"Kai Lee! Come down and give your mom a kiss goodbye sweetie!" I heard my mother holler from the bottom of the stairs, I had almost forgot that today was the day they were leaving for their two week cruise on the S.S. Anne in Vermillion city. I stood quickly and rushed down to the bottom of the stairs to hug my mother and father before their departure.
"Now Kai, don't forget that your big brother is in charge! Obey him as you would obey us, we will return in two weeks." My father said in his usual some-what stern tone, I watched the door open from behind him and my older brother Kyle emerged from the other side
"Okay dad, all your luggage is ready to go." he smiled at our parents and hugged mom, "Have a safe cruise, bring us back plenty of souvenirs!"
"Of course, you two behave yourselves." Mom said as her and dad walked out to the carrier Pidgeot that would take them to the Vermillion city docks.
Mom always knows she doesn't have to worry about Kyle and I, we are eight years apart but we have always been close. I thought about running back up the stairs and playing a game but then I remembered my best friend Ninguin wanted to go watch the Pidgey today. "Kyle, can I go watch the Pidgey with Ninguin?"
"I don't care sis, but you know the rules, stay out of the forest and the tall grass." Kyle said. I was so excited I slipped on my running shoes and bolted out the door. Ninguin has been my best friend since we moved to Viridian city almost 5 years ago, I was really young but the atmosphere here is way different than where we came from in Lavaridge town far away in the Hoenn region, we moved here because my father was offered a regional director position for the Pokemarts in the Kanto region. Mom misses the hotsprings, but of course life goes on.
I ran down to Ninguins house, he lived next door but our houses were actually a ways apart from each other, I went to knock on the door and almost got run over by Ninguin. "Sorry Kaiz! Got a little too excited there." he laughed, we were the same age, our birthdays being only a few days apart. We took off back down the road that led to the Indigo Plateau, we had a spot that we frequented a lot because it was the best place to watch the pidgey and even the Nidoran. We both wanted to be Pokemon trainers so badly, we were 9 but would be 10 in only two months time, we were so anxious to get our first Pokemon. Our families had always gone together to the Pokemon League events at the Indigo Plateau, which was always exciting and inspiring at the same time.
We were in our normal spot listening to the rattata scurry through the grass and watching the pidgey fly around us. Suddenly I heard a whimper coming out of the grassy area near the trees, I turned to my friend "Nin, what was that? Did you hear that?" He looked back at me curiously
"Hear what?" he asked
"I heard a whimper out in the grass." I said, I stood up and started for the grassy area when Ninguin grabbed my arm to stop me,
"We aren't supposed to be going out in the grass like that!" he said, obviously worried about our own safety
I tugged out of his grasp, "A Pokemon might be hurt Nin! I just want to check on it." I headed to the grassy area. To my absolute shock I seen a poor growlithe being attacked by a group of wild mankey. Instinctively I started to run for the poor puppy Pokemon but Ninguin stopped me,
"The mankey will be too strong for us Kai!" he said, I could feel the tears swelling up in my eyes, the mankey spotted us and took off. Immediately I ran to the growlithe,
"Hurry! Run and grab Kyle! He works at the Pokemon center he will know what to do." Tears were then streaming down my eyes for the baby growlithe, "I'll stay here with it." I could see the internal debate going on in Ninguins eyes about whether he should leave me there or not, but of course he did what he knew would be best and turned to run to get my brother.
"Poor little guy, I promise I won't leave you alone." I said, this growlithe looked to me to be smaller than most growlithes I had seen. I placed my hand softly on his head to pet him and soothe him, he whimpered but seemed to accept my touch. I examined him as closely as I could, I could see multiple cuts and bruises and his front right leg seemed to be broken. "Poor baby growlithe... we are going to take care of you... I promise if I have to do it myself." I said assuringly,
Suddenly behind me I heard a mankey pop up, I instinctively went into a defensive mode to protect the growlithe no matter what. The mankey looked like it wanted to attack us and then I heard the distant familiar voice of my brother, "Go Sands! Stop that mankey before it hurts my sis!" I seen his Sandslash rush forward and attack the mankey and then the next second it seemed I looked up and Ninguin was at my side, he scooped up the growlithe and we moved him to the clearing while Sands kept the mankey distracted. Once the mankey was taken out Kyle quickly ran to us and examined the growlithe, "He's hurt pretty bad, we need to get him to the center quick." He then scooped up the growlithe and ran towards the Pokemon center.
Ninguin and I followed him, he was much faster than us. We arrived only a few minutes after Kyle did but he was already in the back examining the growlithe. He motioned for us to wait in the front of the Pokemon center and Nurse Joys chansey could sense our worry for the Pokemon and brought us some chocolate.
It felt like hours but it was only about ten minutes when Kyle came from the back, "It's hurt pretty bad, it's front right leg is broken, and it has severel cuts and bruises. It's beaten up pretty badly but he will make a full recovery." Kyle smiled at us, "I will keep him here for a few days to watch over him."
"Thanks Kyle!" We said, I had a big smile on my face, both Ninguin and I were really happy to hear that the growlithe would be ok.
"You two head home for now, I need some time to get him taken care of properly."
We left the center and headed to Ninguins place since it was closer, his parents had left for the day to go to the Celadon city mega center. We talked a lot about the little growlithe, it seemed like hours had past when Kyle finally came to the door and told us we could go see the growlithe.
I was filled with such excitement that I almost knocked him down running out the door to go see the growlithe. I arrived at the center before the other two and nurse Joy took me back to see the baby growlithe, he seemed more alert to my presence than he was earlier and I pet him, he cooed at me with a light pleasent growl noise. "See, I told you we would take care of you." I smiled at the growlithe, he seemed to still be in a lot of pain so I did my best to comfort him.
Ninguin and Kyle arrived only about a minute after I did, Ninguin came in smiling real big at the growlithe, he pet the growlithe for a second before sitting down next to me. I enjoyed my time there with the growlithe until Kyle came in and said it was time for everyone to get to bed. We left begrudgingly and walked Ninguin home, then Kyle and I went home and I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning to go see the growlithe again. I was so anxious I barely slept, thinking up a name for the growlithe.