Me: And finally in this chapter I get to introduce some more characters! XD A bigger main cast is always fun. And please feel sorry for Tyson here that he forgot to take any headache pills with him.
Tyson dithered in front of the entrance to Viridian Forest, shifting his weight from one foot to other in a sign ofnervousness.
Kai watched him impatiently before poking him harshly in the calf, "what's the problem? Are you going to stand around staring at the trees all day or actually go in?"
"It's just, this is the first time I'll go farther than I have been before without someone watching over me." Tyson told his Pikachu companion quietly. "It's… I dunno, a little scary I guess."
Kai blinked. "You've been wanting to go on this journey for ages, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Then get your ass in there before I shock you." Kai threatened, pushing against the bluenet's legs until Tyson took the first few steps into the forest. "You're never going to get to Indigo Plateau if you stand around dawdling."
"You're right!" Tyson agreed, regaining his confidence and taking more confidence steps into the forest with a wide smile. He was barely within the enclosure of trees when a voice called his name from behind him and he turned around curiously. His expression was momentarily shocked before it turned happy, "Chief?"
Kai's ear twitched in curiosity as a short teen with large round glasses came running up to them. He could see a Pokedex and few other mechanical items, books and maps to do with what he supposed was research. He tugged Tyson's jean leg, "Who's that?"
His trainer, who had talking with the brunet teen happily blinked in surprise, before motioning to him, "Kenny, this is Kai. Kai, this my friend back in Pallet Town, Kenny." He introduced before regarding the shorter boy beside him with a curious look, "what are you doing in Viridian anyway?"
"I was studying Pidgey when I heard that you had started your journey." Kenny replied, adjusting his glasses, "so I thought I could help you along the way… if you don't mind that is, I mean… no-one wants to be alone while travelling do they?" He flustered, looking a little embarrassed.
Kai personally found the glasses wearing teen a little strange but Tyson seemed fond of him.
Tyson looked thoughtful. He had never considered being lonely because he had Kai and Spice but the thought of having an extra member in their party made him happier rather than putting him off. Kenny was very knowledgeable on Pokemon, the various cities and gyms and having him around would be useful, plus he was a friend, which make his company welcome. "Sure you can come Chief!" He enthused, patting the shorter teen on the back.
Kai felt a little put off about Kenny joining them but he didn't say anything about it, instead, he was about to pipe up about finally heading into Viridian Forest when Kenny beat him to the punch.
"Tyson, you did know that there's a gym in this city, right?" Kenny questioned, frowning a little at him.
"Uhh…" Tyson made a sheepish face and scratched behind his neck. "No, I didn't. There were no signs and stuff and no-one mentioned a gym so…"
Kenny sighed. "Tyson! If you want to be the best trainer you have challenge gyms! That means you'll have to check to see if there's one in each town or city you visit. You're just lucky that the gym here has been closed for months now, otherwise you would have been seriously missing out!"
Rather looking anymore sheepish, the taller teen frowned along with Kai. It wasn't unusual for a gym to close for a bit, but for months was strange. "Weird. Do you why it's closed, Chief?"
"No, I don't. I've asked around but no-one's seen the Gym Leader of any of the Gym Trainers in ages." Kenny rummaged around on his belt before pulling up and unravelling a piece of paper with eight faces on it.
Tyson peered at it, "those are the Kanto Gym Leaders, right?" He questioned, waiting for Kenny's nod of confirmation before continuing, "So then why is that eighth one shadowed out?" He pointed at the last Gym Leader, who's picture was just a silhouette, with the name Giovanni beneath it.
"Dunno. I guess he likes to be mysterious." Kenny replied, rolling up the poster and slipping it away.
"Sounds like a weirdo. Can we go now?" Kai interrupted, now looking very put out.
Kenny glanced at him before Tyson could apologise as if seeing the Pikachu for the first time. In truth he hadn't been paying much attention to Tyson's starter and he cursed himself for being so careless. He crouched down so that he and the electric mouse were at a similar height. "What strange markings…" he murmured, wanting to pet the Pikachu, but deciding against it when Kai looked like he might bite him if he tried.
"Yeah, he's special." Tyson said, with a tone that hinted that Kenny shouldn't ask anymore questions about it and held out his arm for Kai to scamper up. Once the yellow mouse was settled on his shoulder, the patted him on the head in an apologetic manner for Kenny's behaviour. "Let's go then!"
"Yes, let's!" Kenny agreed, following the taller teen and his Pikachu into the depths of the forest.
As they were entering, Kai hesitated before tapping Tyson on the cheek to get the blue haired teen's attention, "Tyson?"
"Yeah?" Tyson replied, earning wondrous look from Kenny. The shorter boy knew about Tyson's ability with Pokemon languages and while he was used to seeing the bluenet converse with the various creatures, it was always interesting to watch him do it.
"You're… not going to tell Kenny about me are you?" The Pikachu asked quietly. Somehow, he only felt like trusting Tyson with what he really was for the moment. He didn't think he could handle Kenny's various excited questions about how he had become a Pikachu that were sure to come if he ever found out anyway.
"Nope. I respect your decisions and stuff so I won't tell anyone you don't want me to." Tyson replied importantly with a smile, "Don't worry about it!"
Kai jumped down from Tyson's shoulder to walk along the ground, and the fall kept his small smile hidden. "I won't…" He murmured.
After the first few minutes of walking through the dense, Viridian Forest, the experience was starting to have a different effect on the three travellers.
Kai was finding the various calls of the Pidgey and Pidgeotto flock irritating, along with the chatters of the Rattata and Weedle and Caterpie. He wondered how anything could talk so much. At least it wasn't the time of year for bug Pokemon to evolve into their final forms; otherwise the buzzing really would have ground on his nerves.
Kenny wasn't finding the calls of scurries of the wild Pokemon annoying at all, and he was darting across the forest floor all the time to examine the Pokemon closely with an awed expression, until they got a little too close to spook him slightly and forced him to retreat. He looked like a child in a very large candy store as he practically skipped along the trail, being surrounded by so many wild Pokemon.
For Tyson, however, the whole journey was starting to wear him down in the mental department and he unconsciously quickened up his pace to get out the forest as quickly as possible. His mind was struggling to understand all the various cries all of the hundreds of Pokemon that made Viridian Forest teeming with life and the strain was starting to bring on a serious migraine. Groaning in irritation, he rubbed at his temples to try and rid himself of his headache.
Kai looked up at his noise, frowning when he saw the pain lines running faintly along Tyson's forehead. Kenny seemed to be too busy prancing through the forest in joy to notice that Tyson was suffering slightly and Kai considered getting his attention before giving up when the short teen found a Pidgey nest. He tugged at Tyson's jean leg to get his attention again and made a curious sound rather than saying anything. He figured talking was only going to make the blue haired teen's situation more precarious.
"Hm?" Tyson murmured, opening an eye he hadn't known he'd closed to look Kai. He recognised the faint expression across the Pikachu's face to one of concern and smiled gently at the electric mouse to reassure him. "I'm fine. Small headache is all."
Kai frowned a little but didn't push as they headed further into the heart of the forest. Kenny by this time had calmed down and was now walking beside them again. The glasses wearing teen looked up at his taller friend when Tyson winced. "Maybe you should sit down and have something to drink if it's bothering you, Tyson."
"Nah, I'd rather get out of here quicker than sit around." Tyson replied, but he took the bottle of water Kenny offered him gratefully and taking a few sips before handing it back. "Do you two know how far we are anyway?"
Kai shook his head in a negative response, but Kenny offered up an answer, "I think we're in the middle, so we're half way there at least." He patted the taller teen on the arm in sympathy at his unhappy expression at the news, "no gift comes without a drag I'm afraid."
Tyson was about to respond when a new noise caught his attention through his fog of different languages and he turned his head curiously.
The Pikachu beside them had picked it up a few minutes before the blue haired teen, however, having more acute hearing and he recognised it to be the sound of a bicycle.
Sure enough, a bright red bike with a brunette girl riding it came into view as she rode along the forest track at a lazy pace. She was wearing jean shorts with a yellow shirt with an orange jacket overtop, and her shoulder-length brown hair waved in the wind. The beige bag slung over her shoulder bounced along her side as she rode.
"We could ask her." Kenny suggested, before waving an arm and calling, "excuse me? Miss?"
The girl didn't appear to hear him and Tyson decided to give it a try, not feeling too patient in his current, headache-induced state. "Hey! Woman!" He shouted, ignoring Kenny and Kai's identical looks of exasperation at his severe lack of tack.
The brunette halted this time and looked over her shoulder haughtily, apparently offended by how Tyson had addressed her, "yes?" She questioned scathingly.
Kenny, seeing that the girl was angered, hurried forward to apologise for his friend. "Sorry about him, miss, he's a little irritable right now."
"I can see that." The brunette commented dryly, giving the blue haired teen one last glare before turning to Kenny with a smile. The short teen was politer than the other one, and she felt inclined to be polite back, "can I help with something?"
"Yes, we were wondering how far it is until the exit?"
"Hmm…" The teenage girl put a finger to her chin in thought, "let's see… if you walk, it should be about ten minutes from here." She held out a hand to Kenny, "my name is Hilary by the way."
Kenny took her hand and shook it warmly. "I'm Kenny, my friend over there is Tyson and his Pikachu is Kai."
Hilary was about the turn around to greet them when the she noticed they were gone. "Uhh… where did they go?"
"Kai?" Tyson questioned as he followed the Pikachu through the trees, "where are we going?" Kai had heard something while Kenny and Hilary were talking and scampered off to investigate, leaving Tyson to trail after him to found out what he had heard.
"Here." Kai replied, stopping abruptly and peering around a tree.
Thoroughly confused, Tyson copied the Pikachu and poked his head around the tree as well. He frowned in slight anger when he saw two people in their early twenties or late teens and a Meowth sitting in a small clearing. His pounding headache blurred out their hushed conversation, but he could clearly see the bright red R's on the teen's shirts. That R stood for Team Rocket, a crime organisation that had been growing lately.
Kai, however, didn't have a headache and his better hearing allowed him to listen on what the group were saying. He had picked up something about stealing and a Pokemon Centre back with the others and that had piqued his interested. Keeping quiet, he listened intently.
"I'm telling you James, the best way in is through the roof!" The girl, with long red hair exclaimed, her face looking irritated, "I can't believe you suggested the door!"
"I thought we could be like the gangster thieves who just barge in through the front door and take anything that they want, Jessie." James, her companion with blue hair, replied pathetically.
"'Cept we ain't got no guns." The Meowth seated beside them pointed out.
Kai blinked in shock, how did the cat Pokemon learn to speak English?
"Well, it was a cool idea…" James grumbled.
"Cool idea or not, the roof is the best way in if we want to grab those Pokemon in the centre for the boss!" Jessie announced, standing up and striking a pose. "To the blimp!"
"To the blimp!" Her male team mates echoed as they too, stood and made poses.
Kai frowned in anger; they were planning on stealing from the Pokemon Centre. Stepping out, despite Tyson's noise behind him to keep him back, he squeezed the electrical sacs in his cheeks to send sparks coursing along his body.
Meowth heard the noise and turned around. "Well look what we got here! A weird lookin' Pikachu!"
"Should we snatch it?" James questioned.
Jessie eyed Kai eagerly, "it looks rare… that'll make the boss pleased!"
Kai growled and concentrated the electrical sparks shooting along his body into an electrical bolt, stronger than the one he had dealt Bulbasaur with. The lightning bounced along the ground until it came into contact with the Rocket members, who cried out in pain at the jolt.
Singed, achy and sore, Jessie and James picked up the fainted Meowth and darted out of sight.
"Change of plan." Jessie hissed to her male companion, "forget the Pokemon Centre, we focus on that Pikachu instead…"
Kai nodded in satisfaction and turned back to Tyson. He expected the blue haired teen to be grinning at him the way he did whenever he did something remotely impressive, but Tyson hadn't seemed to take anything of what had just happened in. Instead, he was leaning against a tree and rubbing his temples, his eyes shut in a vain attempt to shut out the noises.
The Pikachu's ears flattened a little and he scurried over to his trainer to tug at his jean leg again. No response. Sighing, he clambered up Tyson's leg and arm to perch on his shoulder, but the bluenet had grown used to Kai being there and didn't bother giving him much attention. Kai, beginning to grow irritated set his teeth gently to shell of Tyson's ear and bit carefully, making the teen jump as planned.
"Ow!" Tyson yelped, rubbing his ear before frowning at Kai, "what was that for?"
"Time to go back, Team Rocket are gone." Kai told him, pointing in the direction they had come from.
Tyson sighed and gave the spot where Team Rocket had been one last lingering look before heading back.
Large, brown wings were spread as a Fearow glided lazily over the tree tops of Viridian Forest. It was known to the inhabitants there as the bully of the forest, thinking of the forest as its own and picking on those that dared to mess with what it considered to be perfect.
The bird's head turned as it caught the sound of a pained cry and a flash of lightning. Opening its beak to caw softly, the Fearow switched direction to hover over a clearing to watch a small group run off while an odd-looking Pikachu stood; sparking from the shock it had given. The Fearow frowned. It didn't like this Pikachu, it looked strange and therefore messed with his perfect forest.
Cawing louder, it folded its wings and dived into the trees, going after the Pikachu and the boy. It noted the boy's cry of shock but ignored it, knocking the Pikachu claws with its claws and scooping the electric mouse.
"Fearow! Leave him alone!" Tyson cried, his headache forgotten as the bird Pokemon cawed again and took back to the sky, Kai struggling in its grasp. Fear clutched cruelly at Tyson's heart and he looked around wildly, expecting to find Kenny or that girl around and panicking when neither were there. His gaze fell on an abandoned bike and went for it, jumping on the saddle and peddling after the Fearow and Kai as fast as he could.
Kai growled at his current predicament. He squeezed his cheeks in a feeble attempt the shock the bird holding him. He had no idea what the Fearow had against him, unless he was dinner, but all he wanted at that moment was to get down. He knew that bird Pokemon were weak against electrical moves and released the bolt, causing the Fearow to screech in pain but not drop him. He was about to try again when a voice called his name. He looked down to see Tyson pedalling furiously after them. "Tyson!"
"Hang on!" The bluenet called back, reaching for his belt and grabbing Spice's pokeball, throwing it into the air to release the plant Pokemon, who handed on the handlebars. "Spice, I need you to catch Kai when Fearow drops him, can you do that?" He questioned her urgently.
The Chikorita looked relatively alarmed at the current situation but nodded firmly, getting her vines ready to catch the Pikachu when he fell. A thought occurred to her and she turned to Tyson curiously, "How is he going to get down?"
Her trainer smiled grimly before turned his head to the Fearow flying above, "Yo! Ugly!"
The brown bird squawked indignantly and turned its head to look behind, insult after insult was shot at until it eventually got on its nerves and it screeched loudly. Turning direction, it headed straight for Tyson.
The blue haired teen gulped. He had hoped the Fearow would drop Kai before going after him. Ditching the bicycle, Spice jumping off to land by his feet, Tyson stood firmly as the Fearow hovered angrily over him, screeching. "Well? Are you going to let Kai go or not?" He challenged.
The bird Pokemon screeched, which Tyson recognised to be a cry of fury and defiance and shot its beak forward. Instinct took over and he raised his arms over head in a vain form of protection. He winced as Fearow pecked at his bare arms and he shouted again, "drop Kai!"
Kai had stopped his wriggling as soon as he had seen his trainer standing up to the Fearow like that. He could see Spice whipping at the Fearow's head to try and stop the bird from hurting Tyson anymore, but all he could see was the various shallow cuts forming over the blue haired teen's forearms. No, not just a bluenet, not just his trainer and guide, his friend. His eyes scrunched shut and sparks shot along his body, startling the Fearow holding him. Concentrating the electrical energy around him, he cried out one word, "Thundershock!"
The brown bird screeched loudly in pain as the jolt went through it, far more powerful than the jolts Kai had given off earlier. It flapped its wings furiously and dropped Kai to the ground, whom was caught by Spice's vines and lowered gently to the floor. Weakened and sore, the Fearow took off with a feeble squawk.
Tyson lowered his arms and sighed in relief when he saw Kai fine and unhurt on the floor. He knelt down and allowed Spice to jump into his lap immediately and bombard him with questions and statements about what he had just done. He shushed her gently as his headache was returning and looked up to watch Kai staring at him silently. "Are you ok?" He questioned, before patting Spice on the head and thanking her, returning the plant Pokemon to her Pokeball.
Kai trotted to him slowly, looking at the small cuts dancing his forearms before razing his gaze to meet Tyson's. "You're an idiot." He stated fondly, earning an amused laugh from the bluenet and he swept up into a fond hug before being placed on Tyson's shoulder as the teen stood up.
"Seeing as my idiocy saved your hide, you really don't have a reason to complain, do you, Kaichu?" He teased, grinning at him before turning at a sudden rustle of bushes to his left. He held his breath, not knowing what, or who, it could be and sighed in relief when Kenny and the brunette girl emerged from the undergrowth.
Kenny took one at Tyson's arms and hurried over to him. "What happened? We heard yelling and a Fearow cries! Were you trying to catch one?" He questioned frantically, lifting Tyson's left arm and looking over the cuts in concern.
Hilary wandered over absently. "My name's Hilary by the way." She introduced, nodding her head to the blue haired teen.
"Tyson." The other teen replied distractedly, pushing Kenny's hands away. "I'm fine Kenny; they're just shallow, see?"
Hilary stood by the protesting short boy and peered at Tyson's cuts with a critical eye. "We're in a forest; do you know how easy it is to catch an infection here?" She questioned primly, reaching into her shoulder bag to pull out a medical kit. "Sit down."
"Uhh… I don't think that's really necessary…"
"Sit." Hilary repeated, pointing at the floor with a glare.
Not wanting to get on her bad side, Tyson sat down obediently, Kai hopping off. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. Arm." She held out a hand and Tyson placed said appendage in it with sigh. She stuck on the plasters from her medical kit on the cuts carefully until both Tyson's forearms were covered in the little sticky things.
The blue haired teen stood and looked over them, "do you know how evil it will be yanking these off?" He complained.
"You could thank her though." Kenny suggested, pulling at his sleeve, Kai nodded in agreement by his side.
"Thanks, Hil." Tyson said to her, nodding.
The brunette nodded back with a smile, seemingly not minding at the shortening of her name. Even though Tyson had tried not to get on her bad side, his attempts failed when she saw the charred remains of her beloved bicycle, fried by the discharge of Kai's electrical energy. She gaped at it, "What happened to my bike! Was it you?" She growled at Tyson.
Tyson held up his hands. "It wasn't me, I swear!" Hilary continued to eye him suspiciously, and he sighed again, "look, would you rather me and Kai get torn to bits or have a burnt bike?"
"Who's Kai?"
The Pikachu in question lifted a paw and waved lazily at her.
The brunette raised an eyebrow. "… Huh. Well I suppose you could always buy me another bike to make up for it…"
Tyson goggled at her, "I can't afford one of those! They're expensive!"
"Well you'll just have to save up won't you?" Hilary replied, folding her arms defiantly at him, "and I'll have to stick around to make sure you do so!"
"You're coming with us?"
"That's the plan."
"But we didn't even invite you!"
"So?"
Before Tyson could retaliate, Kenny patted his arm to get his attention. "Maybe she should just come with us, Tyson. We could always use an extra travelling partner. Plus she's very knowledgeable on water Pokemon, you could learn something from her."
Tyson considered it for a few moments, and with Hilary's glare to help, gave in. "Fine, you can come."
"Thank-you." Hilary replied, looking at her bike with a wistful expression before heading off in the direction of the exit, "we should get going."
Kenny hurried after her.
"Our group's gotten slightly larger all of a sudden." Tyson said to Kai, who just nodded, before resettling himself on Tyson's shoulder.
He was too lazy to walk.
Me: Kai's not lazy. He just likes Tyson's warm, comfortable shoulder, hehheh. And Hilary is very fun to write btw. Review?