The deeper into the forest Emily walked the darker it became. The thick bunches of leaves overhead blocked out mostly all light to the point she realized it wouldn't have mattered if it was night or day. After ten minutes of walking, Emily broke down and searched through her Menu for something to light the way. The darkness was becoming too disorienting for someone who normally couldn't find their way in broad daylight, let alone in this natural darkened maze. After selecting a flashlight from her pack Emily cautiously continued on the path covered with scattered dead leaves. It was beautiful, she thought, in a creepy kind of way. She would have really liked this sort of place if it wasn't for the knowledge that there maybe hordes of wild Rattata teaming up and plotting to eat her corpse. She could just imagine all their bright, shiny eyes reflecting in the dark just watching her and waiting to make their move.
She grabbed the red and white ball at her waist and let out her new and improved level seven Charmander. Maybe now those Rattata would think twice about messing with her, and if one was stupid enough to try… Emily smiled as she pictured one skewered on a stick as she slowly roasted it over her Charmander's tail flame. Maybe Namine would enjoy some roasted mouse on a stick. Speaking of Namine she thought with a frown as she let her out of her ball. Once the Eevee got its bearings, its fur stuck up and she hissed at Emily.
"Don't growl at me." Emily said crossing her arms. "I already said I was sorry. Hey, don't be like that!" She said as the Eevee stuck up her nose and turned her back on her trainer as they continued down the path.
The trio walked along for some time while Emily studied her location on her PokeNav's screen no longer worried about what lurked beyond the thick expansion of trees. Her Pokemon were there to keep her safe…at least one of them she thought looking down at her Eevee who happily chased after falling leaves. Emily smiled as she watched Namine hop along the path batting whatever she could find between her paws. Emily didn't think she'd be too happy leaving behind the life a lap pet, but she seemed perfectly content out on the road. Emily watched her curiously for a moment as her little brown paws froze in position. Her nose high in the air sniffing as her long ears stood on end listening for what, Emily could only guess.
"Namine!" Emily yelled as the Eevee took off running at full speed into the trees to her right. "Get back here!" She yelled taking off after her as much as her bad leg would allow.
"Drop him, furball!" An angry female shout up ahead yelled as Namine came sprinting back towards Emily, its eyes lit with glee and a struggling purple shape hanging from her mouth.
"No! Keep that away from me!" Emily shouted hobbling away in the opposite direction with Namine and the Rattata hanging from her mouth on hot pursuit.
"Arcanine! Stop her! She's stealing my Pokemon!" Emily heard from somewhere behind her. ARCANINE? A tremendous deep roar that shook the nearby surrounding trees sent Namine charging forward at full speed completely passing Emily as if to say "Every girl for themselves". Emily winced as a branch sliced her arm, but she kept moving forward as fast as she could. She'd for once rather face the Rattata Namine was carrying than the monster that was currently pursuing her for some unknown reason. Emily suddenly felt herself get lifted in the air as her long black hair covered her face obscuring her vision.
"Let me down!" Emily said struggling to free herself as she hung upsidedown. She lifted herself up as much as she could as she held her hair away from her face only to to be met with large fangs clamping down onto her leg.
"Good boy, Arky." An unknown female voice said as she approached the upside down prisinor. "Give me back my Pokemon." She demanded.
"I don't have your Pokemon!" Emily shouted as all the blood began rushing to her face.
"Your Eevee took off with my Rattata!" She answered as Emily twisted and turned in order to get a good look at her. "Stop moving! You want him to rip your leg off?"
"All this for a Rattata? You're crazy!" Emily said giving up the struggle as she let herself hang upside down.
"That Rattata happens to belong to my sister! Now give it back!"
"I don't have it! Why would I steal your Rattata?"
"If you didn't steal it than why were you running?" The girl interrogated her.
"Because…" Emily mumbled pulling herself up and undoing her pants as she began unstrapping some unseen velcro. "I-I hate mice."
"Why are you taking your pants off?" The girl shouted as Emily suddenly fell to the ground.
"Ouch…" Emily mumbled as the unknown attacker let out a high pitched scream as she scurried backwards into a tree.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" The girl shouted wide eyed in a panic as she stared up at her Arcanine that held the thief's pants along with what appeared to be the girl's leg still clutched in his mouth.
Emily let out a soft moan as she turned her head to see what all the commotion was about. She smiled mischievously as she grabbed at the stump and screamed. "OH, MY LEG! MY LEG! HE BIT OFF MY LEG!"
"I AM SO SORRY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE! I'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT! What..?" The girl said a bit puzzled as the figure stopped rolling in pain only to appear to be…laughing? "The hell?" She said crawling closer as Emily sat up pant-less, revealing her right thigh that ended a bit higher up from where her knee should have been.
"I am going to need that back." Emily said wiping her eyes as the panic in the strangers face died down.
"Not until you give me my Pokemon back." The brunette said in a huff.
"You're holding my prosthetic leg hostage for a Rattata?" Emily said sounding doubtful as something brown and furry made its way over to her and dropped the purple thing in her lap. "GET IT AWAY!" Emily screamed in a panic using her good leg and elbows to propel herself backwards. This time it was the strangers turn to start laughing as she bent down and picked up the little purple mouse.
"You weren't lying about being scared of mice. Serves you right." She grumbled.
"Can't you take a joke?" Emily asked pulling out a pair of shorts from her pack. "You attacked me first."
"Only because you stole my Rattata!" The girl insisted stealing another glance where Emily's leg should have been.
"What's so important about that rat?" Emily asked looking up at the large red furry beast that still held her pants and leg in its mouth.
"It was my sisters." The girl said after a moment of silence.
"Was?" Emily asked.
"I don't want to talk about it." The girl quickly said. "What happened to your leg?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Emily repeated
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Give her leg back, Arcky." The girl said. "Arcky, no get back here!" She shouted as the giant red dog took off deeper into the forest. "Umm, stay here. I'll get it!" She said as she took off running leaving Emily alone on the forest floor.
"Where else am I going to go?" Emily mumbled as she pushed herself back against a tree while Namine got in her lap. "Now what? Should I call home?" She asked out loud. "What would I say? Help, I'm stuck in the Viridian Forest because Clifford The Big Red Dog took off with my leg?" She said sarcastically as she rested against the tree. After another half hour, Emily pulled out her sleeping bag and tucked herself and Namine in for the night. A sound in the clearing got her attention in the hope it was the mysterious girls' return, but instead it was her Charmander. While it wasn't her leg, she was still happy to see him. Emily grabbed as many fistfuls of dead leaves and twigs she could reach as Charmander lit them up with his tail. Soon the three huddled up in front of the fire as Emily imagined a certain someone's Rattata roasting over it. If she didn't come back by morning Emily would just have to make it to Pewter City on crutches.
"I'm back! Where are you?" A voice shouted in the other wise quiet night air stirring Emily from her restless sleep.
"Over here!" She shouted as a figure made it's way towards her in darkness.
"Well, I've got good news and bad news." The girl said sitting down by the fire holding what appeared to be Emily's prosthetic wrapped in her torn and muddy jeans.
"Good news?" Emily asked hopefully. The girl held up what she was holding in her hands. "Bad news?" The girl grimaced as she slowly unwrapped it revealing the many fang marks all up and down the plastic. Emily sighed as she took it. Not only was it covered in cosmetic damage but the velcro straps and metal rods she used to connect it to herself with were completely destroyed. She'd have no choice now but to return home.
"I'm really sorry, he really wanted to bury it." The girl said. "I can get you a new one made." Emily laughed darkly at that. It was a nice thought, but there was no way she could afford a new one. Just the cheapest model, like the one she had, ran over 500,000 yen. "I'm serious, I work in a Pokemon Center. I've got connections." Emily laughed again. Who did this girl think she was? So what if she worked in a Pokemon Center? "What's your name?" She asked after a moment of silence as they sat together watching the fire.
"I'm Emily, What's yours?"
"Anna." She said shaking her hand. "So where are you from, Emily?"
"Pallet Town." Emily said with a depressed sigh.
"Pallet Town?" Anna asked with a scrunched up face. "You mean out in the boonies Pallet Town?"
"That's the one."
"Well, if you want, we can fly together to Cerulean City and get your leg fixed."
"You think someone can fix this?" Emily asked doubtfully holding up the now chew toy.
"Don't worry about that, I'll pay for a new one." Anna said confidently. "Arky, he, uh, doesn't always listen to me. Don't have enough badges and all… or…well…any."
"Ah," Emily said in understanding. "I was actually heading to Cerulean City anyway. You have a Pokemon who knows Fly?"
"I have a Pidgeot with me." Anna said pulling out a Pokeball. "We can't ride it until we get out of the forest though."
"A giant bird, a giant dog. If you were a guy I'd swear you were overcompensating for something." Emily said as Anna rolled her eyes.
