Chapter 5: Blue and the Squirtle Squad
"These little ones are in your care now. I hope you can make sure they're properly looked after," said a lively young woman wearing a blue dress and a Wartortle-shaped hairpin, standing at the gate of a small outpost.
This was an unnamed town located somewhere between Cerulean City and Vermilion City.
Not long ago, a particularly charismatic and street-smart wild Squirtle had wandered into the town. By pure coincidence, it had encountered several other abandoned Squirtles who were already living there.
Under the leadership of this clever new arrival, they formed a notorious gang known as the Squirtle Squad.
They became the town's biggest headache — pulling pranks on travelers, vandalizing fruit stands, and even robbing bakeries. Their antics caused chaos and disrupted the peace of the entire town.
Eventually, the desperate townspeople pooled together a reward, hoping to hire a skilled Pokémon Trainer who could either capture or drive away the troublemakers.
As luck would have it, one of Kanto's legendary Trainers — Blue, the woman who had once saved the world twice — happened to be passing through the area.
The moment she heard there was money to be made, her eyes lit up. "A paid mission? Say no more," she'd said cheerfully.
And of course, everyone could guess how that ended.
The untrained Squirtle Squad never stood a chance against the sly, sweet, and slightly devious Blue — especially when she was accompanied by her battle-hardened Blastoise, a Pokémon often borrowed by the Champion himself.
It wasn't even a fight. The Squirtle Squad was utterly defeated within minutes.
But despite her cunning personality, Blue had a kind heart. She promised the leader of the Squirtles that she'd make sure his brothers were taken care of properly.
Only then did the Squirtle Squad officially disband.
"It's not really about the money," Blue said with a playful giggle, covering her mouth. "I did it for justice, obviously. Oh, and don't forget to send the rest of my payment~"
After saying her goodbyes to Officer Jenny, Blue clasped her hands behind her back and started walking away with her Wartortle.
"Squirtle~!"
Hearing footsteps still following behind, she turned to see the Squirtle Squad leader — wearing his signature black sunglasses — trailing after her. Blue sighed helplessly.
"Squirtle, squirtle," he grunted stubbornly. The leader wasn't about to trust another human so easily after being betrayed before. Unless he found a Trainer he truly respected, he wasn't going to change his ways.
Blue gave him a deadpan look. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you? Maybe I should just send you to Red — would he even take you, I wonder?"
Her Wartortle chuckled, patting the little Squirtle's bald head approvingly. "Blastoise~" ("He's got spirit — just like I did when I was young.")
Right then, Blue's Pokégear rang.
"Moshi moshi~ Hello?"
"Blue-senpai, where are you right now?" came a gentle, feminine voice from the other end of the line.
"Oh~ Yellow, darling! Long time no see! What's up?" Blue instantly brightened, her tone teasing and affectionate.
Blue had always adored Yellow — the sweet, shy girl who was often rumored to be Red's girlfriend. Teasing her until her face turned red had become one of Blue's favorite pastimes.
"U-um… has Mr. Red contacted you recently?" Yellow asked timidly.
"Huh? No, why? What happened?"
"It's nothing serious… It's just, we were supposed to go fishing together today, but he didn't show up…" Yellow's voice softened with mild disappointment.
Blue smirked. "Ah, that dense man — he's probably off sparring with Green again. Hold on, I'll call him right now and drag him back for you!"
Before Yellow could object, Blue had already hung up.
"Ah… Blue-senpai, you really don't have to force Mr. Red…" Yellow mumbled to the disconnected call, her face turning pink as a puff of steam seemed to rise from her head.
With a mischievous grin, Blue dialed another number — this time, Green's.
"Yo, Green! You big idiot—"
Click.
He hung up immediately.
"Ahem, handsome~!" she said on her second attempt, her tone switching in an instant. "Cut the small talk — where's Red? Our boy's got a date to keep! Unlike you, some people actually have a love life!"
Inside the Viridian City Gym, Green's mouth twitched as he casually demolished another young challenger. "I didn't spar with him today. He dropped off one of Venusaur's seedlings for a new rookie Trainer and then headed to Mt. Silver for training."
"Huh. Figures," Blue muttered. "These two blockheads — if they're not battling, they're training. I swear, one day they'll just end up marrying each other."
Green felt a vein pop in his forehead. "I know you're talking trash about me again, but I can't prove it."
"Uh, Mr. Green…" the trembling challenger raised a hand weakly. "Can I surrender now?"
"Hold that thought — I'm on a call," Green replied calmly. "Metagross! Don't go easy on that Psyduck, use Meteor Mash!"
In the middle of the gym, a poor Psyduck was being mercilessly stomped by a massive Metagross, its cries echoing across the battlefield.
The challenger looked like he was about to cry: (╥﹏╥) I'm not coming again, this is too much...too cruel.
"Wait, hold up," Blue suddenly interjected, "did you say Red gave away one of his Venusaur's seedlings?"
"Yeah," Green said, sounding distracted. "To a new Trainer from Pallet Town. I think Red saw something of his younger self in that kid."
Blue's eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Interesting~ And where's this kid now?"
"Probably just left Pallet Town. Should still be nearby. Anyway, I'm busy — hanging up."
"Got it, got it. Bye, handsome~ Let's grab tea sometime!"
She hung up, turned to the Squirtle still standing beside her, and grinned.
"Well, little guy — being trained by someone Red himself approves of doesn't sound like such a bad deal, right?"
"Squirtle?" The little turtle tilted his head. ("Who's Red?")
Blue chuckled. "You'll see soon enough!"
She gestured for the Squirtle to hop onto Blastoise back with her. "Alright, let's fly, Blastoise!"
"Blaaa-ss-toise!"
With a powerful blast from the twin cannons on its shell, Blastoise launched itself — and its passengers — into the air like a rocket.
Squirtle: !!!(°Д°ノ)ノ WHAT THE SHELL?! WE'RE FLYING!?"
Blue's delighted laughter echoed across the sky. "Hahaha! Destination — near Pallet Town! Let's gooo!"
…
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the clear skies after the rain, Ash sprinted across the grassy paths, bounding over hills like it was nothing.
Someone had once said this of him: "This guy moves better than a Mankey!"
"Hey, Pikachu, look! There's a Weedle ahead!" Ash's eyes lit up.
"Pika–CHUUU!!" Pikachu leapt forward, unleashing a sudden bolt of lightning.
ZZZZT! The Weedle, which had merely been minding its own business, froze mid-crawl and toppled over with a faint puff of smoke.
"Sorry, buddy! We're in a hurry! Have a great day!" Ash said cheerfully, scooping Pikachu out of the air without slowing his run.
As the vegetation grew shorter, he finally stopped at the base of Mt. Hideaway.
"Alright, this is it. Judging by the terrain, we'll probably start running into Geodudes and maybe some Onix soon," he mused, grinning. "Take a breather, Pikachu — we'll switch partners."
"Pika!" Pikachu raised a tiny paw in understanding.
"Bulbasaur, I choose you!"
Ash released Bulbasaur, who stretched its vines eagerly. The young Trainer's eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked up at the rocky slope.
"Alright, Geodudes and Onix — here we come!"
Just then, at the next bend in the mountain path, a hunched old lady appeared, leaning on a cane.
"Young man~ could you help me out, please~?"
Ash paused mid-step. "…You're not one of those fairy-tale witches who eat children, right?"
The old woman twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Cough… I'm just a poor, lost old lady, that's all…"
To be continued…