Viridian City

(Viridian City, Pokémon Centre.)

Noah entered the Pokémon Centre amidst the setting sun of the late afternoon. He had spent the last couple of hours testing the limits of his newly caught Horsea and found out that the little girl was a training maniac.

Evidently, his welcome speech had stricken a chord within her and could only oblige until she had drained her stamina. Perhaps not wanting to be outdone, Bagon began to train with even more enthusiasm than before. It seems like the two had become rivals of some sort.

As he made his way to the front desk, he immediately recognized the beloved pink-haired nurse in her white uniform.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Centre. How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked with a smile.

"I'd like to get my Pokémon checked-up and rent a room for the night," Noah replied with a smile matching hers.

"Certainly, young man." Nurse Joy pressed a button on her desk and a moment later, a Chansey came out of the back room pushing a cart with several indentations for Pokeballs. "If you would please place your Pokeballs on the tray and we'll have them checked up in no time."

"Thank you," Noah said as he placed Bagon's and Horsea's Pokeballs on the tray. Chansey chirped in acknowledgment and made her way to the examination room.

"Now that's taken care of, I need to see a form of ID if you want to rent a room." Joy said as she maintained her smile.

"Of course," Noah replied and handed over his Pokedex. The nurse inserted into the computer for several moments and returned it to him with a look of surprise.

"It's an honor to meet the grandson of Professor Oak." Joy giggled as she handed Noah a key card. "Your room number is 213, I'll call you over the intercom when your Pokémon are ready and if you're hungry, I recommend you head on up to the cafeteria on the second floor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you…" Noah said as he leaned in to read her name tag, "Molly Joy. I'd like to stay and chat but I'm embarrassed to say that I'm quite famished."

"My, then don't let me hold you here. Have a good evening, Mr. Oak." Joy said with a wide smile.

"You too, Nurse Joy," Noah replied with a grin and hurriedly made his way to the elevator. When he reached the second floor, he immediately walked towards the cafeteria and was glad to find that it was in the style of a buffet. He chose from a variety of dishes and made his way to a nearby table.

…

(A While Later.)

He was about to leave the cafeteria but before he could reach for his bag, breaking news interrupted the programme that was playing on the TV.

[A group of criminals has been stealing Pokémon from trainers around Celadon City. Recent reports suggest that the group is affiliated with Team Rocket, a criminal syndicate operating throughout the Kanto Region and parts of Johto. Last night, the Pokémon Centre in Celadon City was raided by thieves and several Pokémon were stolen. As a result, the League has ordered Gym Leader's Erika and Sabrina to take action. All trainers are warned to avoid all contact with the Rockets and report any suspicious activity.]

"Damn, the situation must be serious if it required two gym leaders to step in," Noah muttered under his breath.

"It must be…" Noah turned towards the familiar voice and found Leaf standing behind him. She looked at him with a smile and waved her hand. "Fancy meeting you here, Noah."

"Ah, Leaf. It's nice to see a familiar face so soon, how have you been?" Noah asked as he sat back down on the chair and gestured for her to join him.

"Besides feeling dirty from all the sweat I've garnered over the trip to Viridian, I've been good." Leaf grumbled as she sat down next to him. "How about you?"

"Pretty much the same. Catch anything new?" Noah asked.

"Hmm, just a Spearow. He was giving Squirtle the stink eye and it was on from there. Squirtle just smacked him right out of the tree with a Water Gun!" Leaf said with a bit of glee. "So, what did you catch?"

"A Horsea for me." Noah simply replied and looked at Leaf's ever-changing expression in amusement.

"What?" Leaf gaped in surprise. "How did you find something like that so quickly?"

"I honestly don't know… I stopped to fish in the nearby lake and it was the first thing that popped out." Noah shrugged his shoulders and looked around, "By the way, where's Red? Didn't you two leave together?"

"That was only because our parents insisted on it." Leaf huffed annoyance. "As soon as we reached Viridian, we decided to go our separate ways."

"I see," Noah muttered as he hesitated for a moment. "If you'd like, you can travel with me to Pewter City?"

"Hmm?" Leaf blinked surprise and shook her head. "As much as I would like that, I plan to spend a few days here to check out Route 22 and hopefully catch a new Pokémon."

"That's a shame then." Noah shook his head.

"But I'll take you up on that offer when we meet again." Leaf said with a wide smile.

"Sure." Noah said as he stood up and put his backpack on. "I'm going to the Poke Mart to buy a few supplies for the trip through the forest. What are you planning to do?"

"A nice, hot shower for me. I would have gone earlier but this damn stomach of mine took over my body at the site of such a wonderful looking buffet." Leaf sighed whilst Noah laughed at her predicament.

"I guess this is goodbye, for now, Leaf," Noah said as he stood up from the table and flashed her a wide grin. "Let's have a battle the next time we meet."

"Sure thing, Noah. I'd love that." Leaf replied with her own grin.

"Have a good night, Leaf." Noah waved and made his way to the elevator.

"Night." Leaf waved back at him and walked to her room.

…

(The Next Morning.)

"Thanks for all your help, Molly," Noah said gratefully as he retrieved his Pokémon from the tray in front of him. He had made sure to call his grandfather last night to let him know about his journey into the Viridian Forest.

"You're welcome, Noah." Molly smiled and carefully reminded him. "Those two should be more than enough to help you trek through Viridian Forest. Just make sure to stock up on antidotes and potions, poison is a constant problem in the forest because of the Bug-type Pokémon."

"Don't worry, I've brought more than enough last night," Noah said as he released Bagon. "Thanks for the advice though."

Nurse Joy waved at his gratitude and bowed slightly. "I hope you have a safe journey, Noah. I'm expecting to hear great things about you in the near future."

"Let's hope I meet those expectations." Noah smiled wryly and bade her farewell. "I'll see you next time, Molly."

Molly smiled at his receding figure and turned her attention to the next customer.