Chapter 1 – Time To Run
Author's Note: Hey. This is my first attempt at something like this, so first and foremost, after you read it, I would appreciate any and all criticism.
Well, now that that crap's out of the way, about the chapter. The main thing I wanted to do in this chapter is present the main two characters. Which I do. You're welcome.
The next chapter was supposed to be part of this one, but I got carried away with some things... one thing led to another... I woke up down a kidney in Tijuana... and said "Fuck it. They're going to be separate."
So, the story will actually begin to play out in the second one, but for now... enjoy the read.
And remember, comments and criticism is encouraged!!!
"Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable." –Bruce Lee
"Damn it all Ken… Just tell me what you were doing." Officer Jenny stood over the young man on the curb with a tired look in her eyes.
Kendrick was visibly uninterested in what she had to say. His whole 6-foot athletic frame was completely lax as he slouched on the sidewalk. Sporting his usual black sweatpants with flame streaks down the side, with his matching black T-shirt and fire red vest thrown over it, he looked as lazy as his brown and greatly disheveled hair.
"I already told you. It really doesn't matter. I wasn't anywhere near the street where it happened. And I shouldn't need to tell you where I was. How long have you known me? Do you honestly think I'd do something like that?"
"Kendrick! I don't think it was you, but your lack of cooperation isn't helping a damn thing! A man died! Don't you at least want to help us fix this? I know it wasn't you, but do you wanna' know how everyone else will see this? They'll see you up for murder, and they'll open this brick of a police record on you. And what happens when they do that? They see five assault cases in the past two years, one of them saw a kid spend a week in a coma, and about 200 hate crime complaints reported for abuse against Grass Pokemon."
"Since when is it assault when you win? Besides, all those cases proved false. I was the one attacked in all of them. And that kid only got hit once. I'm public enemy number one around here, remember? Two friends, and a thousand enemies. And another thing… I'm not like that. Every one of those complaints was after a battle I won. With Shinx, remember? I'd say they had the advantage. Are we done here?"
"It's not winning when you hurt others needlessly. You're the enemy because you choose to be. Just stop battling the first guy to challenge you and think about why it even matters. And I know you're not like that… but other's don't."
"It matters because I need to be stronger. I told you before, if I'm strong enough, this won't happen."
"Yeah, yeah… same old thing with you, huh? Look, I tried to help you. A simple alibi would've saved you all this trouble. I'm through here."
As he watched Officer Jenny jump on her bike and speed off, he laid back on the sidewalk to think. Shit's pretty crazy these days. Kendrick had lived in Celadon City all his life. In a town so hard up for the grass type favored by Erika, it sure wasn't easy being a blatant fire fan. The closest he'd ever come to having a fire pokemon of his own was a Vulpix he had weakened in battle outside of town. Right before he solidified his first pokemon capture… his mom stepped in and shut it down. While he understood she couldn't let him for "his own safety", he also couldn't stand the fact that local opinion barred him happiness again.
Like I give a damn what others think. In reality, he didn't, save for his friends. Yet, the real reason he never tried to catch another one was for nothing other than the safety of it. The trouble was; the fire type was feared in Celadon. And people always respond to their irrational fears… the dumb bastards. Still though, Kendrick had to admit things were never this bad.
Three days ago, a massive wildfire broke out in a nearby forest. The city responded quickly and efficiently, but it didn't matter. The fire couldn't be stopped until help arrived from Cerulean the next morning. When all was said and done, damage assessors estimated somewhere over a thousand pokemon had been swallowed up in the inferno. A thousand lives lost… and did people band together in mourning? No, they searched for an outlet. And it didn't take long for people for people to link fire to fire. Over the last few days, things went from bad to worse, and now, horrible. The fire was put out Monday afternoon completely, and that same night, four families got a rude awakening from their sleep with a brick through their window. Each bore the same remarkably clever message taped to it: "LeAvE tHe FuCkInG tOwN." Tuesday, sadly, they did. Two of the displaced families had a fire trainer among them, whom Kendrick saw as good rivals in training, as well as his only real link to his favorite type. And everybody just slept peacefully last night, didn't they? God damn it…
Unfortunately, the incident wasn't nearly as over as everyone thought. A traveling trainer and his Charmander just passing through town were murdered in the morning. Jenny had said that they weren't revealing details yet because it was… too brutal. As much as Officer Jenny had tried to keep quiet about the case, he had gathered a good amount of information. Apparently, the victim has yet to be properly identified, and it may take a while to get dental records. They couldn't just ID his face because there… well, wasn't much face left. She had specifically said torture, and I thought I read Vine Whip on the report when she wasn't looking. She also said that the way they knew it was a Charmander was because of the tail they found at the scene. Damn…
He gripped Shinx and Eevee's pokeballs tighter as he thought about it, and decided there was nothing he could do right now. Crap, I'm gonna' be late for work. He released Shinx and waited for the lightning cub to stretch. After a satisfied growl, Shinx looked to his trainer earnestly.
"How about some early morning exercise? I'm gonna' kick your ass today."
No sooner had Shinx growled his approval than had the two taken off. Ken had yet to find a better feeling than racing his friend to work, and the two played dirty. Ken reached the corner first, and on his way around, nailed a pokeblock square in Shinx's face. The cub lost his focus and missed the turn, plowing towards the wall at a pretty dangerous speed. Luckily, they'd trained hard in urban combat, and Shinx had learned early on that above all, he should never lose his speed. As Ken ran off laughing, Shinx jumped up to the wall and exerted all his effort into springing off towards Ken. Good job buddy. I can't teach you how to react, just that you need to. What Ken hadn't expected was Shinx's next trick. After successfully launching himself down the right path, he let loose a Thunderbolt headed right towards Ken. Shit! As soon as he'd caught the attack with his peripheral vision, Ken immediately jumped behind the nearest trashcan in the alley and covered up. It didn't seem to matter that the trashcan was made of rubber, the lid blew off all the same and garbage flew everywhere. Haha! You little bastard! He took off from his hiding spot just as Shinx caught up to him and the two kept running side by side, wind blowing through the hair of each.
Both could see the Celadon Department Store clearly now, and it was still a dead heat. Glad to see you still want me to think I can keep up with you. How kind. A sudden tingling sensation crept down his neck, and he glanced back to see what it was. As he caught a glimpse of yellow-white hair under a hooded robe, he had a gut feeling something was up, and he knew better than to argue with those feelings. Hello, cutie…
He slowed his pace and waited for Shinx to catch the signal.
"You feel that bud? We're being watched." Ken nodded to the alley towards their right, and Shinx growled his acknowledgement. "Let's find out what our stalker wants."
Both stopped on a dime, left foot quickly used to break, then released to give the right foot control as a pivot, and used the swinging effect to burst back into stride. Side by side, it looked choreographed. Certainly torture to the feet, but amazingly more effective than the traditional stop and turn. As soon as they were out of the main street's line of sight, both dove into the nearest shrubbery, and waited. Sure enough, their pursuer trailed after, but much more cautiously, and searching to find her lost prey.
"Shinx." Ken whispered to where he was just audible by his pal. "I'll talk to her, and while she's distracted, get behind her and wait for my signal. Remember though, it's a girl. Be gentle." With a wink, he leapt out of hiding, and stood to face the woman. Now that he got a good look, he realized just what caught his eye in the first place. She was completely covered by a ragged brown and gray cloak, to the point he couldn't even make out a face. The only color he could see was the hair he noticed before. Up close, it was even brighter than he had thought, like the sun itself was reflecting off of it. Wow… it's definitely a girl… no guy could have hair that pretty.
"Howdy! I'll just come out and say it. You need to learn to do a better job of following people."
The woman stood completely still, and Kendrick had a quick flash of fear that she knew he was stalling. He also noticed, that even since he saw her back in the street, she hadn't seemed to stop facing him. Okay… this is a little weird…
"Well, can I at least see your face? I bet you're a babe. C'mon… besides, a cutie like you should be wearing pretty clothes, not some homeless rags. How about a dress that matches your hair? And where those worthless frills would go, some real badass flame print instead?"
Still nothing, eh? Kendrick took a step towards her, and almost immediately, she stepped back. "Yikes, a little cautious, aren't we," thought Ken, scratching the back of his neck, but quickly stopped. No… that wasn't caution. He'd seen that posture before. Hell, he'd caused it before. That's fear. This may not be what I thought it was. Better call Shinx… Shit! He caught his mistake right as it was too late. His arms was raised as a sign of peace, his least often used gesture, and likewise, a perfect choice for the attack signal.
The Thunderbolt came so fast Kendrick didn't even have time to process it, like his loyal friend had managed to do so many times before. However, as soon as his brain registered the attack, he began to notice something else. It missed her… That's not possible…
A wave of astonishment passed over him as he realized it hadn't missed her, but rather, was dodged. He looked at Shinx and saw the same shocked look in his eyes. Nobody. Nobody dodges Shinx's lightning. What the hell?
"Ken…" The quiet voice was some mixture of calm and wonder. "And… beautiful," thought Kendrick, with a rare blush. And as fast as she'd appeared, she disappeared, running back to the street, and blending into the crowd.
"Wait!" Ken shouted, but to no avail.
Shinx walked back to join Ken as he fell to the ground to relax. "Dammit Shinx, it's bad enough most girls ignore me, you scare off the one's who will talk." The cub said nothing, merely turning his body and walking away indignantly.
"Hey, I'm just messing with you! Don't worry man, I'm sure there's plenty of chicks out there who dig lions. You're still my number one wingman! Speaking of… you're probably getting old enough to look for a lioness yourself… eh? Just let me know if you need me, I'll take you guys to the park or something. And hey, if you can, make sure she belongs to a real hot trainer, okay? That'd make things easier for the both of us."
As many times as Shinx had heard this teasing routine before, he couldn't help but feel happy for his friend. For the first time since he'd known Kendrick, he saw him visibly distraught, and it scared him. The same guy who'd feel more comfortable fighting pokemon along with Shinx, rather than giving orders. The same guy who'd raised him to respect others, and show no mercy on the battlefield. He didn't ever want to see his trainer at a loss again, and to do that, he'd have to be ready for him at all times.
Work's as slow today as it always is. Well, not slow. Boring. As much as Kendrick loved his job in the only video game store Celadon had, he had to admit it was nothing exciting. Five customers all day… I wonder if I could leave a bit early today?
"Hey boss! Do you really…" Ken was cut off by a woman's voice behind him.
"Excuse me, Ken?"
Wait a minute… that voice!
Sure enough, as he swung around to see her, he knew it was the same girl. But this time, she wasn't wearing the cloak. Instead, she now wore a crimson beret set neatly on top of her wild hair, a pair of bright yellow sneakers, and most noticeably, a sleek black dress with flames lining the bottom.
"You…" Ken struggled to find the right words to say, caught between wanting to act like he didn't care, and saying the truth. God… she's really beautiful.
"You… don't really match, you know?" Smooth, Ken. And… I stay single. He fought the urge to break his face through the closest glass display case he could find.
She just continued to stare at him, never breaking eye contact, no matter how often he tried. Should I try again? Wait… is she wearing what I told her to?
"Hey, you didn't have to change because of what I said. You looked fine, kinda' mysterious. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"It's not." Her voice was as calm as it had been earlier, but now, it seemed more focused.
"Come again?"
"It's not what you told me to wear. The lady in the store said they didn't carry dresses my size in that color. Sorry…"
"Hey, don't apologize! What the hell are you apologizing for? I don't even know you, how could I know what's best, and besides, you don't have to do anything for me." But she did. "But why the hell would you? We just met, right? I mean, you knew my name and all, but I don't even know what your face looks like. I mean, I do now, but only because you came walking into the store dressed in some ridiculous get-up like that, which you completely didn't have to even wear." But she did. Why?
"You're… talking fast."
"Huh?" Crap, she must've noticed that I'm nervous. I've got to shape up. This is embarrassing. "Yeah, you caught me. I guess it's just that I talk fast when confronted by a pretty girl like this, eh?" Nice…
"You seemed to talk fine when you were with the policewoman earlier."
Shit.
"Look, that's a different type of thing…"
Even as he began to draw small circles in the counter-top with his finger, he knew that she was on to him. "What I mean to say is, she's not like you… or rather, she's… you're… Wait a minute! You were watching us?" He couldn't believe he'd almost missed that bit of info. "And how do you know my name? Who the hell are you?"
"Follow me." Same as last time, she took a step back, and was immediately running away.
"Wait! Damn her. She needs to stop with that vanishing crap."
Turning back around to his counter determined to get back to work, Kendrick saw his boss peeking around the corner of one of the shelves in the store.
"You know, if I were you, I'd have already caught up to her by now. Just saying…"
"Ugh… not you too. Damn. See you tomorrow sir." Ken was out the door long before his boss had a chance to wish him luck, and barreling towards the elevators with no regard for the after school crowds that plagued the entertainment floor of the department store. The elevators are too slow, better take the stairs.
As he flung the door to the stairwell open, he stopped to look down to the bottom. The girl was there, staring back up, with a mischievous look in her eyes that Ken couldn't help but find intriguing.
"I was wondering what took you so long! You have to ask your master for permission to leave? Poor baby…"
"Up yours! What do you think you're doing? And what's with the sudden change of attitude." It's like she's playing a game now. Almost like she's a different person.
"I already told you. Come catch me, then we'll talk."
She took off running out towards the street again, leaving Ken no time to start down the stairs. "Damn you!" If she thinks she can get away from me, she's in for a rude awakening. Ken flipped himself over the 3rd floor railing to drop down, tucked into a roll upon impact and started after her. He reached the street just in time to see her running down an alley to his right, and he began his pursuit.
"Crazy woman! Why the hell am I even chasing her?!" Because you're curious, don't lie to yourself. Ken couldn't help but laugh at himself for that one. "Heh. More like I'm bored." Does it matter? You're still going to follow, no matter what the reason is. "True."
As he reached the alley she'd ducked into, he saw he was closer than he thought he'd be. Gotcha'. Not as fast as you thought you were, huh?
"I'd run faster if I was you! I'll be on you before you know it!"
"I bet you tell all the girls that!"
"Smart-ass!" He noticed that she'd stopped running, and he began to slow up. "Now what?"
"I thought I smelled something a second ago…"
After deciding it wasn't really a trick, he stopped running and walked up behind her. "You what? What kind of smell?"
"It smelled like… a combination of smoke and rust. There it is again!"
Skeptical, Ken stuck his nose up and took a big whiff of the air. She's definitely crazy. There's nothing around here. Especially nothing that's rusty. Besides, I can't smell a damn thing. But… she's obviously bent out of shape over something.
"Hey, I can't smell anything. You sure about this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Come on. It's coming from that way."
"There's nothing over there. Just more of these alleys behind the houses."
He ran with her as she took path after path. What's she doing? It's like she's sniffing the air each time we get to a new trail. Actually, she looks like a dog. That's it. She's acting like a bloodhound searching for something. Bloodhound… blood… Shit.
"Hey, you said it smelled like rust right?"
"Yeah, we're getting close. Should be the next alley."
"Stop."
Whether it was the new, more forceful tone he used with her, or something else, she stopped and turned to face him. That's when he was sure she was different than before.
Are those… fangs?! The same cute face he'd seen before now bore a new trait, and with it, a new appearance altogether. He was sure of it now; they were fangs, and they hadn't been there when he'd talked to her in the store. However, Ken couldn't help but feel awed by the fact that they made the increasingly more mysterious girl seem even more attractive to him. What the hell? I knew something was off with her, but this is ridiculous. Screw it, I don't have time for this.
"What is it? Oh… it's these, huh?" She covered her mouth and looked down, averting eye contact in much the same way he had in the store.
"No. I mean, we'll get to that later. Right now, you're sitting your pretty little ass down right here. I'm going into that alley alone. You're waiting here."
"No fair! How come?"
"Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing. I just have a bad feeling about it."
"I can take care of myself."
"I bet. But! You're with me right now. And I said to wait. That's that."
He waited until she dropped to the ground with a childish, disgruntled look in her eyes, then left for the alley. She'll just have to get over it. Besides, I can smell it now too… that's the smell of blood. And lots of it. As he caught a glimpse of the drainage pipe for the alley, his fears were confirmed. Blood was flowing out of the pipe at a steady rate. Ken fought back the bile that climbed in his throat at the sight and smell of it all. It didn't seem to matter though. When he turned the corner, all of that effort was for naught. The vomit came fast, and flew freely. I can't believe this… I'm not really seeing this…
In reality, it wasn't what he saw, but what he didn't see. He could see the gray stone walls of the alley completely painted over in their new crimson palette. He could see what appeared to be burn marks lining the ground and alley, adding another level to the already sickening smell in the air. And he could see the blood pouring out of the open wound in what appeared to be the victim's head. What he didn't see was the body that particular head belonged to, where the eyes from the head were, or why there was only three of a Vulpix's tails on the ground.
He wiped his mouth and stood up to regain his balance, head spinning with disorientation. After a deep breath, he widened his legs a couple inches more in case he wasn't as fine as he thought. I've got to find out if this is everything. There has to be something else around here! This can't be all that's left of them! Dammit! He broke into a sprint to get through the hell before him, only to stop after 4 strides. What the hell? This ground… it's not solid. It's almost padded… oh, fuck me…
Kendrick had found the bodies, and simultaneously realized that he still had a little bit more to throw up from his stomach. The ground had been littered with chunks of flesh and organ, neat little cubes of body parts all coated in red, blending into the ground.
I've gotta' get out of here! I can't take this anymore! This isn't human… no gang could do this… could they?
A shrill scream punctuated the quiet of the residential back alleys. No! I left her there! Suddenly, all feelings of sickness disappeared and Ken seemed to run beyond human capability. She was in trouble, and he'd be damned if he'd let the girl end up all over the floor.
He didn't even get a good look at the guy he saw holding the girl a foot off the ground as he plowed into him like a linebacker. They hit the ground hard, and Ken moved into position to punch through the guy's face. The man was no pushover though, and kicked Kendrick aside. Both jumped up to their feet and faced each other.
"Kid, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" His voice sounded calm, annoyed, and slightly happy, like a kid who'd just found some new toys to play with.
"Was that your doing?"
"What? That alley back there? Heh… maybe. What's it to ya'?"
"Why? Why would you do that? You're not a fire hater. I can tell. So why?"
"Hmmm… would you buy that I was bored?"
"Are you serious?! That's your excuse?! You killed them!"
"What ever do you mean? I merely won the battle. Turns out my partner's Razor Leaf was a little more than they could handle. It's a shame really. For what it's worth, me and my friend have made a killing since we started this battling thing."
"You bastard…"
"Are you done asking questions and wasting my time? I'm really not liking the vibe you're giving me dude. In fact, I don't even feel like battling you. Nah, I just want to… kill you."
"If you want to kill me, it'll take more than just talking."
"Oooohhh… I like that… maybe a battle would be fun after all. Hell, I'll try something new while I'm at it. How about… after I dismember you, I deflower your girl? Hmmm?"
"Fuck off!"
Both trainers threw their pokeballs up, and in a burst of white light, Shinx stood facing a much higher level Victreebel. Shinx began the battle routine that had served him so well for so long and started running around in circles around the grass type, building up momentum. Soon, the cub couldn't even be seen by the naked eye, but Ken still knew where he was and could see him, even if he couldn't literally.
"Double Team? What good will that do you? Come on… attack. You know you need to."
"Ha… not Double Team, just his pure speed. Alright Shinx, remember what I taught you. His level doesn't matter if he can't hit you. Bite! And don't hold back at all!"
The black and blue blur began to shift its shape, and speed streaks could be seen randomly popping out and slamming into Victreebel. Kendrick could see the damage; blood was trickling out of each wound. He seemed to be winning, but something wasn't right about it all. He's not even dodging. I know his level's way higher, but still… It's like he's enjoying it.
"Game over. Sorry, little boy. I win."
"Wha… Shinx, he's using Bide!"
His warning didn't matter. Shinx just didn't have time to react. The area in front of Kendrick erupted in an explosion that sent shockwaves through his bones. Stupid! I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake! Just because it's rarely used doesn't mean I should rule it out! Shinx!
He watched his friend slam into the wall and slide down, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The cub wasn't moving.
"Shinx!" He ran to help him but was stopped immediately with a sharp pain from his leg. Apparently, the psycho had no qualms about hitting the opposing trainer with attacks as well, and as it turned out, Razor Leaf is a pretty painful grass move. "Argh… Damn! Shinx!"
"Nope. No helping him now. It's your turn."
Ken looked up just in time to see a Razor Leaf attack headed for his head. He flung to his feet and rolled to safety, narrowly missing the serrated leaves that went clean through the wall behind him. He kept running around to dodge the attacks as they flew by, no end to the barrage in sight, and each set of leaves getting closer and more frequent as the maniac's laughter was growing with his fatigue.
I can't go on… I'm too tired. Shinx… I'm sorry. I failed you… and her…
He didn't even bother to move when the next batch headed towards him.
Screw it… I tried.
The flames passed so close to his face he was forced to gasp for new oxygen. Amazingly though, the leaves hadn't hit him, courtesy of the wall of fire. Ken searched for the source, only to find the girl standing strong next to him, with yet another new trait.
"Oh. Fuck me again. Now you have a tail. What. The. Hell." The exasperation on his face was comical almost, and he really looked ready to snap. He pulled on it to see if it was as real as he thought, despite knowing it had to be; the color matched her hair perfectly.
"Oww! What the hell's your problem?"
"I don't even know any more. I suppose the fire was you too? Peachy. Just fucking peachy. Anything else I should know?"
"Shinx is okay."
"He is?! Where is he?"
"Waiting for your signal." She gave him a wink that seemed to solve all of his problems.
Nice. Well, looks like we win again after all.
"Hey, crazy asshole."
"Yes? You mind explaining why that little girl breathes fire? Maybe I should look at her innards for myself…?"
"How about we stop this for today? I'm really tired. Peace?"
As he rose his hands in the gesture of peace, he saw Shinx leap out from the bushes to about 20 feet in the air, fully charged, and let loose a Thunderbolt stronger than the previous Bide attack could only dream of.
This time, Victreebel was the pokemon left not moving. All Ken could see of the man now was his feet left in his boots, welded to the ground. Shinx walked towards Kendrick, and he saw that he wasn't looking at his old Shinx anymore.
So, you're a Luxio now? Look at you, shooting off electricity, acting all badass because you blew a guy up. He couldn't help but grin at his friend. We've been in danger before, but nothing quite like this. Still though, I didn't really want to kill the guy. Damn…
"I guess it wasn't really some thugs like I thought. Looks like we had an actual serial killer on our hands."
"The police won't be able to prove it though, will they?" He noticed that she had torn off a part of her dress and was using it as a temporary tourniquet for his badly bleeding leg.
"Well, maybe they'll suspect that Victreebel, but all evidence is pretty much circumstantial now, and not really any good."
"What if you testified about it?"
"Well…" Shit. I'm already pretty much a suspect. I can't just randomly stumble across the second murder, can I? Then there's the fact that I did kill a guy, self-defense or not…
"Actually, I can't testify. I'll be in jail before I know it. Come to think of it, it's probably not even a good idea for me to stay in town. How about it Shi… Luxio? You wanna' check out a new place? I'm thinking Vermilion City."
"Why there?"
"The ferry runs out of there, in the port. We could take it to any region we want."
"You can just leave your family like that?"
"Well, I don't like the thought of it… but, I'll let them know I'm safe once we reach a boat out of here. Otherwise, they'll just stop me if they could."
"But, is running away from this... right?"
"The way I see it, I did nothing wrong. I'm just avoiding what would be future complications if I remained here, that's all. Besides, everyone wants to go on an adventure. Now's as good a time as any."
"Can… can I go with you?"
Ken was taken aback at her request. "Umm… sure? Why though?"
"I don't know. Maybe… I just… think that travelling with you would be fun."
"Wait a minute. Are you alone around here? Where's your family and friends?
She said nothing, and merely looked away. Crap, maybe I shouldn't have asked something like that. I don't want her quiet again. Besides, I've gotta' go. Now. Everybody in the city would've heard what happened here.
"Never mind. That doesn't matter right now. If you want to come with me, I'm not stopping you. Just one condition."
"Yes?"
"Well, two really. Rule one: You won't cry when I'm around. I haven't seen you cry yet, but I'm not taking any chances. That'd make me sad, and I'm not dealing with that, you got it?"
She obviously got the joke, since she brightened up immediately. "Fine. And rule two?"
"Condition two: You've got an assload of questions to answer, okay ma'am? We'll worry about that later though. Let's get going. Route 7 is the east entrance."
"Yes sir!"
He put Luxio back into his pokeball, and made sure they were clipped tightly to his belt. She helped him up onto his wounded legs, and when he was able to maintain his own weight, they left the nightmarish alleyways behind them and headed off, setting sun at their backs, and a new journey ahead.
