Pokémon Mercury Chapter 2: Theft (Patreon)

Chapter 2: Theft

Chikorita. Cyndaquil. Totodile. The three Starter Pokémon of Johto. In the past, they were known as the companions of nobility, and to have one was a sign of status and power. Their final evolutions were also incredibly powerful, which gave a leg up on anyone who was lucky enough to start with one.

Unfortunately, these Pokémon were rather rare. Over hunting and wars between Kanto and Johto had whittled their numbers down until only a few wild specimens were left. The rest were all born and raised in highly secure ranches.

Add on to that, only a handful of Starters were allowed to be given to new Trainers, and only to those who passed the local Pokémon Professor’s rigorous training and background checks.

‘I’ll never be able to pass those,’ Silver thought as he watched Elm’s lab through a pair of binoculars from the safety of a tree.

Leaving aside his disciplinary records, Silver knew he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the drawer. His scores in school, even when he wasn’t being bullied and having his homework stolen and ruined, were generally middling. He also wasn’t exactly eager to be a glorified intern. Since that was what Lab Trainers were.

They worked for no pay, and only got a Pokédex and some space for their spare Pokémon at the lab alongside their Starter. No thank you.

Now, what was he doing in New Bark Town observing Professor Elm’s lab if he wasn’t trying to become a Lab Trainer? Scouting it out for a robbery.

‘Seems like all I will have to do is just stroll in and snag the Pokéball off the shelf,’ Silver noted.

It was honestly pathetic how poorly defended the place was. But Elm was a scatter-brained man, and too much security would likely cause the fool more trouble than it was worth.

Now, the next question one might have was: Why risk stealing a Starter Pokémon when Pokéballs are encrypted and linked to a system that will immediately flag it if brought to a Pokécenter or Gym or anywhere with a scanner?

Because that had a simple work around: break the Pokéball and it would release the Pokémon. Then, just catch them in a new Pokéball. It was a trick done by Team Rocket and other criminals and was so very simple.

Once that was done, Silver just had to win a Gym badge and get a Trainer’s License, and that would update his Pokéballs’ credentials so as far as anyone knew, that Starter was his from the start.

‘I’ll need to pretend I caught a wild one, though, which was rare but not impossible,’ Silver thought to himself. ‘Luckily, some wild colonies of all three Starters can be found in this general area. Route 45 and 46 along the Black Mountains for Cyndaquil, Totodiles swim around the Tohjo Falls and Cherrygrove Bay, and Chikorita live in the forests between Violet City and Cherrygrove City.’

‘I’ll also have to make sure the Pokémon isn’t chipped or tagged, either, but they generally don’t do that for Starters,’ Silver mused as he continued to plan his theft. He’d learned this thanks to a bit of eavesdropping around the lab.

Again, the security was appalling.

As for why he’d be willing to risk stealing a Starter at all, which were protected by law? Power. A starter that strong would allow him to beat a Gym and earn his first badge, thus setting him on the path to becoming fully independent.

Putting the binoculars away, Silver rolled the Pokéball he’d stolen from the PokéMart in his hands. Yes. It would all be worth it. And even if he was caught? Then he’d just have to become strong enough to ignore the consequences.

Deciding that he’d spent enough time watching – and because the sun was getting low on the horizon – Silver hopped down from the spot in the canopy and slunk off, slipping through tall grass and between trees before reaching a spot that was close to the road that led into the town.

There, Silver got his camp in order. It wasn’t much, just a small tent he’d ‘borrowed’ from a camping supply store in Golden Rod, and a few blankets instead of a sleeping bag for his temporary housing.

Starting a fire wasn’t a good idea. It’d give him away, and Silver didn’t need to be noticed right now. So, he settled in for a dull meal of ration bars and berries he’d scrounged up. After two weeks, the pickings were slim, but he wouldn’t have to worry about that much more.

Getting to New Bark Town hadn’t been easy. It’d taken nearly two months of roughing it, hitch-hiking, and sleeping in parks and under bridges. Johto wasn’t exactly the largest region, but it was still quite big, and outside the cities the wilderness could be quite extensive.

Silver had followed the roads when he’d could, which meant he’d ended up taking quite a bit longer than if he’d taken the Routes, but that wouldn’t have been far too risky.

The Routes were pure wilderness, worn dirt roads cutting through untamed territory where a wild Pokémon could appear at any minute. Trainers traveled them because they had Pokémon of their own to protect them.

For normal civilians? The paved, asphalt roads that connected the towns and cities were safer to traverse. After all, cars, cargo haulers, trucks and other vehicles couldn’t exactly travel the Routes. Of course, in order to avoid intruding on any powerful wild Pokémon’s territory, these roads tended to wind a bit and go around instead of through the most direct methods.

But Silver had made it to New Bark Town in one piece. He was dirty, hungry, and ready to punch the first person he met who complained about something dumb and inconsequential, but he had done it.

Which was a good thing, because the Gym Circuit began in a week, and Silver had spent the past two since arriving closely observing Professor Elm’s lab, casing the joint in preparation for the robbery. He was confident in his chances.

‘The Starters arrive tomorrow,’ Silver thought to himself as he chewed on an Apicot berry, savoring the potent sourness. ‘And they are given out to Lab Trainers the day of the Gym Circuit’s official opening. That means I have five days to steal a Pokémon.’

But which one? That was the question.

All three Starters had pros and cons, but after spending nearly three months to think about it, Silver had settled on a Totodile or Cyndaquil. Feraligatr or Typhlosion. Terrors on the battlefield and Pokémon who were unstoppable juggernauts in the right circumstances.

‘I’d prefer a Cyndaquil, though,’ Silver thought to himself.

There weren’t many Fire-type Pokémon in Johto. Growlithe could be found in the fields around Goldenrod and Olivine, Magby and Magmar sometimes were drawn to the Fire Aura lingering within the Burned Tower, and Houndour and Slugma could be found in the mountains near Blackthorn and further afield near Mount Silver, but that was it. A mere four evolutionary lines that anyone could catch if they didn’t get a Cyndaquil for a Starter.

‘Having one would be very useful for cooking and camping,’ Silver mused, mind flashing through the practical uses of the little Fire Mouse Pokémon.

Soon. He’d have a Pokémon partner soon. And then his rise to the top would be unopposed!

111 &&& 111

Silver grit his teeth and clenched his fists, trying not break his binoculars.

‘No! How?! Where did it go?!’ he wondered furiously, looking through the lab's window.

Yesterday, the Starters had arrived, as scheduled. A Kadabara courier had Teleported to the front door, rang the bell, and then when Professor Elm’s assistant had taken the package, left in another Teleport.

From there, Silver had watched as the Pokéballs were removed, and then examined by Professor Elm. It had been hard to see, but the professor had done the examination of the Starters in a room with a fairly large window.

There had only been three Starters delivered this year. Which meant only three Lab Trainers, which fit based on whom he'd seen coming and going recently. And so, Silver had made plans to strike soon.

‘Yet, when I went to inspect lab this morning, somebody has already taken one of them!’ Silver thought, grinding his teeth.

Indeed, only two Pokéballs were left in the lab, and there was no sign of it being tested or examined or anything. Somehow, somebody had come and received their Pokémon early. HOW?! Weren’t the Lab Trainers supposed to get their Starters later in the week?!

‘But this year, all three Lab Trainers are from New Bark Town,’ Silver recalled.

And wasn’t one of them Elm’s daughter? Or niece or something? She had hung around the place a lot, and had helped the professor with the Pokémon studies in the last two weeks he’d been watching.

“Damn nepotism,” Silver growled, and quickly put the binoculars away before punching the trunk of the tree he was in.

Of course the rules would be bent for people who didn’t deserve it! Just like those bastards at school, who thought they were untouchable because someone in their family was on the Historical Preservation Committee.

‘I have to act now,’ Silver decided. No more waiting. Not when one of the Starters could be taken at any moment, now!

Sneaking towards the lab, Silver spotted the professor out in the ranch, tending to some of the Pokémon who were out and about. He vaulted the fence once he was closer to the building, and snuck in through the back of the lab that connected to the ranch.

‘Alright, the Pokéballs for the Starters should be this way,’ Silver thought, glancing around.

He had only seen the interior of the lab through the windows, and couldn’t be sure about the layout, but wasn’t going to let that stop him. Creeping through the hallways, Silver soon found the main area of the lab.

On an electronic pedestal covered by a transparent glass dome were two Pokéballs. Two Starters. Which ones, though? Silver couldn’t see anything that marked which Pokémon were contained within.

He looked closer, trying to spot a label or maybe a sticker, but nada. From there, he scowled, and then tried to find a sticky note or something on the desk nearby, but it was covered in papers.

‘Damn this unorganized man,’ Silver grumbled as he sifted through piles of files and documents. ‘How did a man this messy become a scientist, let alone the Pokémon Professor of the whole damned region?’

“EH?! Wh-who are you?! What are you doing in here?!” a young voice exclaimed, and Silver whirled around to face the girl he’d seen hanging around the lab before along with another one.

The one who’d cried out had blue hair done up in a pair of spikey, or maybe bushy, ponytails, and had a red shirt with a white jacket and yellow bike shorts, her Pokégear hanging around her neck.

She looked like a sporty girl, and her blue eyes were alight with shock while she was pointing accusingly at him.

The other was a brunette with brown hair done up in twin tails, and had a big, stupid hat with a red ribbon, and a red shirt with blue suspenders, with long white socks that came up past her knees… for some reason.

She looked like a preppy girl, thought the shock and fear in her brown eyes made her seem more like a frightened rabbit.

These were none other than two of the Lab Trainers, with the brunette being Elm’s relative!

Silver growled at being spotted and knew he had to act! He would be not be caught here! Without hesitation, Silver grabbed a chair and brought it down onto the protective glass dome. It shattered and the two Pokéballs went flying.

He then charged forward and scooped up the nearest red and white orb off the ground, before shoving the two girls aside and continuing on to run past them into the hallway. He heard them shouting behind him, and the pounding of feet told him at least one was now on his heels.

‘Wasn’t the brunette supposed to come to the lab later?! She is never here this early!’ Silver thought as he ran through the halls. Why was she here?! And with the other Lab Trainer! They must have been going to take their Starters!

Thinking about that enraged Silver, and he ran even faster than he ever had in order to avoid being caught. He could still hear them shouting, but no alarms yet.

‘All I have to do is get out of here!’ he thought. Come on! COME ON!

There! The doors! The doors! There they were! Silver burst out of the lab like Zubats from Distortion were after him, and he angled towards the edge of town, where the forest was.

Without slowing down he rushed towards the tree line, and he reached the wood. Not daring to stop, Silver weaved between trees and ran hither and tither, looping around on his own tracks in order to find another space.

‘Damn it!’ Silver thought when he finally came to a stop, pounding a fist against the side of a tree. ‘Damn it! They saw me! SAW ME! That wasn’t supposed to happen!’

Why were they there?! Why?! All that work to avoid the security cameras, ruined!

“Giratina damn it!” Silver snarled. “This… this changes things.”

Changed a lot of things. If one of them had gotten a good look at him – and there was no way they’d hadn’t – then his features would be known by the police. And the Jennys would break out the Growlithe to sniff him out!

‘I need to leave,’ Silver decided. ‘I need to get to Violet City, NOW.’

Getting his Trainer’s License was now more important than ever.

‘At least I have a Pokémon, so I can go through the Routes,’ Silver thought to himself. With that, it’d take a couple hours to reach Cherrygrove, and then two, maybe three days to get from there to Violet City and the first badge.

Silver looked down at the Pokéball he’d stolen, and then tossed it onto the ground. Time to see what he’d managed to obtain.

The red light of the Pokéball went from amorphous, to a vaguely defined, four-legged shape, and then it faded with a curious “Chik?” revealing a tiny green Pokémon with a leaf the size of its entire body on its head and a ring of tiny nubs around its neck that resembled a spiked collar.

Silver stared at the green leafy Pokémon in front of him in disbelief, and it stared back, blinking up at him.

“A Chikorita?” he uttered, disappointment curdling in his voice.

Amongst the three Starters, this one was easily the worst! It was weak against three of the Gyms and couldn’t even be considered decent against the remaining five!

Maybe if he wanted to be a gardener or some shit the Chikorita line would be worth it, but as a battler?

“Worthless,” Silver hissed, glaring at the bean-like Pokémon.

The Starter, hearing this, gasped, as if it could understand him. Maybe it could. Pokémon from professional breeders were supposed to be smarter than wild ones, and it’s been reared with the intent of being a partner to a human. Of course, knowing it could understand him didn’t exactly change the red-head’s opinion of the plump bean.

“You heard me,” Silver declared. “You’re weak! I need a strong Pokémon, not some glorified garden gnome!”

Chikorita trembled with rage upon hearing that and then lunged with a loud “Chik!” uttered as a battle cry. It jumped up and latched onto Silver’s face, tiny little feet slapping and scratching the side of his head. The weight of the green Pokémon, combined with the shock of being attacked out of the blue, was enough to cause Silver to fall backwards onto his ass.

“Damn you!” Silver growled, prying the Starter away from him, only to start getting slapped by its leaf, causing him to drop it onto his chest.

The two began to wrestle on the ground, grass and dirt getting kicked up as they tussled. Chikorita started to bite his arm repeatedly, and only let go when Silver punched it in the side of the head.

“Rita!” it declared triumphantly, a smear of blood on its lips, and Silver clutched his arm where its nubby teeth had torn through the skin.

“You think this is over?” Silver snarled, and he went to grab the Pokéball he’d dropped, planning to return the Pokémon and do something with it. Maybe chuck it in a river. He’d try his luck with the wild Pokémon, if he had to!

Seeing Silver reach for its prison and sensing that it would be a bad idea to be returned to the ball, Chikorita panicked and charged forward, a faint white glow around its body as it leapt at the red-head.

A genuine Tackle slammed into Silver’s side, and he let out a gasp of pain, clutching at the spot as he staggered back. Thankfully, Chikorita was young and didn’t have full mastery over its Aura, so the attack didn’t break a rib and only knocked the air out of Silver’s lungs, but it still hurt like hell.

“Rah!” Silver roared, and he aimed a kick at Chikorita which clipped its side and sent it tumbling.

Now pissed off, the Starter got back onto its feet before pawing at the ground and unleashing another Tackle. This time, Silver was ready and jinked to the side, avoiding the attack, and as it soared past, he grabbed it around its barrel waist, causing the white glow to peter out and the Chikorita’s stubby legs to flail helpless in the air.

“Gotcha!” he sneered, only to get slapped by the leaf on its head once more.

As the leaf hit him, it released a surprisingly nice scent, and Silver’s grip loosened on the Pokémon as the aroma muddled his mind. Chikorita squirmed free with a cry of “Chik!” and when it landed, it began to bite Silver’s ankles.

With a yelp, Silver kicked the tiny Grass-type away, and it tumbled through the dirt before bouncing back to its feet. It was panting a bit, though, and Silver could tell it had burned a lot of its energy in the brawl.

Silver stared at it, and it stared back. For a moment, neither side back downed, until the human relaxed minutely. Seeing this the Chikorita also untensed, though it still had a suspicious glint in its eyes.

“Maybe you will be a worthy partner,” Silver admitted begrudgingly.

“Chick!” the green bean Pokémon huffed, as if that was obvious.

“Fine. You want to be strong? Then I’ll make you strong,” Silver declared as he stood up.

Chikorita eagerly waved its leaf in the air and offered it to Silver. He shook it, and the pact was sealed.

First, he had to break the lab’s Pokéball and catch his Starter in the one he’d stolen from the PokéMart. Then, he’d need to head to Cherrygrove City, get a PokéCenter to look over his new partner.

And after that? Violet City, and his first step towards destiny.