.}

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  I look at the monster of a Chansey's ball and clip it back to my waist. She might just be the strongest Pokémon I have at the moment. Three of those moves are definitely not normally learned by level up so it's likely that it was bred in captivity. I just hope the two of them will be amenable to me being their trainer.

  Moving my way out of town I pass by Officer Jenny getting stopped for my ID. Opening up my Pokédex, she gives me as smile and waves me off telling me to be careful because it's supposed to rain soon. I nod and start jogging toward Pallet Town. It couldn't be too far from Viridian given Ash could run from where he crashed Misty's bike, and Pikachu fried the Spearow with a Lightning supercharged thunder shock.

  I sequestered myself under a tree with thick branches and leaf coverage. The sky is actually rather clear. I could go ahead and meet my new members and maybe let the two of them meet Eevee and Dratini. Now that I have multiple of the same Pokémon, I should give them nicknames so they and I don't get confused. I think I'll start with Porygon.

  Meeting Porygon was rather underwhelming. It seemingly was neutral at first, but it did make a few happy sounding noises when I said I was its new trainer. I asked it about battling and it made another what I can only assume as a happy sound. Perhaps it was okay with anything? A man-made Pokémon indeed. It's like a cybernetic puppy, happy and willing to help however it can. "I think I'll name you Prometheus." Prometheus made an odd sounding chirp but responded positively when I used its name.

  Chansey was an interesting occurrence. She seemed rather intense once she was out of the ball. She looked really angry, but the look was replaced with confusion. I explained who I was and how I ended up with her. She seemed to relax a bit letting me look her over and pat her head. She must have been a menace for the Rocket's attempting to control her. Go figure how she ended up as a prize to be won at the Game Corner. The amount of will power coming off of her is evident. She's definitely a fighter. "I would like to give you a name how do you feel about that Chansey?" The pink Pokémon put one of her flippers under her mouth as if thinking about it before nodding. "Okay, I think Eir would be a good name for you." Chansey nodded seeming to like it.

  Prometheus and Eir started familiarizing themselves with one another I send out Dratini and Eevee. The two of them look up at me taking notice of the two new additions. Dratini seems a bit grumpy about it, but Eevee seems happy about having new friends to play with. "Hey, you two, I was thinking maybe I could give you names to separate you from other Pokémon. What do you two think? Do you want names?" Given I now have a seven-pound body scarf that seemed thrilled to bits about getting a name from me and a face full of excited Eevee fluff. Disentangling myself from the two excited Pokémon I start thinking hard about the two of them.

  They are an affectionate pair and have been nothing but receptive. I look at Eevee and reach down and pick her up. "I think I'll name you Morgana." Morgana wiggled in my hands made a happy noise. I put her down and pet her head shifting my attention to the twitching noodle dragon who was doing her best to be patient. It seems the little bit of patience training we went through in the few days before setting off.

  I hum thinking a bit as I lift the snake like dragon off the ground getting a good look in her eyes. "I think the perfect name for you is Tiamat. You'll be so strong one day that the world will quake at a mere whisper of your name." I didn't think a Dratini could squeal, but she did, and I find myself with a one hundred percent upper body scarf made of ecstatic dragon noodle. "Okay, okay, Tiamat get off. Go make friends with Prometheus and Eir, alright?" It came out muffled, but she apparently heard me because she released me from her hold and headed to where Morgana had already started introducing herself to Eir and playing tag with Prometheus.

  I look at the sky only to take note of storm clouds on the horizon and they are rolling in fast. So fast that it might well be suspect that a Pokémon of significant power is causing them. There is no way it's a natural storm. There are few Pokémon that come to mind that are capable of the weather phenomenon I'm seeing. Raikou and Zapdos are the first two that come to mind, but I believe Ho-Oh can summon rain as well given the legend surrounding the birth of the legendary dogs.

  =================

  The five of us watched the storm from under the tree, as the storm swept through the area and the lightning strike, I knew would occur did only it was a lot closer than I planned. I grabbed my Pokédex and got ready to take pictures of the majestic bird that trails an eternal rainbow. It cleared up suspiciously quickly and I leveled the Pokédex waiting for my chance. I saw it and I made sure to capture its visage in a picture and a small video clip before it got too far for the device to catch it anymore. I looked upon the photo and smiled. This means that I was correct to assume this was when I think it was. Meaning that this is taking place in the timeline of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. I however, don't recall everything, the exact timeline is hazy in my memories. I know that Ash will make it to the Plateau Conference, and that I will need to beat him. Fate may have chosen him and blessed him with the protagonist halo, but I won't let that stop me.

  After all I don't know what could have changed from here in the Kanto region and the rest of the world. The other regions don't interact too much and as much as the League does it's best to hide it war is always a possibility. Why else would they allow children to gather strength and tame Pokémon that could easily turn them into a smear on the pavement. Simple to defend themselves and to push the next generations to be stronger and better than the last. I was never good at playing an antagonist in video games. I was always too kind for that. So, I will instead be ready to stand as the final test like Red on the top of Mt. Silver for Gold/Ethan. I'd have to put down every champion level trainer before that. Which means I'll have to beat Lance Wataru, Steven Stone, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha, Leon, Prof. Kukui, and possibly Geeta. That totals out to nine extremely powerful end extremely competent trainers. That isn't even including the Elite Four I'd have to chew through to even get a possible challenge to each one. This is going to be a hell of a lot of work.

  =====================

  I made it back to Viridian after Ash and Misty did narrowly missing them and actually witnessing Team Rockets first blast off via Pikachu. I couldn't help but chuckle as I walked into the Pokémon Center.

  "It looks like someone used the move Explosion in here." I couldn't help but emulate Prof. Kukui because I wanted to liven up the atmosphere a bit. Jenny, Joy, Ash, and Misty gave me incredulous looks. "What? It does." I scratch the back of my head and shrug. "Everyone's a critic."

  "You had left town a while before the attack on the Center. Care to explain what you were doing when you left town?"

  I look to Jenny and tap the balls on my belt. "I was familiarizing myself with my Pokémon two of them are new, so I was spending time with them in a more nature filled environment. Even gave them all nicknames." Jenny gave a nod accepting my statement. That was until Ash opened his mouth.

  "Hey, how come I got checked for my ID and he didn't?" God his voice sounded so whine filled it hurt to hear.

  "Use your brain Ash, Officer Jenny asked him what he was doing when he left town. He clearly got checked for his identification when he had left town earlier today."

  "Huh, I guess that makes sense. Still doesn't seem all that fair." I heard him grumble the second part but if Misty heard it, she didn't say anything further.

  Officer Jenny hopped on her bike and sped off to file her report on the incident leaving me on my own with two of the three icons of my childhood. I want to meet Brock and I wouldn't mind traveling with the three of them, but I need to keep myself out of their events as much as I can at least at the start. I should be someone they hear about and another person that Ash will lag behind.

  "I suppose introductions are in order, my name is Nathan and I'm from Celadon City." I say with a smile.

  "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

  "I'm Misty Williams from Cerulean City."

  "Wait why don't you have a last name?" The question left Ash's mouth, Misty turned her head to look at Ash like he was stupid and smacked him upside the back of his head.

  "Ash that's rude! You don't just ask someone that!"

  "OW! Hey, what was that for?! I was just asking a question!" Ash said clutching the back of his hat covered head.

  "Yeah, a pigheaded and insensitive question! Everyone knows what it means not to have a last name." Misty lowered her voice glancing in my direction. "He's an orphan Ash. He doesn't have a last name because he doesn't know what it is or never had one."

  I shake my head, and sigh. It was a shame these two never ended up as more than friends. They had such good chemistry, maybe that is something I could change? I give Misty a slightly strained smile, nod my head before waving and leaving the Pokémon Center. I had thought about calling Lance again to send him the picture and small video clip of Ho-Oh, but he has plenty to do without me pulling more of his time today. I could stay at the Pokémon Center tonight, but I have the urge to camp out instead. Roll out the sleeping bag and watch the stars until I fall asleep. That actually sounds really nice after such a long first day. To think the days are only going to get longer from here.