(XIV) Viridian

Isaac and Tay strolled along the path as he carried the Oddish in his arms. He had brought out Ava and let her walk alongside him and Tay had Gloom out.

He didn't dare bring out either Nidoran of their pokéballs yet, besides he hadn't given them their names yet. The pair walked as they chatted about themselves as Tay led him across the mountains that she stated made up the smaller peaks of Mount Silver.

"Oh, so I was in Johto?" Isaac asked but Tay shook her head.

"You can't really count the other side of Mount Silver as part of Johto, mostly indigenous tribes live together with wild Pokémon out there." She explained.

Isaac nodded, "What was Professor Oak doing out there then..?"

"Ah that... Well, there was a tiny village that was rumored to have recently seen Mew. It's a surprise considering it's been about ten years since it was last seen but that was far to the south of the Orre region. Indigenous tribes there worshipped it. We're still attempting to capture it!"

"I see..." Isaac replied, "Where was the village?"

"Ah... Well, it was destroyed the other night, so we didn't get to speak with any of the locals..." Tay said with a disappointed tone as she looked down at the ground dejectedly and slowed her pace.

'Maybe that's the village that was destroyed the night I came here...' Isaac thought and continued his walk. There weren't many interruptions, most of the wild pokémon avoided the paths and roads created by humans, but a stray one would appear and Isaac knew if it wasn't for Tay he wouldn't have made it through the powerful pokémon who roamed the area around Mount Silver.

After passing through the mountain range, they descended onto Route 28 before making their way through the massive building cut into the mountains that made up both the Kanto and Johto Pokémon League. Afterward, they passed through the large valley that was Route 22 before standing atop the hills that led down to Viridian City.

Unlike the video games, Viridian City was gigantic, a veritable metropolis. Massive skyscrapers and smaller buildings were clustered together. Isaac was astonished, it was almost as if he had returned to his old world.

Tay led him into the city as he looked around at people walking with their Pokégear held up and talking like it was a cellular phone from his home. People drove through various cars and trucks on the roads and countless people were walking down the bustling streets.

The only difference was there were Pokémon everywhere! Isaac's eyes were wide with astonishment as he gasped at every single one he saw. Tay rolled her eyes, unable to contain the smile from spreading across her face as she observed the young man's reactions.

"Haven't seen many Pokémon huh..?" She asked without looking back at him. Isaac snapped back to reality and jogged as he caught up with her.

"No, it's not that I haven't, I could probably tell you and describe every known Pokémon, maybe some undiscovered ones, but I've never seen them in person before... It's exciting!" He said inadvertently exposing his secret.

"Oh! Do you think you can? Where did you learn so much about Pokémon?" She asked as Isaac groaned inwardly.

'You stupid stupid boy!' He scratched his cheek as he was caught off guard, "Oh you know... Textbooks and stuff like that!" He lied through his teeth, hoping that it was enough of an answer.

"I see... What region did you come from?" She asked probing further.

"Ah... Um..." Isaac stumbled through his words, "I'm from somewhere between Orre and Unova... I went out on a boat and after that, I woke up in a destroyed village and was saved by Professor Oak! He thinks I have amnesia and can't remember things clearly..."

"Oh no! That's terrible! I hope your family isn't too worried about you!" She said grabbing his hands between hers and holding them as she drew closer to his face and stared at him with a deep sadness welling up in her eyes.

Isaac's face was flushed red as he held his breath frozen as he stared into Tay's eyes. His heart was racing and despite the calm exterior his knees were weak and his arms felt like jelly. He adjusted his arms as he nearly dropped the Oddish he was holding.

"T-Thank you for your concern..." Isaac replied softly and took a step back giving a sincere smile, "I plan to go home as soon as I can!"

Tay smiled and wiped her eyes, "Good! There's too much pain in the world for parents to lose their children. Come on, we're almost there!" She said turning around as she led him down the busy sidewalk.

Walking down Main Street, cars and trucks sped by and people were crammed onto the sidewalks. Isaac thought back to a few days ago when he looked just like these people, he still had trouble believing this was his new reality.

At the end of the street, a gigantic building slowly came into view. The street went straight to the entrance of the building signifying its importance.

The road gave way to pristine whitewashed bricks. Well-maintained trees and bushes were scattered across the property in key locations for ambiance. Five sets of stairs separated by raised platforms with benches and trees led to the entrance of a massive entrance with more than a dozen glass doorways.

On top of the entrance was a massive red "P" and the building had dozens of upper floors and a large round orb on top. An access road went around both sides of the building to the back where delivery trucks and medical personnel worked.

Isaac immediately recognized the Pokémon Center of Viridian City. The pair strolled toward the entrance as they ascended the sets of stairs.

"Halt right there!" A loud feminine voice rang out behind them. Not realizing the voice was directed toward them, Isaac and Tay continued approaching the PokéCenter.

"Ruff!" A Growlithe jumped in their path and began growling as a green-haired woman with orange eyes jumped in front of them.

She had a blue hat on top of her head with a black bill and a red stripe across the top. On the face of the hat was the golden badge of the Kanto Pokémon League.

She wore a matching blue blouse with red cuffs and a blue mini-skirt that stopped right below her rear. Separated by a thin black belt with a gold buckle. The trim around the buttons of her blouse was a light blue that raised over her chest with two pockets on each side. The officer wore white gloves and black heels.

"I said halt!" She stated once more, "Don't you know to listen to the officers of the law?"

"I apologize, Officer Jenny, I didn't realize you were talking to us, we haven't done anything wrong, do you need us for something?" Tay said with a smile.

"Crime is on the rise in Viridian and we're all on the lookout for suspicious people! You there, young man, why is that Oddish not in its pokéball?" Jenny asked, giving Isaac a stern look.

"Arf!! Arf!!" Growlithe barked with an added low growl.

"Oh! Um... I mean, it's not mine! I'm just holding it for a friend!" Isaac shouted as he was startled and scared. 'Not even a week in this world and I've almost died twice and now I'm in trouble with the law!' He cried inwardly.

"Aha!! So you are the thief we've been looking for!" Officer Jenny shouted throwing her finger out toward Isaac as she reached into the black bag strapped across her chest and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Huh? No! Wait! You have the wrong idea!!" Isaac shouted, holding Oddish high above his head as he raised his arms.

Tay burst out laughing as she keeled over holding a finger up toward Officer Jenny as she couldn't control her laughter, "Ah.... I'm sorry!!! I can't!! Please... Wait!" She mustered between her fits of laughter and deep breathing.

After regaining her composure, she stepped forward, "Please Officer Jenny, this is a mistake, that is my Oddish! My friend here was trying to raise his tolerance towards Sleep Powder. I didn't realize we should have returned him to his pokéball when we entered the city."

Officer Jenny rubbed her chin as she nodded, listening to Tay explain, "Thank you for clearing that up! If you guys see anything suspicious, please report it to the authorities! Keep out of trouble!" She said as she ran off looking for her next perpetrator with Growlithe in tow.

Isaac heaved a sigh of relief as he slumped over drained from the accusations, "Thanks, Tay! I don't know what I would have done if you didn't save me there!"

"Don't worry about it! You wouldn't have gotten in trouble if you weren't carrying my Oddish anyways." She said while shrugging as they entered the PokéCenter.

———

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