Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 3: Happy, Corey, and the Injured Tailow
Happy sat up in bed, squinting to adapt to the morning sunlight, and stretching her arms out wide. Momoko was still fast asleep on the peach-coloured carpet. Happy looked around her, savouring her first morning as a Pokemon Trainer. Pulling the duvet aside, and forcing herself to her feet, she went straight into her orange bag, and snatched hold of a Pokeball.
"Hold the show, Erena!" Happy cried, excitedly, throwing the Pokeball high into the air. The device was quick to open and reveal a Ledyba which bore a confused but accepting expression. "You like it, Erena? That's your new name" Happy told the bug, who immediately understood, spinning around to show her delight. "And 'Hold the Show' - that's my contest cry. You know what a Pokemon Contest is?" Erena shook her head, and so Happy began to explain, while the Ledyba listened intently.
"Anyway, Erena, I forgot to introduce myself," Happy smiled sweetly, "I'm Happy, and together we're going to be top Contest winners!" Happy held out her hand, and Erena shook it, delighted.
XXX
Happy decided that today would be the day when she would start her serious training, and, by mid-day, had already begun. She had found a quiet country area with few people about, and had set out several large rocks (which she had pinched from a crumbling wall nearby) in a line.
"Right, Erena, do your thing!" Happy cried, as the Ledyba darted forwards, smashing each rock with her Comet Punch attack.
"Hey, Happy," a male voice shouted over to her, and she spun around to see who was calling, "I see you've discovered my secret training ground, and, erm, got the Pokemon that I told you to".
"Corey," Happy answered in realisation, "and who says this is your training ground?"
"Ha, I'm just messing with you. Hey, how would you like to have a battle with me?"
"Your certainly confident today, considering how shy you seemed just last night"
"I'm always shy when I meet new people, especially since I thought you were seriously trying to steal my Charmander, but we're friends now, right? And this is Pokemon we're talking about. So lets have a battle". It was true, Corey did seem more relaxed today, but Happy still recognised his naturally timid appearance.
"Well I've never met anyone who can stutter like anything one minute, and then be full of confidence the next, but, alright, I accept your challenge!"
"Good, well lets get started then" Corey bounced further from Happy so as to create enough space to battle in. "I'll pick first" he told her, tossing up a Pokeball which revealed the very Charmander that Happy had wanted to capture the day before.
"Alright then, Erena, you're up" Happy told the bug, who flickered into the scene, pleased to be in her very first battle. Momoko lay and watched from the sidelines.
"Aaah, I expected you to go with your Mareep - you know that with your new Ledyba you're at a great disadvantage?" Corey asked.
"Yeah, but I need to train Erena for the Petalburg Pokemon Contest" Happy was confident in her choice.
"Suit yourself. Right, Charmander, use Flamethrower!" the small red creature suddenly produced a huge blast of fire from his mouth, heading straight for Erena with the determination of an erupting volcano.
"Erena, get out of the way" Happy cried, as the Ledyba tried to fly aside the attack, but was partially unsuccessful, as the flames caught hold of one of her wings.
"You alright?" Happy called up to her injured Pokemon.
"Ledyba, ba" Erena hummed in a positive reply.
"Hey, Corey," Happy shouted over to the boy, "that was one heck of a Flamethrower, but we're not finished yet!" and Corey smiled at the girl's confidence.
"Okay, Erena, Supersonic!" the bug flicked her wings faster, hovering directly above Charmander, and, from its eyes, produced circular waves of radiation, which fell around Charmander, causing him to slowly lose touch with reality.
"Enough of that," Corey cried, "Charmander, snap out of it and use Scratch". At this, the small, red creature began to violently scratch itself, too confused to realise what it was doing.
"Stop that, Charmander! Try a Flamethrower" Corey ordered, and this time the attack was fast, hitting Erena directly, even before she or Happy had realise that it was coming. Erena was down.
"Erena are you okay?" Happy ran to her new Pokemon, and knelt beside it. Erena looked up at her trainer, smiled, and forced herself to stand on her six legs, bravely.
"Is your Ledyba alright?" Corey stood over Happy, as she returned the bug to her Pokeball, as Corey did the same with Charmander.
"Yeah, she just needs a little rest, and Charmander?" Happy stood up to face her new friend.
"He's fine too," Corey smiled, "and, hey, that was a great battle" Corey held his hand out, and Happy shook it, repaying his compliments.
At that moment a Zigzagoon broke into the clearing, carrying something in its beak that was screeching in agony.
"Hey, what's that Zigzagoon holding?" Happy wondered aloud.
"Only one way to find out," Corey told her, pulling from his belt a Pokeball and tossing it into the air, "Smoochum, lets go - Sweet Kiss now". The small, innocent-looking, Pokemon kissed the air, releasing heart-shaped bubbles around her, which floated towards the running Zigzagoon, confusing and stopping it dead in its tracks.
Corey ran towards the Zigzagoon, Happy close behind, and rolled the Pokemon on its back, squeezing its neck and forcing it to let go of whatever it held between its teeth.
"Tailow, tailow!" the small creature spluttered and coughed.
"Ah, a Tailow," Happy said, excitedly, "but he looks pretty hurt".
"Yeah, I will take it to the Pokemon Centre" Corey picked up the creature in his arms, and walked back towards Oldale.
"I'll come with you" Happy told him, jogging to catch up to him.
XXX
Nurse Joy had been quick to rush the injured Tailow into the Operating Theatre, and do her best to heal it. Corey and Happy sat outside in the waiting room, chatting about their aims, their hopes, their dreams.
"Me?" Corey said, answering Happy's question of what he hoped for the future. "Well, what I'd really like to do is open a school for beginning trainers, but my family will have none of it, so I started collecting gym badges so that I can enter the Hoenn League - I've already been part of the Sinnoh and Kanto Leagues, so Hoenn seemed the place to go next. You know, Happy, it must have really irritated you that you couldn't leave five years ago with your friends, huh?"
"Oh, well, yeah, I was pretty distraught. I was alone for a while, since my friends all left together, and I was mad with my mum and dad for making me wait. But now, well, I've made a load of new friends who aren't even that fond of having anything to do with Pokemon. They were all pretty sad when I told them goodbye, but they said I wasn't getting away from them that easily - they would make sure we stayed in touch no matter what" Happy cheerfully told Corey, who listened with interest.
"Corey and Happy?" Nurse Joy appeared suddenly before the two trainers, who nodded upon hearing their names. "Your Tailow is fighting fit and ready to leave".
"Thank you, Nurse Joy" Happy and Corey sang together, as they rose from their seats to fetch the creature that they had previously saved the life of.
XXX
The sun was beginning to close on Oldale Town, as Corey and Happy stood at the boarder, their recovered Tailow, now making loud, sharp cries of its name, and flapping its wings sharply above the two, anxious to get going.
"Tailow should go with you, Corey, I'm sure it will make a great part of your team," Happy said as the two trainers were about to part ways, "besides, it's thanks to you that I was able to go and catch Erena".
"Thanks," Corey smiled, "I'll see you again… one day".
"No doubt" Happy grinned back, turning to go on her own path, determined to get to Petelburg safely.
Well… that's easier said then done.
