The Red Trainer (Part B) by Michael Keens/ Exodus  

Rick wouldn’t and couldn’t give up his Pokémon, they couldn’t be replaced, they 
were his friends and Serena was family.  
“I’ll take your terrible fate, if you can catch me that is...  Ostrio!” he 
smiled confidently.  
“Waaaak!”  
It scooped up Rick and Serena and jumped over the five as they unleashed their 
Pokémon.  
“Mag-na-ton!”  
“Ditto!”  
“Rrrooaoaarrr!!!”  
“Cllloysterrr...”  
“MUK!!!”  
Ostrio charged as fast as he could but several Pokémon were catching up in 
different ways.  
“Rroooooaaarrr!!!” roared a Charizard flying closer, it blew a flame which 
barely missed the group.  
“Vortex! Go!” shouted Rick.  
“Poli!!!” he said squirting water upwards.  
It hit the Charizard's tail and it fell out of sight.  
“Return Vortex.”  
“Mag-na-ton!”  
“Leafer!”  
“Bellsprout!”  
Rick held it in his arms and it saw the problem and reacted to it with two 
Razor Leaves, they jolted the Magneton a little but Leafer used a little Stun 
Spore to slow it down totally.  
“Nice job, Return.”  
“Muk... Muk... Muk...” growled the Muk as it slid forward at an incredible 
pace.  
“Jynx!” reacted Serena, using a Psychic-type attack to surround it in blue 
light and melt it into a puddle.  
“Thanks Serena...”  
“Jynx...” she smiled.  
“Waaaak!” screamed a second Doduo, it was the Ditto Rick had heard, 
transformed.  
“Waaaak!” retorted Ostrio and pecked at it with spinning drill beaks, it 
tripped up and landed awkwardly before rolling back and reforming into its real 
self.  
“Clllloysterrr!” said the Cloyster fiendishly as it dropped out in front of 
them.  
“Jynx!” shouted Serena firing an Ice Beam.  
It withdrew into its shell but its huge figure blocked the path, Rick thought 
of something to get it out of its shell.  
“Ooze! Squeeze through and poison it.”  
“Grimerrr...” it said happily and passed through the cracks.  
Suddenly the Cloyster leaped up and opened its shell, its orb face had spiral 
eyes, Rick recalled his Pokémon and Ostrio leaped over the defeated Cloyster 
and charged onwards.  
He ended up in the deeper neck of the woods and slowed down.  
“Return Ostrio, take a rest, I might need you again.” panted Rick.  
“Not that you’ll have the chance...” said the woman with copper hair 
dismounting off her Alakazam that must have teleported here.  
The other four caught up and recalled their Pokémon.  
“Perhaps now we can be introduced.” she said casually, “I’m known as Trainer 
Nebula.”  
“Oi'm Trainer Form.” said the gloomy man in green.  
“Crater.” said the big man in reds.  
“Depth.” said the mysterious woman in blue.  
“You’re going down! We’re gonna-  Pleased to make your acquaintance, my name is 
Phase.” said the strange woman wearing purples, changing her tone suddenly.  
“’e’s good, per’aps ‘e should join us.” suggested Form.  
“Join you?! After all you’ve put me through, you want me to be one of you?!” 
shouted Rick.  
“He’s still unwilling...” motioned Depth.  
“Don’t worry, Vertigo can convince him.” smiled Nebula darkly.  
“Vertigo?...” questioned Rick.  
A woman with long black hair and evil jade eyes stepped out of the darkness 
slowly, she wore a dark purple sleeveless uniform with red stripes, a black 
skirt and high heels, and a long violet cloth that hung off the back end of her 
waist and fell down to her knees.  
She looked a little curious at Rick as she looked him over, but retained a firm 
emotionless look.  
“What shall we do, Leader?” asked Depth.  
“I’ll battle him, then we’ll see if he’s worthy of joining the Lunar Crew.” she 
said darkly.  
“And if I win?” asked Rick.  
“Trust me, you’re not that lucky.  Three Pokémon only, Go... Viper.”  
“Go Vortex.”  

“Ekansss...”  
“Poli!”  
Serena stayed by Rick’s side for the battle, but looked a little more scared 
than she usually showed.  
“Vortex, Hypnosis.”  
“Viper, Poison Sting.”  
“Poli!”  
He tried to cancel the attack and run, but a shard caught him in the foot.  
“Bite it.”  
“Kaaaannnnsss!!!” he yelled, sinking in and poisoning the Poliwag for sure.  
“Vortex, Return...”  
“Return Viper, Go Mushroom.” said Vertigo as if this were a boring game.  
“Go! Blazer!” shouted Rick.  
“Parrras!”  
“Grooowwlll!!!”  
This was better, Blazer had the definite advantage here.  
“Ember!”  
The Paras rolled to the side and blew Spore into it, causing him to get sleepy, 
then it slammed its claw into Blazer’s chest causing him to fall immediately.  
Vertigo had a level advantage, that much was clear.  
“Better do better than that.” she said confidently, “Finish up Skull.” she said 
after recalling Mushroom.  
“Cubone!”  
“I choose Leafer!”  
“Bellsprout!”  
He’d need whatever advantage he could get.  
“Leafer, Razor Leaf!”  
“Use your weapon...” said Vertigo vaguely.  
The leaves were batted back by the bone club and tore into Leafer.  
“Vine Whip!” shouted Rick desperately.  
The Cubone spun its bone and reflected the slapping vines.  
“Bonemerang, Bone Club.” muttered Vertigo.  
It threw its bonemerang which collided with Leafer and then started to fly 
back, but the Cubone ran towards Leafer and picked up its bone upon it hitting 
Leafer a second time, and then brought it down on his head.  
“Bell... Sprout...” it groaned.  
Vertigo looked Rick over again as he frantically recalled his Pokémon.  

“Ha! Kid, that was pathetic!” laughed Crater, “He can’t join us, destroy him 
and take his Pokémon!”  
“Shut up Crater.” said Vertigo suddenly, he was shocked, “He battled me and so 
I have full judgement, take him to the hideout, I shall deal with him later.”  
“You’re lucky kid, well not so much actually.” said Crater before clubbing Rick 
in the head hard, he then used a spray to render Serena unconscious...  

Rick woke up, hours later, Serena was holding him in her arms, almost like when 
he was young.  
“Jynx, Jynx...” she said concerned, and the words, “Wake up Ricky...” could be 
heard in his mind.  
“Serena...  Where are we?...” questioned Rick.  
He opened his eyes and saw Vertigo watching him from the other side of the 
prison bars.  
He stood up to face her, they appeared to be in a big workplace and he was 
locked in some sort of storage room.  
“I’m not joining!” he shouted at her.  
She didn’t change her expression and continued to watch him.  
“But you must.  It might be your only way out.  Don’t do anything foolish.”  
“I don’t know why you care.” muttered Rick.  
“I do care, I’m not a monster and I don’t want the others to harm you...  I 
won’t let them bring misery to another human being...” said Vertigo firmly.  
Rick frowned, he couldn’t believe this was the same woman that battled so 
mercilessly, she appeared to have a heart.  
“I can’t join you, do what you want to me but I’ll never taint my family’s 
ways, my mother and her Pokémon raised me too well, I’d never steal Pokémon 
from decent trainers, nor hurt another person.”  
“We wouldn’t have to hurt people, us Rockets steal because the world has 
forsaken us, we can’t live as Pokémon Trainers because it doesn’t pay for a 
good home or food to keep you alive, for some people, this road is the only way 
for them, do you really think you can get by on your own?” explained Vertigo 
firmly with compassion.  
“Not that its any of your business, but I was doing just fine before you guys 
kidnapped me!” shouted Rick.  
“Yet you’re alone...” muttered Vertigo.  
“I’m not alone! My Pokémon are my friends, they’re not tools for war, and this 
Jynx is as close to me as any mother could be with their child!”  
The woman closed her eyes, “You do not understand what we’ve been through...”  
“But I understand that its wrong, when you steal Pokémon, don’t you ever think 
of how it could affect the Pokémon and its trainer?...  I can’t believe you 
think this is the only way, you’re a good trainer, good enough for greater 
things than this life.”  
She turned away from him, “Its not that easy to change, especially when the 
whole world has turned its back on you, this is the only place I can call 
home.”  
“Be as it may, if you don’t want to hurt people, you shouldn’t be here, Rockets 
have destroyed many lives...  Are you truly one of them?...”  
She grabbed the bars suddenly and gave him a cold angry stare, Rick stared back 
but with compassionate eyes.  
Suddenly she unlocked the cage and turned away.  
“Go, go out into the big bad world and live out your happy life, I am unable to 
leave.” she said angrily and sarcastically.  
Rick, not believing this, slowly walked out with Serena, “Vertigo...  Just 
think about what I’ve said, you’re not evil, you might try to act it in front 
of your comrades, but I can see some good in you...”  
“Get outta here, if anyone catches you, I didn’t have anything to do with 
this...” she said firmly with closed eyes.  
“Thank you, Vertigo...”  
Rick rushed out and Vertigo simply stared as he did.  
“So long... Ricky Zane...”  

End of Part B  

Back to Part A
Back to the Side Stories
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