Chapter 5:

Oak's Parcel

Viridian City-

After asking around for directions to the Poke-mart, Red and Squirtle were told to find the building with the blue roof. As they approached it, Red noticed that Viridian City wasn't so different from Pallet Town. Sure there were more buildings, but the quiet atmosphere and kind people weren't so different.

As they walked into the Poke-mart, the man behind the front counter said on his telephone, "Oh! Here he is right now! Bye, Professor. Hey you! You came from Pallet Town?" He pointed at Red. Red nervously walked up to the counter, Squirtle tried to keep up, but he was distracted by all of the merchandise in the store.

"No need to be nervous!" the clerk said. "I just got off the phone with Professor Oak, he told me you should be here any second to pick up his package, the custom Poke-ball. He says 'he's a boy about 14 in a red shirt, red cap, and he'll most likely be accompanied by a Squirtle. Whelp, I've never seen a Squirtle before but I reckon that little Pokémon you got there would have to be one, so I says to myself, 'Hey there he is' and here we are and here's that package for ya." The clerk handed to sack to Red. The clerk started to ramble on again, but Red ignored him.

"Thank you, sir! Let's get outta here, Squirtle" he said quietly to the little Pokémon. Squirtle dropped the expensive-looking rope he was using to lasso merchandise with, waved good-bye to the clerk, and followed Red out the door.

Once they were back on Route 1, they sat down.

"Let's take a look at what this custom Poke-ball looks like, what do you say?" Red asked Squirtle. Squirtle didn't hesitate he tore open the bag and inside was a Poke-ball. Only instead of a red half on top, it was purple, with round bulges on either side of the purple, with the letter M inscribed in Gold between the bulges by the release switch. Squirtle held the ball in his hands, it obviously looked important.

Suddenly, a Pidgey flew by and pooped right on the custom Poke-ball. In shock, Squirtle dropped it. As I have already established Route 1 is a relatively steep incline from Pallet Town to Viridian City. So, as I'm sure you've deduced (but if not, I'll carry on with the story anyway) the ball began to roll downhill away from Red and Squirtle. They looked at it rolling away, then at each other, and then began a frantic chase after it. Squirtle almost had it in its grasp again but it bounced off of one of those ledges and kept on going.

Squirtle lay face down in the grass pounding and kicking at the ground in frustration. Red passed him and jumped down off the ledge in pursuit of Oak's precious parcel. "Whoever gets there first wins!" Red yelled, trying to make light of the situation. Squirtle raised its head and began pursuing the ball mercilessly, not to be beaten by Red.

Pokémon are fascinating creatures. If you haven't noticed, Squirtle has a relatively fascinating personality as well. His determination to never lose allowed him to catch up with Red, and with Pallet Town in sight, and the Poke-ball continuing to roll away, but slow down, he got about a one-step lead on Red. Just as Squirtle was about to get it, Red dove and caught it.

The Pidgey poop was smeared all over it from its rolling. "Whew, looks like I win," said Red. Squirtle folded his arms and sat down in frustration at his loss. Then a Pidgey flew by and pooped on Red's hat.

"Squirtle, squirtle, squirt!" Squirtle said under his breath.

"Whatever! That doesn't serve me right," said Red, seeming to understand Squirtle. "I swear I'm tired of all these Pidgeys dropping their bird doodie all over me."

What Red didn't know was that it wasn't just a Pidgey thing to poo on people. Rather, it was the same Pidgey who just had a thing for pooping on brightly colored articles of clothing and objects. And that Pidgey watched Red and Squirtle as it sat perched in a nearby tree.