Steven walked into the tall grass with a small Pokemon by his side. He gently rubbed his father's Raticate between the ears and whispered, "Please help me, Cate." His father had lent him the brown, tangle-furred rat so that he could catch his first Pokemon. Steven remembered the fear in his father's eyes when he suggested he go out to find a Pokemon alone. His father hadn't been the same since his mother….His eyes filled with tears and he shook his head to get rid of the thought. He nervously pulled on the sleeves of his red sweatshirt. He was nine now. He couldn't keep acting like such a baby.
As Steven searched for the Pokemon that would be his first partner, a Spearow watched him. When it heard him coming, it had hid in the upper branches of a tree. Now, however, it flew down to a lower branch so it could keep a better eye on him. A gust of wind ruffled its brown and red feathers, causing it to flap its wings restlessly. At the same moment, the breeze pushed back Steven's messy brown hair. For a moment, the Spearow and Steven seemed to somehow be inverted images of each other. Fierce auburn eyes met emerald green ones.
"Cate! Go get that Spearow!" The Raticate nodded and began to scurry up the tree the Spearow was sitting in. Before it even had a chance to get close, the Spearow flew away. "Awww…." Steven sighed. "You did good anyways, Cate." What he didn't know was that the Spearow hadn't gone far. It had just flown to a birch tree a few feet off the path. The Spearow watched lovingly as Steven pet his father's Raticate and walked farther down the trail. Steven couldn't help his thoughts wandering as he himself wandered aimlessly forward….His mother had always loved autumn. He remembered her as a feeling of warmth, the smell of sugar, a hand wrapped around his. Now he was alone. As if to accentuate his thoughts, the icy wind started back up again. He could no longer stop the tears from coming.
"Cate?" The Raticate nuzzled him affectionately. Steven buried his head in its fur as he was overcome with memories.
"Don't worry, Steven. It'll be okay. I promise."
"Of course I'll make sure it's safe!"
"I love you."
That was the one that hit the hardest. I love you. . If that was true, then why was she gone? He was sobbing now, making it impossible for either him or Cate to hear approaching danger. The Ekans rattled its tail, but the boy didn't seem to here. It uncoiled itself and flashed the bright yellow warning marking on its stomach. Still no response. Finally, it reared back, preparing to strike. The Spearow saw and leapt into action. Time seemed to slow as the Ekans and Spearow raced. Who would get there first? Just before the Ekans bit down on Steven's ankle, the Spearow screeched wildly and grabbed it in both claws, before pinning it to a tree. Steven jumped back in surprise, tripping over Cate. The boy and Pokemon lay at the foot of the tree, helplessly entangled. Unfortunately, the Ekans was too heavy for the Spearow to hold up. With all its strength, it pulled back and threw the Ekans away from Steven. Steven scrambled to his feet and called out a command to Cate.
"Go help that Spearow!" he told her. Cate obeyed and rushed forward to help the exhausted Spearow. "Use Bite!"
The Ekans tried to stab the Spearow with the sharp stinger on the end of its tail, but Cate grabbed it in her teeth and bit it behind the back of its head. It hissed angrily and aimed for Cate instead. Cate jumped back and the Spearow took its place, attempting to peck its eyes out. The purple snake Pokemon began to slither away and the Spearow stopped attacking it. In that moment, the Ekans flipped around and drove its fangs into the Spearow's side before racing away. The Spearow stared after it for a moment, stunned, before collapsing.
"Spearow!" Steven yelled as he ran up to it. He examined the Spearow's limp body and saw the puncture marks from the Ekans' teeth. "Oh no….I have to put you in a Pokeball to slow the poison from spreading. Is that okay?" The Spearow nodded weakly. Steven pulled out one of the Pokeballs he had brought with him and gently touched it to the Spearow. It disappeared in a flash of red light. "Come on, Cate!" He began running back to Pewter City.
"Are you alright Spearow?"
The Pokemon opened its eyes and was momentarily blinded by the bright fluorescent lights. "Spear…"
"I think she's going to be just fine, Mr. Stone," said a different voice.
"Thank you very much, Nurse Joy."
Steven's face appeared in the Spearow's range of vision. He gently picked it up and held its small body to his chest. "I promise I'll take really good care of you," he told it. "I'll never let anything hurt you again."
I'm so proud of you Steven…. the Spearow thought, I wish I could tell you….
Steven stroked its feathers gently, the way he had seen his mother often stroke her Pokemon. "You're my first Pokemon, Spearow," he whispered, "I'm going to train you so one day you'll grow really strong and evolve into a Fearow. Then, someday, we'll be the best! You're going to help me be Pokemon Champion. Someday…."
I love you, Steven. I always will. Spearow thought as it drifted off to sleep.