Team: Percy (Pikachu), Fleance (Nidoran), Desdemona (Caterpie)
Chapter 7: His First Kill
William felt himself slowly come to his senses as a flash of strength returned to him.
"Trainer? Trainer what is your name?"
William grumbled something in reply. Another flash of strength returned, like his health and energy were coming back in short, quick bursts.
"For Arceus's sake trainer! Wake up and help us control your Pikachu."
William's eyes burst open, and he sat up in a flash. Vertigo hit him though, and he fell back down onto the hospital bed he was laying in.
"Trainer!" The Nurse Joy snapped, her expression stern and angry. William sat up slowly this time, and asked in a rushed voice,
"Where's Percy? What's wrong?"
He heard the growling though, and he turned his head to find his Pikachu on the bed with him. It's ears were twitched and it's tail pointed high in the air, erected.
"Pika…pikachu!"
"Your Pokemon is either the worst or best trained Pokemon I've ever seen," Nurse Joy snapped, thoroughly annoyed.
Next to Nurse Joy was Chansey, and William felt that was where his returning energy and strength was coming from. Chansey was an egg-shaped Pokemon, and was the vibrant color Pink. Its eyes were large, round, and honest. It had an egg pouch on its belly that held an egg. Its pink, puny arms could hardly reach it.
William, now more aware of his surroundings, looked around. He realized he was in a bed in a hospital room inside the Pokecenter. His clothes had changed into a hospital gown. The bloody set of clothes he had been wearing had been washed and were folded on top of a chair near his bed. The walls were Pink with yellow stripes across them. The blinds to the window were down, letting a gentle sunbeam shine inside. A TV was attached to the wall in the corner of the room, but it was currently on mute.
"Did you hear me trainer?" Nurse Joy asked. She looked stressed, and worried, which William knew must be why the tone of her voice was so harsh.
"Yeah…sorry. What do you mean?"
"Your Pokemon refuses to let us heal it. It is either refusing to leave your side, or it is just poorly trained. I'm not sure which."
William sighed, and turned to Percy.
"I'm fine buddy, go with them." Percy seemed hesitant for a second, and he stayed tense. But then, he relaxed, and he collapsed on the bed.
Nurse Joy scooped the Pikachu up, and she handed him over to the Chansey, who gladly took it and ran out of the room, singing to herself.
Nurse Joy then walked around the bed and checked the machine that was hooked up to William.
"I think you're going to be okay William. Do you remember what happened?"
"Yes, I was attacked by a Scyther."
"Yes – that's right. It cut you deep on your left arm. I stitched it together, but you are bound to have a scar – for a while at least. You did lose quite a bit of blood, but not enough to need a transfusion."
Nurse Joy walked back around the bed and examined William's left arm.
"Your lucky to be alive – very few people survive Scyther attacks," she said as she examined the stitches in his arm. "You must be a very good trainer."
"No – I just have very good Pokemon." William responded, serious.
Nurse Joy smiled, and walked to the front of the bed. Despite her smile, there was still a troubled look in her eyes.
"So, what brings you to Pewter City?"
"I'm here to challenge the gym leader – Brock. He's the one that brought me in wasn't he?"
"Yes. He was." Nurse Joy said bluntly, her smile slipping away and an angry tone entering her voice. "And that's just what I thought you were here for." She turned to leave, but as she did a young women entered the room. William estimated she was about his age. She was slightly shorter than Nurse Joy, and had much longer hair. Her hair was blonde, with red strands through it. The woman wore a pair of white scrubs, and she appeared to be an assistant. Her arms were petit, yet she managed to carry a tray of food.
She was pretty. William was immediately attracted to her.
"Make sure he takes his medicine with it," Nurse Joy snapped at the girl as she left the room.
The girl nodded, wincing as she did so, and walked up to a confused William. She placed the tray on him, and nodded to the pill case on the bedside.
"Make sure you take that with your orange juice," she said simply, looking uncomfortable.
"Thanks," William said, opening the bottle of pills. He took one out, and popped it in his mouth, and then forced it down with a gulp of Orange juice.
"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" William said, eying the girl carefully. Before he could ask the question though, she blurted out:
"I'm so, so, so, so sorry Nurse Joy was being so rude to you, it's just everyone in the city right now it on edge after what happened this morning and who could blame them, I mean you don't blame us, it was just such a shock-"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down. I was just going to ask you your name."
There was an awkward moment of silence as the girl blushed several shades of red.
"Oh…" She recovered though, and bowed once, saying. "My name is Valeria, but my friends call me Val."
"Well then, Val," William said, "what did happen this morning."
Val sighed as she let herself slumped down in a chair.
"Brock, the gym leader, lost."
"Oh," William said, confused. "Well, that doesn't seem too bad." Val shook her head quickly,
"No, no it's not. Please, don't think of us as one of those towns whose happiness relies solely on the success of the gym leader! It's just…he lost one of his Pokemon in the fight."
"Oh," William said. He remembered the strange, still object Brock had dropped when he had found William, and how Pikachu and Fleance had freaked out over it. He realized now it was a dead Pokémon body.
"In fact," Val said, "I think he may have been burying his fallen comrade when he found you."
William felt a stone sink in his stomach. Brock had been nice to him, had even helped him in his time in need. All while he was still mourning the loss of his Pokemon.
"Which Pokemon did he lose?"
"His Sandshrew – Richard," Val said, in a soft whisper. "Behind Brock's Onix, it was his strongest Pokemon."
William felt sick. He could see the dead Pokemon in his head now. And, even though he knew the answer, William asked the question.
"What was the name of the challenger?"
"Chris," Val said. "Chris Oak."
