CHAPTER TWO
Dear Diary, I need answers now! These past few days without Giovanni have been almost as bad as losing my parents. I have nothing to do except sit in Viridian Forest, and hope no one tries to challenge me to a Pokemon battle. Sitting with nothing to do gives me more time to think about the things I don't really want to. Things such as: Why is the man I love the leader of a gang of criminals? How did he fool me so easily? If I beat him in a Pokemon battle will he accept me? That was it. Dragonair and I will become formidable opponents, then we will challenge Giovanni for a badge. If I win he will HAVE to want me back. Am I pathetic for wanting HIM back? Sincerely, Me
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I opened my eyes when the first rays of sun bled through the destroyed forest trees. The sun burned them momentarily, but the pain went away as soon as they got used to the brightness. My hair was matted against my face, my clothes were covered in dirt and leaves, and I'm pretty sure I somewhat resembled Sasquatch. I needed to clean off somewhere since sleeping on a bed of leaves isn't really something that keeps a person clean.
I made my way to the Viridian Forest Lake to wash myself and my clothes.
The water of the lake was crystal clear, and Dragonair jumped right in. I sat on the shore to debate whether or not I really wanted to do this. For some reason, I felt very uncomfortable getting naked… even if it's in the middle of the forest. Dragonair nodded her head a couple of times, inviting me to swim with her.
I stood up, and slowly started unbuttoning my jeans. As soon as all of my clothes were off, I tried my hardest to jump in but couldn't bring myself to do it. The water was too cold. I stuck the very tip of my toes in then quickly pulled them back as a chill overtook my entire body.
"Well now, what do we have here?" I heard a voice say.
SPLASH
I was in the pond just as quick as I heard it. Water engulfed my entire body, and I wasn't about to let it stop. My face was covered with my hands, and I held my breath for as long as my lungs could take. Being spotting like this would surely get me in trouble for indecent exposure or put me on one of those sex predator lists or something… My lungs started to burn and they were hungry for air. Eventually, I could no longer hold it, and had to breathe. As I brought my head up and gasped for air, I noticed a man standing at the bank staring at me.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked.
I looked him up and down. His blond hair was shining in the sun light, and his tight green tank top displayed his toned body. To look him in his blue eyes, I had to tilt my head so far back, it hurt.
"What are you talking about?" I replied. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
A chuckle escaped his mouth, and he was joined by a large, orange Pokemon that looked like a mouse. Its round tummy bounced and the two yellow sacs on its cheeks discharged a light amount electricity with the laughter.
Dragonair shot in front of me, ready to attack the two should they be harmful. The man took half a step back, and began waving his hands in front of his chest.
"Whoa, whoa," he said. "No need to get aggressive."
Dragonair glanced at me, and I placed my hand on her back to agree with the man. There was no need to be aggressive. Yet.
Still covering my body as best as I could, I backed further into the water.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, skeptical.
"I was training my Raichu," he said. "The bugs here go down quick, and I can teach Raichu to knock out opponents in one hit. I started to investigate when I realized half the forest was burned down. I should be asking what you're doing, though. It's not every day I see a naked girl in the pond."
I blushed but was beginning to become infuriated. After thinking about it, I decided responding may get him to leave faster.
"My house is located just outside the forest, and burned with the fire. I was just trying to clean myself since I have nowhere else to go," I said as I crossed my arms in anger, and turned away.
Sticks and leaves cracked as the man sat down.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said in a much calmer voice.
His black, American army grade boots were beginning to get muddy from standing on the bank. He didn't seem to mind, though.
I slowly made my way to land, still covered, and grabbed the clothes I'd taken off. One by one, I dipped them in the water, and scrubbed them with my hands trying my best to ignore this American soldier. Dragonair tried her hardest to help and took each piece in her mouth to hang on the nearest tree to dry.
Great! I didn't think about having to wait for my clothes to dry with this creep here. Luckily Dragonair was eager to help to I wouldn't have to display myself.
"Do you think I could have a little privacy?" I asked him.
He nodded.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Stay safe, kid."
He began to make his way into the unburned part of the forest, his Pokemon following closely behind. With the guy gone, I finally found a rock to sit on and relax. My thoughts soon began drifting to Giovanni, and how I needed to become a strong trainer.
"Maybe we should start doing some practicing," I said to Dragonair.
She nodded at me in agreement.
"I have an idea," I began. "Why don't you use your attacks to dry my clothes? Dragonair! Use Twister!"
Dragonair took a deep breath, and leaves around us started to blow in the wind. Increasingly, the wind got stronger and stronger until it took the shape of a miniature tornado, making its way to my hung clothes. The twister carried them onto the bank, then disappeared, dropping them.
I smiled at Dragonair. I may not be an experienced trainer, but I thought the idea was ingenious. Glancing both directions, I ran out of the water to my now dry clothes and put them on as quickly as I could. When I was all dressed, I started into the green part of the forest. The same direction as that man. He did say training was easy here.
Continuing through the forest, rustles could be heard in every direction. I chose one sound to focus my attention on and then followed it. Crawling on the ground was a small, brown worm. If I remembered correctly, it was a Weedle – Or was it a Caterpie? I'll go buy a book later to find out.
"Dragonair, see what a Thunder Wave does to it!" I commanded.
The tiny worm – Weedle or Caterpie, glanced at Dragonair realizing the attack. The tiny horn on its head produced a seemingly ineffective needle that shot into Dragonair's chest. The Thunder Wave made its way to the bug, and knocked it out instantly. I smiled.
"Good work Dragona-"
She was hurt.
The needle sticking out of her stomach had done more damage than it appeared. Even though it was small, it produced a poison that was quickly draining her energy. I rushed to her side. She needed to get to a Pokemon hospital and fast, but the days spent in the forest disoriented me. Would it be quicker to walk to Viridian City or Pewter City?
BUZZ!
A sound began emanating from a nearby bush. I glanced to the cluster of leaves that was shaking.
BUZZ!
A large bee erupted from the top of the bush and stared at me for a second before lunging with its giant needle arms. I began screaming, and covered my head with my hands… as if that would help. Concerned, Dragonair used the last of her strength to lunge on top of me, placing herself in the face of danger for me. She squealed as the drills of the bee Pokemon sliced their way into her back. The force of the bee smashed Dragonair into me and a sharp pain jolted throughout my entire body.
"Oh! Goddamn it!" a familiar voice in the distance said. "Raichu! Thunderbolt!"
"Raii…" the orange mouse yelled, as electricity was hurled from its yellow cheek sacs to the bug that was attacking Dragonair and me. The bee fell to the ground, burned to a crisp.
"See. One hit!" he exclaimed. "I thought I told you to stay safe and I find your Pokemon nearly poisoned to death trying to protect you from a Beedrill."
Ah, that bee was called Beedrill. Makes sense, I suppose.
"This is no time to lecture me," I tried to yell, though I was too fatigued to be intimidating. "I need to get Dragonair to a hospital!"
I glanced at the Pokemon, who was moaning in pain. The poor thing had cuts in her back from the Beedrill, and the poisoned needle was still sticking out of her belly. I tried to sit up and help her, but the pain in my back was too great.
The blond soldier kneeled by Dragonair, and with a swift movement pulled the needle.
"You really need to learn to treat your Pokemon if you're going to battle in the middle of the forest with a weakling like this. Do you have any antidote on you?"
I shook my head.
In synchronization, his Raichu and him both placed their hands on their hips and sighed.
"Damn it," he grunted. "I guess I have no choice but to take you and your weak excuse of a Pokemon to Pewter City."
"Hey now!" I said. "It's my fault Dragonair is so hurt. If I had an antidote she would have been able to take that Beedrill."
He shrugged, nonchalantly. "Weak Pokemon and weak trainers go hand in hand, I guess."
What a jerk! First he spies on me, and then he belittles me? Sure, I had a long way to go before I could prove myself to Giovanni but he could be a little nicer about it. My eyes began to tear up as the thought of Giovanni entered my head. What if I was doing this all for nothing?
"Don't be a baby," he said. "I was just teasing you. Now return your Pokemon to its pokeball so I can get you two to Pewter City."
I wiped the tears from my eyes, then reached in my purse for Dragonair's pokeball.
"Return, sweetie," I said. "Thanks for saving me."
Dragonair nodded and dissipated into a red light.
"Can you stand?" the man asked.
The pain was unbearable, but surely I could stand up and walk. As I began lifting my body off the ground, the sharp pain returned to my back, slowing my attempt.
"Forget it! I hope you're not too heavy. We're still about three miles away from Pewter and I don't need you slowing me down."
Only three miles? Had I really trekked that far into the forest in just a couple of days?
He reached his arm out to me, and I grabbed his hand. Like nothing, he lifted me onto his back and began the journey to Pewter City. Raichu took every step carefully glancing cautiously for any danger.
"You know, I never did get your name," Surge said.
"Oh," I started. "My name is Tiffany. I'm kind of new at this."
He chuckled, "I could tell. I'm Matis Surge, but most people call me Lieutenant Surge. I'm kind of not new at this."
If he was joking, it was pretty lame.
Night was starting to fall, and there was a cold chill in the wind. My tank top didn't do much to block the wind and I took comfort in the warmth of this man, but wished deep inside it was Giovanni who rescued me.
"So… you're nineteen? Twenty?" He asked, "Why are you just now beginning your training?"
I winced, knowing well what effect answering this question would have on me.
"It's a bit of a sore subject…" I started, hoping he would get the hint I didn't really want to talk about it and stop me.
Of course he didn't. This man was denser than a crate of bricks.
"There's a man I love," I said, "and I need to prove myself to him." I couldn't add anymore as I started sniveling.
He slowed down and the friendly look on his face turned serious.
"You know, that's a really petty reason to raise Pokemon," he said.
I shrugged.
"And what's your reason? Obviously you're trying to achieve world peace with a remark like that!" I replied.
"The accomplishment of leading a team of the most powerful beings on the planet. Ain't nothing going to knock out MY Pokemon."
So, he wasn't joking earlier. How egotistical. Three miles sure seemed like a long way considering the circumstances. I would almost choose to bear the pain of walking alone over listening to this man talk any longer.
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A break in the trees finally became visible. Dragonair and I could rest soon, and Lieutenant Surge could continue doing whatever it was he was doing before. Awesome!
"Route 2 is fairly short. We're almost there." Lt. Surge announced.
He was annoying, and egotistical, but I did appreciate the gesture of carrying me all this way.
He was right, Route 2 was short, and the lights of Pewter City came closer and closer. I couldn't wait to get Dragonair healed.
The building he led us to was fairly small. Positioned above the door was a sign that read "Pokemon Center" with the top of a pokeball decorating it.
"I'm going to sit you on the ground," he began. "Then you're going to lay there while I fix your back. Got it?"
"You're going to fix my back? Why didn't you do that before?" I asked.
He grinned. "Because if I did it there, I wouldn't get to look like a hero in front of that sexy nurse inside."
I rolled my eyes. Men. They're such dogs.
The ground was cold, as the night had started hours ago. I felt two very warm hands get placed on my back, and slowly their pressure increased.
POP!
The pain quickly subsided, and I was able to stand.
"There we go. Nothing compared to the field surgeries I've done."
I smiled at Surge. He was an ass, but he did help me greatly. I took, what I thought would be my last look at him as I made my way into the Pokemon Center. Sadly, he followed.
"Hello, there," a refreshing voice from behind the counter said.
It came from a beautiful woman, whose porcelain skin was greatly complimented by her vibrant, pink hair. The hat with a cross symbol signified that she was the nurse.
"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked.
"My Dragonair was badly poisoned. I'm unsure of her condition as she's been in her pokeball for hours."
The nurse took Dragonair's pokeball in her delicate hand.
"This will take a couple of hours, but feel free to use one of our beds. There's a room down the hall and to the right for traveling trainers to get some rest. Expect Dragonair to be completely healthy in the morning," she said.
"Thank you, ma'am," I said to her.
As I made my way to the bedroom, a hand grabbed my elbow. A large hand that could only belong to Lt. Surge.
"Hey, kid. If you're ever in Vermilion City give me a shout," he said. "I'll be at the gym and I think you owe me." A sheepish grin sprang on his face.
"Thanks for everything," I replied and made the rest of the way to my room.
My eyes closed, and the only sound was Surge gloating to the nurse of his heroic act. I rolled my eyes, and entered a deep slumber.