Chapter 3: Viridian City
When Lyra and her Pokémon arrived at Viridian City, she saw a policewoman standing at the entrance. Lyra blinked and recognized her as Officer Jenny. She knew that there were Officer Jennys all over the region who go by the same name; they all looked the same because they are sisters or cousins.
Officer Jenny asked Lyra for identification, and Lyra showed her a red PokéDex. Officer Jenny saluted her and bid her a good day. She also warned Lyra that Pokémon thieves were around and that if she wasn't careful, they would steal her Pokémon too. Lyra said she'd be careful and went on her way to the Pokémon Center.
Lyra soon came to the Pokémon Center and decided to rest there. She gave her Pokémon to a lady she recognized as Nurse Joy. Like Officer Jenny, there is a Nurse Joy in every region working in the Pokémon Centers, and they all look the same except that they are either sisters or cousins. Lyra found it amusing how all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys are look-alikes.
After giving her Pokémon to Nurse Joy, Lyra decided to hit the PokéMart first. She bought some more Potions and Antidotes in case of an emergency and stocked up on more Pokémon food. When Lyra got back to the Pokémon Center, she decided to give her mum a call.
"Hi sweetie, is everything alright?" Julia asked.
"Everything is great, mum," Lyra answered. "I caught an unusual-sized Pidgey and a beautiful colored Gyarados." She smiled.
"Wow, that's great... What! A Gyarados?!" Julia yelled in shock. "Lyra, do you know how dangerous they are?!"
"Yes mum, but you see, the Gyarados I caught wasn't hostile toward me. It was like... how can I describe it?" Lyra thought for a second. "Ah! It was like a nice and gentle water serpentine."
"Sigh I see," Julia said. "Well, since you put it that way, I'll accept it. But remember to be careful. I love you, Lyra."
"I know mum, I will. Love you too. Goodbye." Lyra smiled and turned off the video call. Then she decided to call Professor Oak. "Hey Professor Oak, it's me, Lyra."
"Hi Mew, my dear girl. Where are you now?" Professor Oak asked.
"In Viridian City."
"Ah, I see! Gary arrived in Viridian City some time ago. You know, he bet me a million PokéDollars that you wouldn't be able to catch any Pokémon before you arrived there."
"I see he went by car, after all." Lyra smirked. "Well, Gary lost the bet. I caught a Pidgey and a Gyarados."
"Well, that's good! Gary owes me a million PokéDollars now," Professor Oak said, laughing. "That's my dear Mew. Wait... did you say a Gyarados!?" He sounded alarmed.
"Yes, I did," Lyra said, ignoring the protest. "But she's gentle."
Just then, a ding-dong was heard at the lab.
"Oh! That must be my pizza," said Professor Oak as he got up. "Talk to you soon, Mew, my dear girl."
Before he left, Lyra said, "Okay. Wait! Professor, I'm going to send you pictures through my X-Dex. Have a look at what Pokémon I got—the last picture might shock you the most." She pushed a button on the X-Dex and three pictures were sent to Professor Oak's computer. "Bye, Professor!" she said as she ended the call.
Back at Professor Oak's lab, he was wondering what pictures Lyra wanted him to see. There was a beep sound; he checked the photos and his eyes widened. The size of the Pidgey was incredible. He checked the next photo and his jaw dropped at the differently colored Gyarados. Then he checked the last photo. He was speechless, feeling like he might faint at the sight. He was looking at a picture of the Legendary Bird Pokémon, Ho-Oh!
After finishing her calls, Lyra was about to ask Nurse Joy for a room when she saw Misty enter the Pokémon Center. "Oh! Hey Misty," she greeted.
"Hi Lyra," Misty replied. "We meet again."
"Yeah. I'm about to eat dinner, would you like to join me?" Lyra asked.
"Yeah, I will," Misty accepted.
While eating dinner, they exchanged their plans. "I told you before that I was traveling to enter the Indigo League. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master," Lyra said. "What about you, Misty? Are you traveling?"
"Yes, I am," Misty answered. "My dream is to become a Great Water Pokémon Trainer."
"Oh! So you specialize in Water Pokémon?"
"Yeah, I love Water Pokémon. They are the best for me." Misty smiled. "What about you, Lyra? What type do you like?"
"Me? I don't really care about the type," she answered honestly. "I love all Pokémon no matter what they are—Fire, Water, Grass, Ghost, or Electric. They all seem special to me." Lyra smiled brightly. Misty smiled back; Lyra seemed like a trainer who truly loved Pokémon for who they were.
"Oh, but wait," Lyra asked. "If you like Water Pokémon so much, why are you scared of Gyarados?"
Misty explained what happened to her as a baby—how she was nearly eaten by a Gyarados—and ever since then, she had been terrified of them.
"Wow. I'm sorry for bringing it up," Lyra apologized.
"No, it's okay," Misty said. "Besides, I'm trying to catch a Gyarados to train for myself. That way, I can get over my fear."
Lyra smiled. "Good luck and please be careful. They can be very dangerous—my mum warned me—but I ended up catching one myself."
"Oh yeah, about your Gyarados... why is it a different color than the others I've seen?"
"To be honest, I don't know myself. I sent a picture to Professor Oak to see if he has an idea."
"I see." Misty smiled and thought, 'She is such an innocent girl. Cute. I wonder if she'll let me go with her.'
After finishing dinner, Lyra and Misty got their Pokémon back from Nurse Joy. They were just about to go to bed when smoke filled the room. "What's going on?" Lyra said, coughing.
A sound was heard across the room as people looked at the entrance. There stood a woman with long red hair wearing a white top with a large "R" on it and a white skirt. Next to her was a man with shoulder-length blue-violet hair wearing a white shirt with an "R" and long white pants. The third was a Pokémon.
Meowth, The Scratch Cat Pokémon.
All it does is sleep during the daytime. At night, it patrols its territory with its eyes glowing.
"Prepare for trouble!" the woman started.
"And make it double!" the man continued.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!" the Meowth said, jumping in front of them.
"Oh, wow! A talking Meowth!" Lyra said in excitement.
"Now that we've introduced ourselves," Jessie said, "hand over all of your Pokémon and we might leave nicely."
"You can't take these Pokémon," Nurse Joy said. "They are tired and injured."
"Ah, who cares!" James said. "Team Rocket will make better use of them. Now, hand them over!"
Lyra was fuming. She hated thieves, especially those who treated Pokémon like tools. "No, you won't!" she shouted. Pichu, Pikachu, and Infernape jumped in front of her. "You're not getting any Pokémon from this Center!" She reached for her belt. "Pikachu, are you up for a battle?" Pikachu nodded.
"Pika!"
"Alright, Pidgey, come out!" Lyra called. "It's time to test out the new moves you guys learned today from Pichu and Infernape."
"Count me in too, Lyra!" Misty stood next to her. "Misty calls Staryu!" She called out a star-shaped Pokémon with a red jewel.
Staryu, the Star-Shaped Pokémon.
At night, its center core glows with a red light. As long as its red core remains, it can regenerate its body instantly even if it's torn apart.
"Very well! Go, Ekans!" Jessie released a purple snake Pokémon.
"You too, Koffing!" James released a purple ball of gas.
Ekans, the Poisonous Snake Pokémon.
Ekans can sneak through grass without making a sound and strikes unsuspecting prey from behind. Its bite is painful and harmful.
Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon.
Koffing hovers in the air thanks to the poisonous gases it contains, which have a foul odor and can explode.
"Alright, ready?" Lyra asked. "Pidgey, use Aerial Ace on Koffing! Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Ekans!"
Pidgey flew into the air, vanished, and reappeared, hitting Koffing head-on. Pikachu ran forward, his tail glowing white, and slammed it into Ekans' stomach. Both attacks hit directly, knocking them out.
"Yes! You two completed your training!" Lyra said happily. Then, Pidgey froze and began to glow.
"Wow, Pidgey is evolving!" Misty stated.
Pidgey's body grew larger, changing shape into a raptor-like Pokémon with a pinkish-red crest and powerful talons.
"Pidgeotto!" it cried.
"Awesome!" Lyra shouted, scanning her newly evolved friend.
Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon.
The evolved form of Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Pidgeotto can be dangerous; approach with caution.
New Moves: Sky Attack, Whirlwind, Twister, Feather Dance, Wing Attack, and Agility.
"You two are pathetic!" Meowth yelled at Jessie and James. "I'll show you a real fight. Taste my Fury Swipes!"
Meowth attacked, but Staryu blasted the trio with Water Gun. Lyra then ordered Pikachu and Pichu to use Thunderbolt. The electricity shocked them and blasted them through the ceiling.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted, vanishing into the sky.
Officer Jenny rushed in. "Is everyone okay?"
"Everything is fine, thanks to these two," Nurse Joy said, pointing to Lyra and Misty. They explained their encounter with Team Rocket.
"We're sorry about the hole in the ceiling," Misty apologized.
"Don't worry about it," Nurse Joy smiled. "What's important is that the Pokémon are safe. Now, get some sleep."
After a good night's rest, Lyra and Misty walked out of the Center. "Hey Lyra, do you mind if I travel with you?" Misty asked.
"Of course! I'd be glad to have the company," Lyra smiled. "And this way, you'll be able to capture some more Water Pokémon." Her Pokémon cried out in agreement, and the two girls continued their journey together.
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"See you in the next episode of Pika Ball Z!" ⚡
Questions for Readers
1. What did you think about Lyra catching a differently colored Gyarados? Do you think it's special or rare?
2. Were you surprised that Professor Oak saw a picture of the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh? What do you think it means?
3. Did you enjoy the battle against Team Rocket in the Pokémon Center