Those people over there in the red shirts, red pants, and red hats don't seem to be having nearly as good of a day. They're muttering at each other and looking around shiftily.

She will cheer these people up by telling them she won a gym badge! People are always happy to congratulate young trainers, right?

She remembers to not fling Basauw off her lap when she gets up, then bounces over to the group and signs I just got the Boulder Badge! exuberantly.

... Wait.

Eh whatever. Pokedex out. Taptaptap. "I just got the Boulder Badge!"

"--map is probably in the vice president's safe--Hey, what's the big idea, sneaking up on us like that? Scram!"

Gah! Unfriendly people! Stressful!

Um um um. Taptap. "Sorry! Didn't mean to. Just excited." She'll back away a few steps.

But not many. A map? In a safe? What?

They stare at her until they realize she finds them interesting, then skulk away faster than Gwen can follow. They manage to make "walking down a street in broad daylight" deserve the word "skulk".

Well, that's suspicious. She'll ask at the Pokecenter and Poke Mart about weird groups of people all in red. Are they a gang or something?

The woman behind the counter at the Poke Mart sighs deeply. "I haven't seen them, but I bet they are a gang. Probably either organized crime or a bunch of mystics who think they can end the world. One or the other of those crops up every ten or twenty years, you wouldn't be old enough to remember the last time."

If trying to end the world keeps not working, why do people do it so frequently this lady knows it as a pattern? That's dumb. Why are people dumb.

"Thanks."

Ok, what's next... map, map map. Next city is Cerulean City, with Mt. Moon between here and there. It's probably too late in the day to get to the city before dark. And also: cave through Mt. Moon. Caves are usually dark and don't have any plants in them. Will she need a flashlight for this cave.

Between the glowing fungi and the occasional hole in the ceiling, it's actually pretty feasible to navigate Mount Moon with neither a flashlight nor a Pokemon capable of making a light. Only during the daytime, though. It'd be best to wait until morning.

Ok, glowing fungi are pretty cool. Not technically plants, but there are mushroom-like Grass types, so she knows some stuff. Anyway, waiting until morning it is.

Cue morning, and breakfast, and setting out. What adventures does this mountain contain?

The first, second, third, and fourth adventures . . . are all Zubats. The fifth is her itemfinder going off!

Zubats: kind of annoying. Too annoying to try to catch one.

Itemfinder going off: exciting! Can she play hot-and-cold with its beeps, or is she close enough already to see something?

She has to play hot-and-cold for a bit, but then she spots a bottle of healing potion on the ground.

Aw yeah, free potion. Stash stash. Onwards!

She finds a Paras!

Hellooooo, little Bug/Grass mushroom Pokemon! Come to Gwen, she will love you and feed you and give you many opportunities for fighting interesting Pokemon you'd never see in this dreary cave! (Basauw, bonk 'em good!)

Sadly Paras cannot understand her unspoken promises of various desirables, because it isn't psychic and also doesn't speak English. It can certainly understand being bonked good, though, and also the concept of giving as good as it gets. She can catch it, but Basauw ends up poisoned.

Dang iiiiiit. Hopefully she can get through the rest of the cave without Basauw; she did just pick up a healing potion she can use on her new Paras.

Basauw can't feel sick while he's digitized, so he would quite like to stay in his ball until they get to a Pokemon center. Gwen's closer to where she came in than to the far end, though.

Pat pat, poor Basauw. Stay in your ball; Gwen will take care of you. Hopefully without being too assaulted by Zubats.

If she moves fast she'll probably run into fewer Pokemon? That seems logical.

That works, but is she running back the way she came or deeper into the caves?

She has a Mission, and her Mission is to Continue Forward. Onward into the depths!

Then she will soon run into a hiker who insists on battling right! now! She hasn't found anyone to battle in hours, you know.

Ugh, fiiiiine. Paras-to-be-named, Beedle, do your thing.

Beedle takes out the hiker's first Pokemon, but the Paras isn't used to fighting with a trainer yet and Gwen loses.