"Wow! To think that you, of all people, would come by! I was just hearing about you on the TV the other day! I've heard you have a lot of powerful pokemon! Can you show me them? Oh! Have you heard of the pokemon called Rapidash? It's so cute! It's so lovely! Did you know I have over 100 pokemon? Would you like to see them all-"
"Why… why did we come here again?"
As I tuned out the rambling man in front of me, Joy spoke a bit stiffly at my side.
"Just... trust me," I sighed back, not really having a good explanation to give her. Behind me, the rest of my group of stalkers was clearly feeling the same annoyance from the man's rambling as myself and Joy were.
We had continued towards Vermilion City after our lunch break, and after a quick check-up at the Pokemon Center, I had dragged my group to the Pokemon Fan Club building before the sun went down. I would challenge the gym tomorrow after some rest, as trying to teach Sabrina and Misty had sucked up more daylight than I thought it would, but first, we came here for one specific reason.
In the games, the Chairman, a short, portly man who was currently rambling excitementedly in front of me, would give the player a Bike Voucher. I could then exchange the voucher for a free bicycle at the bike shop in Cerulean City. A bicycle that cost one million Pokedollars!
I wasn't sure if that would be the case in this world, but it was worth a shot. If I could get a Bike Voucher in return for just listening to this man ramble, then I could save the nearly 1,000,000 Pokedollars it would take to buy one - or, more specifically, I could gain the 1,000,000 Pokedollars I could get for selling one. I had more than enough money right now after getting the reward from Jenny, but I wasn't about to say no to a free bike, especially one that I could potentially flip for profit.
I didn't know about the legality of selling bikes or if I needed some type of permit for it, but I didn't really care either. I couldn't use the bike for myself - well, technically I could, but I wouldn't - because one bicycle couldn't fit a whole group of people. I could maybe squeeze one of the women on with me, and Jenny could just use her Arcanine, but in the end, there wasn't enough room for everyone. And, even if I shouldn't have been concerned about how the group of stalkers could keep up with my speed on a bike, I had actually come to enjoy having them around.
So, instead, I would just take the free bike, and hopefully sell it to someone for a shit-ton of cash - or, even just sell the voucher to someone, and avoid the hassle of getting the bicycle in the first place. 1,000,000 Pokedollars was no small amount, as it was literally more than you could hold in the games, and I'd be set up for the rest of my journey, if not for the rest of my life - I wasn't sure about that part, as while staying in a hotel room only cost a hundred Pokedollars at most for a night, I didn't know the value of actual real estate in this world - financially.
I wasn't sure how I would find someone with a million Pokedollars to buy the bike off me, as that wasn't a casual amount to have, but I figured that I would find someone eventually. I mean, if there were bike shops selling each one for that much, then there had to be a consumer base with the funds to buy them, right? It would work out! Even so, it was getting harder and harder to justify listening to this man, as he had been going on for nearly ten minutes now, and we hadn't gotten anything in return.
"...and so, I told her, of course, the best pokemon to take to the beach is a Vaporeon! Oh, by the way, did you know that in terms of male human and female pokemon breeding, Vaporeon is the most compatible-" The Chairman asked, before immediately cutting himself off before he could finish, "Ah, never mind, sorry, Red! I just get so caught up in talking about pokemon sometimes!"
Wait, what was he saying about Vaporeon?
Luckily for my sanity, I was tuned out and didn't fully catch what he said. But, even if I was mentally prepared for his rambling, hearing him talk about Rapidash's mane for nearly five minutes straight was still something you could never fully prepare for.
"Let's talk about you, Red!" The Chairman said abruptly, and I turned my attention back to him.
The sudden shift in topic made me blink in surprise, and I found myself tuning back in despite my best efforts. The Chairman was leaning forward, his eyes sparkling with a fire of awe that was more intense than any I'd seen so far, even from my own personal collection of stalkers.
"I'm so happy to see you visit my humble club! Since we're based in Kanto, we don't often get big names coming through!" He gushed, reaching into his pocket as he pulled a pen and piece of paper out, "Lance came by before he made it big, but besides him, you're definitely the biggest! Can I get you to sign this? I'll hang it up somewhere!"
"Uh... sure," I nodded a bit dryly, taking the paper from him as I looked down at it a bit confusedly. This was in his pocket? How the hell did it keep a whole paper in his pocket, and not fold it at all?! Seriously, this paper was a normal, book-sized one, and yet it had no wrinkles! What kind of suit was-
Pockets that defied the laws of physics aside, I signed the paper and then raised an eyebrow at him as I handed it back, "You keep saying I'm a big name and all that, but... where are you hearing about me?"
The scientist in the Silph Co. building had also already heard of me, so I knew that my name was getting out into the Kanto region, but I didn't know how, or... why, really. I mean, I'd done something 'legendary' in the way I caught Mewtwo - get it? Legendary? - with just a team of under-leveled pokemon, but it wasn't like anyone except myself and my traveling companions knew about it. Mewtwo was still intent on flooding my mind with threats and slurs fit for a fanfiction writer's DMs whenever I sent him out - something I was working on, but which would take a lot of time to break through - so I hadn't been able to use him at all, and as a result, no one else knew I had caught him. Other than that, freeing Saffron City was definitely a newsworthy feat, but I had only done that yesterday! There was no way the news could've spread that quickly, right?
"Where was I hearing about you? Are you kidding?! You're all over the news! It's incredible!" The Chairman gushed, clasping his hands together as he looked at me with wide eyes, "You've been all over Kanto TV networks for days now! Oh, and just this morning, I saw you on 'TrainerTV!' That means you've really made it big time! They were talking about how you single-handedly saved Saffron City! You really beat over a thousand Team Rocket members?! I knew you were the real deal, Red, but a thousand is ridiculous! And then you went and took down Sabrina right after! The Marsh Badge is one of the toughest to get, but I heard you made it look easy! That's the stuff of legends! Oh, speaking of legends, have you heard about the legendary pokemon Ho-oh? It's a huge bird! It's so awesome and-"
I stared at him blankly as he started ranting about pokemon again for a bit, my mind reeling from what he said. I knew I had embellished the story for Jenny, but I hadn't expected it to travel this fast, or get even more exaggerated in the retelling. I had told Jenny that Sabrina helped me clear out all the grunts to make it more believable, but apparently that part had been lost in translation, and now I had single-handedly defeated a thousand grunts.
"Oh, but enough about Ho-oh! Back to you! That's not all," The Chairman continued, not even pausing for a breath as he switched topics again, "The Trainer Red Fan Club is booming! As the Chairman of the Pokemon Fan Club, I have to know about all the other fan clubs, and yours is getting huge! You're a prodigy and a legend in the making! I can see why, because you've done some crazy stuff!"
I opened my mouth to ask him about what 'crazy stuff' he was talking about, as, aside from saving Saffron City, I felt like I hadn't done much except go around gathering gym badges, and unfortunately, stalkers in the process. However, before I could actually ask him, the Chairman reached out and abruptly grabbed my shoulders, staring into my eyes as stars practically filled his.
"Taking down two gyms in back-to-back days is unheard of!" He shouted into my face as he shook my shoulders, which I felt like couldn't have been true, and if it was, it was probably more so due to trainers not wanting to travel between towns so quickly and not because of a lack of skill - actually, considering the average skill level of a trainer in this world, I could definitely see no one managing to get through two gyms in one day, "Then, you even wiped out the entire Cerulean City river! Oh, and then, because the police were looking for you, you went and became the hero of Saffron City to get political immunity! You've got an impressive resume already, as impressive as my Rapidash! Oh, do you want to see it? My Rapidash is so cute, and very dashing-"
I tuned out his ramblings again as I thought about his words, blinking rapidly as I realized that... he was right? Also, the police were after me because of what happened in Cerulean City?! That was barely my fau- ok, it was entirely my fault, but it was an accident... kinda.
But, police aside, I guess I had been doing some pretty badass stuff throughout my time in this world. It didn't feel like it, because I was just running around from route to route with a group of women following me around, but from an outsider's POV, it was pretty cool. I had run through three gyms in around a week, knocked out every pokemon in the Cerulean City river, and even caught Mewtwo with a group of weak pokemon. As far as impressive feats go, I was indeed building up quite the resume.
But I hadn't considered the impact of what I had done would have. I hadn't thought about my story spreading throughout the region, let alone the world, especially so soon. I knew that I'd make a name for myself eventually, as I was aiming to become the champion, but I hadn't realized that my actions were already being watched, analyzed, and broadcasted on news channels. I was just looking for a challenge, but somehow, my journey through Kanto made me into a local legend already.
It was a strange feeling, as I felt a mix of pride, unease, and... anticlimactic-y? Was that even a feeling?
Pride because, well, who wouldn't be proud of being called a legend? I had done some badass things, and I was getting the attention and praise that came with it.
Unease because... I didn't want the attention - not yet, at least. I had just wanted to go around, beat all the gyms, and then become the Champion. I was focused on going through the path of the games right now, and I hadn't even begun to think about any fame that would come with trying to become the Champion. If I was already getting this much attention, then how much would I get when I actually became the Champion?
Finally, I felt anticlimactic, because... I didn't have much competition. Sure, I had done some cool shit, but the 'prodigy' and 'legend in the making' titles the Chairman laid on me felt a bit undeserved. When my competition was a bunch of moronic trainers, it was hard not to be considered at the very least a prodigy.
"You know, I was just thinking," The Chairman said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts as I tuned back in to what he was saying, "It's trainers like you, who put themselves out there and make big moves, that make this world go 'round! The ones who go out there and don't just talk about it, they do it! You've got that fire in you! Oh, just like my Rapidash! It has the most beautiful-"
Can this bastard go two seconds without mentioning his Rapidash?! With how much he's bigging it up, it better be shiny at the very least!
"Ah, never mind that, what I'm saying is that I think you'll be big-time soon! And, I like to support trainers like that! I like to help them on their journey!" His grip on my shoulders tightened, and I felt a bit awkward as the women around me all looked on with a bit of confusion, clearly not sure what was going on or why I had even come to talk to this man in the first place.
"So, to help you on your journey, I'll give you this!" The Chairman said abruptly, finally releasing my shoulders as he reached into his suit pocket.
Then, he pulled out a long, really long, but thin piece of paper. Seriously, did he have magical pockets? What is this suit made of, and can I get one? I had seen some weird shit in this world, but this suit was definitely up there with the weirdest. It was just an ordinary-looking, black suit, but it seemed to have some type of infinite storage!
Incredibly deep pockets aside - which might've been a metaphor of some kind - he just reached into his side pocket, and then pulled out a long piece of paper. It had the word 'Voucher' printed on the top of it in big, bold letters, and then had a smaller 'Bike Voucher' printed under it.
"Here you go, kid! A gift from me to you!" He reached forward, shoving the long paper into my hands before I had a chance to say anything.
I stared at the piece of paper in my hands for a moment. I just continued to stare, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing.
'Voucher.' That was it. Just the word 'Voucher.'
Well, there were the words underneath that, in smaller, slightly less bold letters, which said 'Bike Voucher,' but that wasn't much better! There was no official-looking seal, no watermarks, no serial number. There wasn't even any graphic design on the piece of paper! It looked like he had just typed it up on a computer ten seconds ago and printed it out! Seriously, this was some shit I would've made when I was a kid to create flyers for my lemonade stand on PowerPoint! The corners weren't even properly cut! I could get a paper cut from this damn thing!
I silently wondered if trainers were the only stupid ones in this world. Though, considering this man was the Chairman of the 'Pokemon Fan Club,' he was probably a trainer at some point, so maybe that had something to do with it? But, if this was for the bike shop, then was the bike shop owner an idiot? Could I just print off a bunch of these and get a shit-ton of bikes? That was another 'how to become a trillionaire' plan to add to the backlog, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as the Chairman spoke again.
"So, take that to the bike shop in Cerulean City, and they'll give you a free bicycle! It's my gift to you, for being such an inspiration to trainers all over the world!" He gushed, clasping his hands together as he looked at me expectantly, as if he was waiting for me to break down in tears of gratitude.
But, I didn't, as instead I just stared at the piece of paper in my hands, then back at him, and then down at the paper again. The look on my face must've been pretty unimpressed, because the Chairman's excited expression faltered slightly.
"It's… It's a real voucher, I promise you! The bike shop is aware of my gifts to promising trainers! It'll work, I assure you!" He insisted, looking a bit worried as I continued to stare at the paper blankly, "It's a pretty big gift, y'know? Those bicycles aren't cheap!"
Despite his thoughts, I wasn't doubting that it would work - as with how stupid this world was, I was pretty sure that this shitty voucher was authentic. What I was doubting was the intelligence of the world I had found myself in, beyond just the dumbass trainers. Seriously, how could anyone accept this as a legitimate voucher for a million-dollar bike?
But I wasn't about to complain. If the world was stupid enough to let me get a free bike out of this, then who was I to argue? I could use this to my advantage, and I definitely would.
"Right, thanks," I said dryly, shoving the voucher into my own pocket. Even though it was a blank piece of paper with some words on it, I still felt like I should keep it safe, as I wasn't about to lose a million dollars because it got ripped up in my backpack with all the poke balls. Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have chucked the Master Ball in there... it was probably fine, right?
"You're welcome, Red! You're a true hero, and I'm honored to have met you!" The Chairman gushed, and I resisted the urge to sigh as I turned away.
"Right, good to meet you and all that, and thanks for the gift - oh, and I'll come by some other time to see your Rapidash, so don't worry about it," I called back ot him as I took a step towards the door, as I was ready to be gone from this man and his incessant ramblings. "So, we'll be going now."
"H-hey, wait, hold on! You can't leave yet!" The Chairman called out, stepping forward to block my path, which caused me to blink at the sudden movement, "We haven't even talked about the most important part!"
I stopped, looking at him with a dry expression, "The most important part?"
What the hell was he talking about? I already had the voucher!
The Chairman's face lit up again, and for a second, I was worried he was about to start ranting about his Rapidash again. Instead, he just leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper as he spoke.
"I want you to promise me something, Red," He said, his eyes wide with a serious intensity, "When you become the Champion, I want you to come back here. I want you to come back to the Pokemon Fan Club, and I want you to tell everyone about how we helped you on your journey! I want you to bring more attention to our club! We're the real fans, Red, the ones who supported you from the beginning! We deserve some recognition!"
He was looking at me with a look that was a bit desperate, and right now, I felt like he was closer to a used car salesman than a kind old man trying to support a young trainer. So, all that about supporting a young prodigy and being one of the earliest supporters for the next big trainer was a lie? He just wanted to use my future fame to boost his own club's popularity? This sleazy scumbag!
But I had to give it to him, it was a smart move. I wouldn't consider myself a scumbag or anything, but I could appreciate taking advantage of an opportunity, and in my eyes, it made this rambling old man just a little bit intelligent in the least. Though even if I could respect his efforts, I still definitely didn't want to do it. I would prefer to never see this man again - or, more specifically, to never hear about his Rapidash again - much less come back after becoming Champion to honor our deal.
I just stared at him blankly for a moment, my expression dry, but I had a feeling that this man wouldn't let me leave unless I agreed to his terms. He was a fan, after all, and fans could be very persistent - as evident by my group of stalkers.
"...Sure," I finally said, my voice dripping with sarcasm that he seemed to miss entirely, "I'll be sure to do that. As soon as I'm Champion, I'll come back here and tell everyone about the amazing Pokemon Fan Club, and how you gave me this very important piece of paper."
I held up the voucher as I said this, my face and tone dry as I clearly didn't mean it. But the Chairman just beamed at me, as if I had just promised him the world.
This way, it was his own fault for misunderstanding, so if I didn't end up remembering to come back... that was his fault and not mine, right? Though, as I thought like this, I wondered if I was more cut out for Team Rocket than I thought. Was I the asshole for taking advantage of an old man?
...
...
...
Hell no I wasn't! This bastard just ranted about Rapidash for twenty minutes, and then sucked me in with a 'gift' before adding on extra conditions! Fuck him!
"Excellent! I knew you were a man of your word!" The Chairman gushed, clapping his hands together in delight as he seemed to completely miss the sarcasm in my voice, "I'll be waiting for that day, Red! I'll be waiting!"
Great, now that this is over with, I can finally get on my way-
He then turned back to me, a glint in his eye, "Now, since we're on the topic of champions, let me tell you about the most champion-like pokemon of all! It's my Rapidash! It's so fast, and so majestic! And, its mane, oh, its mane is like a bonfire on a summer night! It's so beautiful, and so powerful, and-"
I'd heard enough. I turned around, not even bothering to say goodbye, and strode towards the door. Joy quickly followed me, and the rest of the women, seeing my retreat, followed suit.
"Wait! Don't you want to hear about how fast it is?!" The Chairman called out from behind me, but I didn't look back.
We practically fled the Pokemon Fan Club, which was a pretty small building all things considered, as the Chairman's rambling about Rapidash's 'glorious, flaming tail' faded into the distance behind us. The second we were outside, I let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"I... I think my brain melted a little," Joy said, her face a bit pale as she leaned against the wall of the building, "How can one man think of so many descriptors for a Rapidash?!"
"My brain's been melting for the past week," I shot back, "Now you know how I feel!"
"Was that why you wanted to come here? To get that... piece of paper?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow at me, a skeptical look on her face.
"It's a Bike Voucher," I corrected her, holding up the piece of paper as I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at it, "It's worth a million Pokedollars."
"A million?!" Misty gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at the paper, "Oh, wait, woah! You're right! That is a Bike Voucher! I've only seen a few of them before!"
"This is what they all look like?" I deadpanned at her, and this time, Sabrina nodded rapidly.
"Yup, I have one of those too!" She said casually, reaching down into her pocket, and then... pulling out an exact replica of the voucher, which caused me to stare at her incredulously.
"Y-You just have one of those on you?" I spat out, "Did you just print it out or some shit?"
Forgive my language, but what do you mean Sabrina just has one of those on her?! Does she know it's worth a damn million dollars?! Why is she just walking around with it?!
"Huh? No, someone gave it to me to cut the line for a gym battle," Sabrina shook her head, and I looked at her blankly.
Someone did that? They paid a million Pokedollars to jump the line?! I've been doing that for free! Just when I thought trainers couldn't get any stupider, they go and prove me wrong. Well, at least if times really got rough, I could try to convince Sabrina to sell that voucher to help us out. Or, maybe she'd agree to battle me for it? That would be a stupid idea on her part, considering she was learning from me because she knew I was a much superior battler, but definitely one she would agree to.
"So, are we going back to Cerulean City to cash it in?" Misty asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "I've always wanted a bike! Can we get a red one?!"
"No," I said blandly, folding the piece of paper and stuffing it into my pocket. A million Pokedollars was one thing, but I couldn't be bothered to go all the way back to Cerulean City for a bike I wasn't going to use, and would just have to haul around with me until I found someone to sell it to.
"Why not? It's a free bike!" Misty whined, puffing out her cheeks, "I thought you loved free stuff! You'll never be able to afford one on your own, because you keep spending all our money on poke balls!"
"I don't need to afford one, because I don't need one," I retorted, shaking my head lightly, "I'll just sell the voucher in some city we pass through. Besides, there are way too many of us. One bike isn't going to cut it."
It couldn't be that hard to pawn off a Bike Voucher, right? Misty was acting like it was common knowledge that this small, unassuming, and frankly shitty piece of paper was a real-deal Bike Voucher, so, some shop somewhere would take it, right? Maybe just a simple Pokemart?
"We could take turns!" Misty suggested, her face lighting up at her own idea as she wouldn't back down, "Come, Red! I could ride on the handlebars while you peddle! It would be super romantic, just like in the movies!"
As Misty's face turned a bright shade of red, I resisted the urge to sigh.
"I'm not getting a bike just so you can sit on the handlebars," I deadpanned at her, turning away as I stepped away from the Pokemon Fan Club in finality, "I'm selling the voucher. Now, we need to find a hotel for the night."
I ignored Misty as she pouted, instead starting to head out back into Vermilion City to find a place to stay. Tomorrow, I would challenge the gym first thing in the morning, and then try to reach the next town before nightfall. My journey had been delayed far too much lately, both from Team Rocket and my stalkers, and I was ready to get back on the grind.
Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing that tomorrow would not go as I planned.
Fame was a two-sided coin, and I was about to experience the pros and cons of being Kanto's new Golden Child.
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AN: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be out in 1-2 weeks! I had to take a bit of a break but updates will be more frequent again!
Or, as always, this story is updated twice as often on Patreon.com/Koyon ! There are 14 more chapters posted on there right now! (With chapters currently available for the Earlier Bird-MAX Tiers!)