Chapter 4-"Bumped and Bruised"

{Realized that my writing program likes to automatically correct Goldeen into Golden. Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, Disclaimers, Disclaimers everywhere!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.}

Willa was smiling and playing with Griffin when something dawned on her. "Machoke! What time is it?!" She asked, panicking. The purple macho-Pokémon shrugged. "No, no, no!" She said, looking around frantically. "Machoke, Daddy!" She said, looking at him with flighty eyes. "Griffin, I gotta go. I'm sorry, but that guy's voice you heard yesterday? That's my daddy. And if I'm not home by the time he gets there…." She started, scared that it might be a possibility.

"You won't get to come back?" He asked, sadly.

"No. Not ever. I'm but I have to go. You can live in here if you want. I don't mind." She said, hiding the bag of leftover potions behind a rock. "Bye, Griffin." She said, hurrying Machoke out the archway into the bigger cave. The five-year-old stopped at the doorway. She looked back at the Lapras. "Oh, And By the way," She said, gaining its attention. "Thanks for saving my life." She said with a small smile.

Griffin just gave a soft grin and dove under the water.

Chuck whistled as he walked out of the gym doors, twirling a ring of keys around his finger. He turned sharply as he heard a young girl's shriek, just outside the cave behind his gym. Trainers these days… He thought to himself. They just get weaker and weaker.

Willa ran with Machoke out and towards the cave entrance. Once she hit the sand, however, she screamed and fell. The light took her by surprise after being in the cave. It blinded her. A heavy body toppled over her, showing that the Pokémon couldn't handle it either. "Machoke…" she groaned, squinting her eyes open just a little to look at the purple figure lying in front of her. The sand was blazing hot, and it stuck to her forearms and legs. "Watch where you're going." She said, getting up and cupping her hands over her eyes, separating her fingers so she could see without much light coming in. She started running again, only to send sand flying when she skid to a stop next to the gym. She saw her father walking leisurely towards their house. "Oh no…" She muttered, thinking on her feet. "Come, Machoke, this has to be perfectly timed." She said, running towards her home. She reached the back wall and pressed her back against it, grateful for the shade it provided. She carefully watched her father pass by, still walking diagonally from the gym to their house. He was walking around to the front, so once he passed out of view she gave him 14 seconds to reach the door. 1…2…3… She started counting silently.

The five-year-old started to creep along the back wall of the house. She looked up to see the bathroom window open. "Machoke, help me up." She said, stepping in the Pokémon's cupped hands and diving through the window. She scraped against the window sill and landed hard in the bathtub. "Oww…" She said shakily as tears started forming in her eyes. The upper-back of her right arm was cut, and bleeding. Her limbs ached from the fall. She heard the small sounds of Machoke scaling the back wall and jumping gracefully through the window to her bedroom (which was then next room over) and saw him scurry in.

Willa looked up at Machoke, fear paralyzing her from moving a muscle. "W-we say I just fell. N-now come help me cle-clean it." She said, sniffling between words. She took shaky breaths as Machoke picked her up and sat her against the tub's ceramic walls. He wrapped her arm quickly before rushing into her room (Which was the next room over) and grabbing her a sweatshirt. She put it on, covering her major injury.

The door opened. "Willa? I'm here!" Chuck called out, stepping inside.

Willa tried to swallow any signs of crying down her throat. "Up here." She called out weakly, and scolding herself for it.

Chuck, knowing his daughter, knew for a fact something was up. She wasn't boisterous as usual. He tossed his gym, bag on the stairs and hurried to the bathroom- where her voicec was coming from. "Willa…" He started, looking at her tear-stricken face. "What happened?" He asked, walking over and kneeling next to his little daughter.

"I fell." She said, looking at the floor. It wasn't really a lie; She did fall… through the window in haste to sneak back in before her father came home.

Machoke helped her up gently, showing to Chuck he was in fact taking care of her.

"Oh, Willa…" Chuck said sympathetically towards the girl. "In the condition you're in, You could be stuck in bed for weeks! At least you have your Goldeen to keep you company now. Maybe you could teach it some tricks!" Chuck said, appealing his daughter's hope to become a trainer when she was old enough.

Willa feigned a smile. Even though she should be ecstatic that her father was permitting her to tech moves to her Goldeen, her heart sank. Being in bed meant no going to Cliff's Edge Cave. And no going to the cave meant no Griffin.

Chuck stayed with Willa for the rest of the day; helping her to bed, playing with her and Machoke, and making her dinner. Willa was grateful to his acts of kindness, but knew that had she not gotten hurt, he would be back at the gym by now.

A few days later Willa sat up in her bed. Her father had gone back to work and came home early each day. He still didn't know about her arm. It was about noon, Chuck wasn't expected home until four at the earliest. "Machoke." The little black-and-blue child called out from her bed.

The obedient purple body-builder hustled into her room, waiting to go fetch her a drink or snack. It was shocked at her request, however.

"I want to go outside." Willa told him. "Can you carry me to the cave? It's the Lapras- I've got to see him again." She pleaded.

After heavy persuading, the Pokémon finally agreed. It tenderly picked up the battered child and hurried out the door, carrying her to the cave. "Let me down," she whispered. He obliged, unsure of what she would do.

The little kid booked for her cave, gaining speed as she into view. She was thinking of seeing her friend.

She reached the front, pushing the boulder. A small groan escaped her mouth when the mere weight of the fake rock proved to be too much strain on her bad arm. But she didn't care. There was a Lapras waiting for her.

She heaved the boulder the rest of the way; adrenaline rushing through her weary bones. She stepped into the cave and threw her arms out, shouting "Griffin!" To the pool where the Lapras sat. There was only one problem.

Griffin wasn't there.

{A/N: Please review, or even Personal Message me anything doing with the story! I'd like to thank TheBorealias00 For reviewing, as well as anticipating this chapters release. It's good to know I'm not writing to air :D}