The Adventures of the Indomitable Olivia

Trainer, Adventurer, Chosen One?

[oliviasliver]

The End Is Nigh/ One Final Goodbye

Which brings us to one last thing.

I believe Jaime chose me because they wanted to help Red. It is a sin that the one person who stood up to Team Rocket at the height of their power was standing at the top of a mountain, unable to see the path forward and unwilling to go back. Jaime is a protector above all else. I think he chose me because I'm not like Red: I didn't want to fight him, and beating him wouldn't leave me looking for the next big hill to climb.

Which means I've done what I'd set out to do.

So I set Jaime free.

It was...hard. But unique pokemon are not supposed to be locked up in balls and used only for fighting. And this way, I'll know that somewhere out there is a giant, wonderful creature. 

Who believes in me.

[oliviasliver]

Legends Rise and Fall and Then/ They Never Go Back Home Again

I've figured something out.

I am not like Red. I don’t like fighting. I went on this journey to see new places, meet new people, discover new pokemon, and have a story to tell. If I'd never fought anybody, I would have been happy.

But so many trainers aren't like me. They love battle. Chuck is always pushing himself to be stronger, and keeps picking fights because of it. Lance was the pokemon champion, but he still chased down a gang and destroyed their headquarters. Blue lost the champion title and became the strongest gym leader I've ever fought. Ashlei couldn't even stay home after her championship victory, because she so wanted the challenge herself. All of them, and all of the gym leaders—heck, everyone in my phone besides my mom and the professors—thrives in battle. And no one has ever told them that they've done everything.

Red had done everything.

He just might be the best of us, but being the best trainer means not having anyone who can challenge you. He needed to be reminded that he could lose.

I don't know where he's going now.

Maybe he'll go to Sinnoh and try the battle tower. Maybe he'll just fight the elite four again. Maybe, down the line, he'll find me for a rematch.

And that'll be fine. I'll be at home.

[oliviasliver]

Dancing to the Death Ballet/ The Final Battle Play-By-Play

Red’s first pokemon was a beefed up pikachu. Thomas beat it by the skin of his teeth.

His nonexistent teeth.

Next came a lapras. Jamie managed to finish it with thunder, but only after it had wrecked everyone with its blizzard.

And here I was told that they were peaceful creatures.

Baron made the snorlax use all of its strong attack moves, Thomas weakened its defense, and Ashlei finished it off. 

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Jaime fought the venusaur by themselves. 

Luckily, it never hit with sleep powder.

Jaime and Flora fought the blastoise together, wearing to down as it wore us.

How did an animal evolve giant cannons anyway?

It was Ashlei and Jaime against the charizard. Ashlei intimidated, Jaime struck.

At this point I had used all of my max revives and hyper potions, most of my regular revives and full restores, and what was left of my fighting spirit.

When he was finally beaten, Red still didn't say anything. But he did leave. And when he did, he seemed lighter.

[oliviasliver]

A Resounding Defeat/ A Tactical Retreat

At the summit of Mt Silver waited Red. He's not what you'd expect when you imagine a hero who disbanded a gang, but he might be pretty much the quintessential pokemon trainer. He was completely silent. Not like he couldn't talk. Like he saw no need to.

He was ferocious. He and his pokemon thrashed us so badly we had to half-sprint and half-limp down the mountain. It made me wish I hadn't released oh-ho. But through my defeat I realized why Red was standing on that mountaintop, and why I couldn't leave him there.

I bought a bunch of revives and and full restores. What would matter is that I won, not how I won.

I hoped.

[oliviasliver]

I Can Feel How the End Draws Near/ But I Will Not Be Frozen By My Fear

Turns out that “something” wasn’t moltres. There’s still an energy in the air. I’m feeling it as much as my pokemon now. 

I need to confess something.

When I got to this point, I started using my pokegear to post these blog posts. It was just a way to organize my thoughts and connect to people from this desolate cave. Or it was a way to not have to face whatever lies ahead. 

I was scared. Now that I’ve gotten some of this stuff out, it feels like I’m more prepared for whatever’s waiting for me.

By the time you read this, it will be resolved, one way or another. 

Once more into the unknown.

[oliviasliver]

A Second Phoenix, Not as Great/ Hotter Than a Boilerplate.

There's a pokemon center at the foot of Mt. Silver. It's empty except for the employees. I can't describe how creepy that made it. Pokemon centers are supposed to be filled with life.

There's something up with these caves. Baron and Jamie both reacted to something I couldn't see.

Aha. It's moltres, the legendary bird pokemon. I leave it alone for now. I think I'm over dominating rare creatures.

[oliviasliver]

Beautiful Phoenix of Red and Gold/ A Sacred Power Too Great to Hold

Wow okay. 

So turns out “exploring” was a bit of an understatement. I went back to the Bell Tower and met Ho-Oh. 

I know.

Look, I know.

I guess Ho-Oh found me worthy, or at least decided it wanted its feather back, because it was flying above the Bell Tower like an angry god. We fought, and even though it was tougher than my team, I was able to catch it with a shadow ball. The way it felt, and the way the monks looked at me afterward, made me feel like a conqueror. No one would have expected me to best this ancient creature.

But...did I want to?

Jamie chose me. That much is clear. Heck, the fight with Jamie had been so short that I'd only needed to throw one ball. Ho-Oh seemed begrudging at best. Besides, Isn't this the creature that Morty dreamed of seeing, because it would let him know he was a great trainer? 

How many other trainers have that dream?

So, I released it. Ho-Oh is not mine to keep.

[oliviasliver]

A Champion Fallen is Champion Still/ Separated From Victory in Time and Will

Blue's gym was full of powerful normal pokemon. And here I am, with no fighting pokemon. I decided to get Jerry the snorlax out of storage and teach him focus blast.

Of course then it turned out that Blue himself was not a normal pokemon user. 

Figures. 

I guess he was champion, so that makes sense. I ended up having to use Jamie for most of the fight. Again.

Blue was surprised that I beat him. Surprised and impressed. It felt really good, actually. Unlike a lot of the trainers I'd fought, he was someone who was secure in his abilities because his abilities were just that good. 

And I'd won!

Professor Oak gave me the Rock Climb move and told me to go to Mt. Silver. I don't know why, but Mt. Silver feels...ominous. I decided to explore a bit before heading out.

[oliviasliver]

Another Gym Battle! Again Into the Breach! At Least Where We Are Now, the Lava Can’t Reach.

The gym in the Seafoam Islands feels...haphazard. Everyone is clearly trying hard after the very real setback of having their town explode. But they just threw some tiles down in a cave and stood in front of Blaine until I fought them. 

Maybe I should have given them more time to prepare. I don't even know how long ago it was that their old gym was destroyed.

Blaine himself seems like a determined person with a powerful mind. It made me feel kind of bad when Ashlei absolutely trounced him. He gave me a volcano badge. 

That felt...wrong, somehow.

[oliviasliver]

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust/ Where Once Was a Town Sits Volcanic Crust

I've never seen a destroyed town before.

I met Blue on Cinnabar Island. He told me there used to be a whole town there, but it was destroyed by an erupting volcano. The whole town, gone. Just like that.

There's a pokemon center, either rebuilt or miraculously spared. Inside, they tell me no one died in the eruption. Thank goodness for small favors. I decide not to explore the island of ash, and make instead for the gym on another island. I hope that one's more stable.

[oliviasliver]

An Empty Town, Quiet and Quaint/ Like a Pallet With No Paint

Pallet Town is smaller than I thought it’d be. But it’s a familiar sort of small.

Red's house is here. Red is the kid who broke up Team Rocket three years ago, and forced Giovanni into hiding. I feel a certain kinship with him, but there is nothing of him here. His mother hasn't seen him. His computer won't even power on. There is nothing of life within his room.

What happened to the hero of Kanto?

There's much more life in the next house. A girl named Daisy tells me her brother Blue is the Viridian gym leader. So now I have a name to match to his absence.

Professor Oak is in his lab. Oh a whim, I turned on his radio show. There was breaking news about clampearl sightings on route 19. I didn't know you could schedule breaking news.

I decide to surf out of Pallet Town. I still have two more gyms to beat.

...And then...back home?

[oliviasliver]

I Feel So Empty and Alone/ In the City of Rock and Stone

I went through Diglett Cave to find new places. I found...a city! And a forest! Exciting.

Pewter city feels empty, too. All the best exhibits in the museum are on tour in Johto, apparently. Brock, the rock gym leader, didn't leave much of an impression. On the plus side, that's two gym leaders in a row whose dates I didn't ruin! Things are looking up!

I went to Viridian City, but there was no gym leader there! Lame. I guess I'll take in the local color.

Or maybe I'll just go to Pallet Town.

[oliviasliver]

We Can Wake the Sleepers, Like We Climbed the Tower/ We Can Fight the Ninjas. We Have That Power

I got the power up in Kanto. Olivia Silver: fixer.

So, with the power back up, I can listen to the radio again! Turns out there's a local station that plays pokeflute music. Maybe they'd heard about the giant sleeping pokemon blocking all the good paths in Kanto. I played it an anti-lullaby and caught it. I don't know if I need a snorlax, but I kind of like having the option.

I went to Fushia city. It feels empty. Apparently the Safari Zone used to be here, but now that it's in Johto, leaving a bunch of empty pens. There's a newer park, a “pal park,” but I didn't really poke around. I've got pals.

More ninja at the poison gym! Janine, the leader, is Koga's daughter. She's nice! And strong. Well, I assume she's strong, but I've still got Jamie, and they can knock around poison pokemon. 

Pa-pow.

[oliviasliver]

The Cool Air, the Gentle Light/ The Perfect Time to Ruin a Girl’s Night

Ooh. I think I made a mistake. I ruined Misty's date by accident. I may have scared her man-friend away. 

I cloyster-blocked her. 

She called me a pest.

Well, how was I supposed to know she'd be at the cape with a guy!? Or that he'd be so jumpy? MAYBE SHE DATE UNRELIABLE DUDES.

OUR GYM BATTLE IS GOING TO BE SUPER AWKWARD.

And it was.

[oliviasliver]

You Shouldn’t Steal, I Always Say/ But They Go and Do It Anyway

Everyone in Cerulean City was talking about the “shady character.” I don't know why a tween stranger had to be the one to investigate. 

The thief was dressed as a Rocket, but he didn't speak the language very well. He bumped into me then ran toward the cape. Obviously, I went after him. I'm the closest thing to law in this town.

We fought on the bridge. He had a golbat. The guy seemed more confused than sinister. I sent him home after he told me where he'd stashed the machine part.

I can’t get over how incredibly pathetic Team Rocket’s last panicked actions have been.

[oliviasliver]

No Matter Where You Go or Where You’re From/ Across the Land, Cops Are Dumb.

I went to Lavender Town because I'd been told the power plant was somewhere in that direction, but all there was was the “House of Memories,” a pokemon resting place, and a large radio tower that cannot broadcast.

I went through the rock tunnel north of Lavender. It leads almost straight to the power plant, which is a lucky break. 

Turns out a thief had stolen something important from the power plant! A police officer informed me of this, and told me that rumor said the thief was at Cerulean gym. Then he asked me to go check it out.

Good to know the police in Kanto are just as good as the ones back home.

[oliviasliver]

Lives Connected, Paths Crossed/ We Who Wander Might Be Lost

Celadon! I love these big cities! I love getting lost among people.

Ethan's here! It occurs to me that I don't know how he's been occupying himself. Professor Elm sent us both out to study the relationships between pokemon and people, but I've been doing that by earning gym badges and becoming champion. Has he just been...travelling? That seems nice.

Crasher Wake gave me some masks. It took me a little while to realize that he's a gym leader in Sinnoh! Thanks to me constantly following a certain blog, I know that it was his gym that my friend Ashlei needed to take a shower in because everything surrounding the city is marshland.

I also met Maylene, the gym leader from Veilstone! She eats a lot. I carefully didn't ask her about how all of her pokemon got beat up by a bat.

I cannot stress enough how much I wanted to ask these vacationing strangers about their run-ins with a girl a named my pokemon after.

Anywho. The Celadon gym is a maze of hedges and flowers, but Erica, the leader, is...I think the accepted parlance is “laid back.” She's very “chill.” She keeps a green garden, is what I'm saying. Anywho, Jamie took care of her pokemon. She was okay with it.