"We'll take a train into town," Random decided, once Brock had gotten dressed.

Brock looked skeptically at her. "Do you have enough money for tickets?"

Random grinned. "Who needs tickets?"

Brock blinked. "Well, how are we going to get on, then?"

"Just hop a train," Random explained. "It's the fastest way to get into any town, and it costs nothing."

"Isn't that illegal?" Brock asked.

"So is growing pot in your backyard," said Random. Brock blinked in confusion.

Random shook her head. "Never mind. Let's go." She shouldered her backpack and started off.

Ash looked suspiciously at the town that was on top of the hill. "I've never seen that place before."

"So?" asked Misty, who was leaning against a tree. "Neither have I."

"No," said Ash, "I mean I've never seen it on a map or anything."

"I have," said Tracy, who had been doodling on his sketch pad. "Paradise City is a cool place. There are two cities in it, actually. Neon City, which is above the ground, is a really nice place. On the other hand, Kiwa City, which is built below the ground, is a scary place. It's not a good idea to go there."

Ash shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go."

Random jumped easily off of the train. "Hurry up!" she yelled to Brock. "We haven't got all day."

Brock leapt clumsily into Random. "Oof. Sorry," he said, trying to brush himself off.

"Relax." Random helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Brock stood up and looked around. "So this is Kiwa City."

"No," said Random, "this is the train yard. Kiwa City is underground."

"Okay," said Brock. "So this is Paradise City."

"Almost," Random said. "This is, like I said, only the train yard. Paradise City is thataway." She pointed. Brock looked.

The upper half of Paradise City, Neon City, is a the kind of place that sounds like either a poem or a fairly Utopian science fiction novel. The buildings are tall and beautiful, the people are nice, the grass is green, and there's very, very little crime. It's easy to get around, and basically pleasant.

Kiwa City, which is built under the ground, is a whole different story. The only light there is artificial, and half of the time, it doesn't work. The Double White Star Holos, the local gang, control about half of the Pokemon culture that goes on in Kiwa. They even have their own gym, the Glitch Gym. The trainer there is named Gini, and she holds the SharkBadge.

The other half of the Pokemon culture in Kiwa City is controlled by the Glyphs. The Glyphs are a race of half-human, half-Pokemon. The most widely accepted explanation for this is a very long story.

Basically, it's this. There's a part of Kiwa City called Shiva City. It's a place that nobody, and I mean nobody, ever goes. A while ago, some researchers were trying to create the ultimate Pokemon. It didn't work at all, and they ended up irradiating a huge portion of Kiwa City.

The kids of these researchers were part Pokemon and part human. They ended up living in the rafters above Kiwa City.

Random and Brock hitched a ride into Neon City aboard some guy's truck. They were dropped off at the Pokecenter.

Random headed straight to the videophone, while Brock went over to flirt with Nurse Joy.

Random sighed. She closed her eyes and tapped her gloved hands on the keyboard, typing the access code to Tokiwa Gym by memory.

The screen fizzled for a moment, then showed the familiar (to Random, anyway) face of Gibson, the Tokiwa Gym trainer.

Tokiwa Gym is the other gym in Kiwa City. It's run by Gibson, who holds the Cyberbadge.

Tokiwa Gym is basically the center of all Pokemon culture. Every year, there's a meeting of the leaders of all factions of Pokemon.

Gibson looks basically like the Imposter Professor Oak in the card game. Color his hair black and add a few streaks of silver, then color the lab coat a nondescript color of grey with a few bright blue, hot pink, lime green, and purple streaks, add a low, smooth voice, and you've got Gibson.

"Hey," Random said coolly.

Gibson sighed. "Random. Thank GOD you're okay."

Random smiled and rolled her eyes. "Relax, Gibson. You know I can take care of myself."

"The boys have been worried about you," Gibson said. "You have to come back home sometime."

"Right," Random said. "How's Mom?"

"She's fine," Gibson said. "Met some guy yesterday, took him home last night. Tony, Danny, Sam and Al are all really worried, though."

Tony, Danny, Sam and Al were Random's older brothers. They called themselves the four Rocket Brothers, even though they had never actually been a part of Team Rocket. They didn't even act like it; they just liked the name.

"Well, I'm here now," Random said. "Met a guy named Brock. Ever heard of him?"

Gibson frowned. "Didn't he run the Pewter City Gym a while back?"

"I wouldn't know," said Random. "You know I never paid much attention to that stuff."

Gibson shrugged. "Well, okay. Long as I know you're not dead in a ditch."

"Yeah," said Random. "Give my love to Mom and the boys."

"Gotcha." The screen went blank.

Random went back over to Brock, who was stammering at a clearly disinterested girl.

"We gotta go," she said.

"Why?" asked Brock.

Random was about to explain something, when three people walked into the Pokecenter.

"BROCK!" yelled one of them, a redhaired girl. She ran over to Brock and embraced him.

Random raised one eyebrow. "I take it this is Misty."

"Hey, Brock!" yelled a boy that she recognized as Ash. He went over and pulled Misty off Brock.

The other boy that was with them apparently didn't recognize Brock. "Um..."

Random laughed and headed toward the other boy. "Feeling left out?"

"Sort of. I'm Tracy." The boy held out his hand, then realized his sketchbook was still in it.

Random took the sketchbook and flipped through it. She whistled. "Nice."

Tracy grinned. "Thanks. Most people don't like my drawings that much."

"Really? I like them." Random stopped at one image. "Where'd you see this thing?"

Tracy came over. "Oh, in the woods. Why, do you know what it is?"

"It's a Black Houhou," Random said.

To be continued...