Chapter Ten

Separation Anxiety

"Shadow, shut up! You've been howling the whole time!"

I bit Greg on the arm.

"Don't snap at me you under aged pervert!" I snarled.

We were totally and completely lost in the shitty brain-washed city of Jubilife. Luckily, since it was dark, I was able to be out of the back pack.

"We're almost there, Shadow," cooed Raina; ever calming and kind.

I ached all over; and my fur was sticky with blood. When the Pokemon Center reached sight; I was so relieved, I let out a big sigh. But it took all of my strength not to worry about Kelly; all alone in a warehouse, taking care of that boy.

Kelly shivered. Greg and Raina had left just minutes before, and she already felt utterly helpless. The boy moaned, and she thought for a moment he might awaken.

No such luck.

Okay, think, Kelly… what did mom do to help that one trauma patient?

Since he had passed out from the pain of the fractured rib, she didn't worry about stabilizing his neck. She used his backpack to elevate his feet, and then searched in it for identification. She found his trainer's license, and was surprised to see it was fairly new.

Weston Greene. Age 17. Starter: Vulpix. "Okay, Weston. On second examination; you seem to have one or two fractured ribs, and possibly no head trauma," she whispered; for her reassurance more than his.

She moved his arms away from his sides to prevent further injury, and then carefully wrapped his torso with her scarf; forming a makeshift chest binder. Although it was an outdated treatment; Kelly knew it was better than nothing; seeing as she couldn't make an unconscious boy swallow a pain pill. She felt an overwhelming sympathy for him as she dabbed the cut on his forehead with a rag from her backpack.

"My mom was a nurse, you know," she talked to him absentmindedly as she tore strips from her jacket to form temporary gauze.

"She always wanted me to follow in her footsteps." Kelly paused to listen to the street noise occurring beyond the busted window, before continuing in a softer voice. "But I wanted to go on a journey. Now I'm glad she taught me some things."

When she had finished wrapping the cut, she searched the small warehouse. She came back to his side ten minutes later when she heard him begin to moan. She dropped the pile of helpful items she had rummaged up and knelt next to him. His eyes fluttered open suddenly, and Kelly nearly jumped. When he had been limp and helpless; she had felt needed. But now that he was awake, she felt self-conscious.

Tiny.

His comments from before swarmed her head, and so she was surprised when he broke the silence.

"Thanks."

She nodded, and then went to his bag. He watched her carefully. Weston had learned to never trust anyone. Not "friends", not family, no one. He smiled as she pulled out his three Poke Balls. His Pokemon were the only exception.

There was Grace; sweet, sweet Grace. He had always loved the Fire-type. When his uncle sent him a Pokemon; he had been ecstatic it had been a Vulpix.

Then, there was Anne. He had caught the tiny female Nidoran as a baby. She was terribly tough, and got stronger every day.

And then of course, there was Uno. The Abra had been mistakenly caught by a dull young bug catcher. Weston had convinced the boy to trade the Abra for a little money so he could afford a new net. He had named the tiny Abra Uno because it had only known one move (Teleport) when he got him. Weston knew it was cheesy, but still… somehow it seemed to fit; and the Kadabra sure didn't seem to mind it.

"I thought you might want your Pokemon with you. They should have woken up by now." Kelly gently placed them next to Weston and stepped back; feeling terribly out of place.

He lifted his arm and gasped; pain taking his breath away.

"Shit! That hurt," he grumbled.

Kelly suppressed a smirk. "You have at least one fractured rib, genius. And maybe a slight concussion."

He frowned and stared at her doubtfully.

"My mom is a nurse," she mumbled.

Why is he so damn intimidating?

"So I guess I underestimated you, huh?" he asked her.

She smiled at his attempt to be kind. "It's okay. I shouldn't have been a wimp. I should have trusted my Pokemon to be turned loose for a while."

He shook his head. "No; I'm just arrogant. The way you battled with them… they wouldn't have worked so well under you if you mistreated them."

Weston sighed and for the first time looked around.

"Nice place you got here."

"Hey; it's better than the alley," she shot back.

He raised an eyebrow at the sudden burst of sarcasm, and then nodded.

"Do you want me to let your Pokemon out, since you won't be sitting up anytime soon?"

He grimaced.

"Yeah; they'll wanna know I'm okay, I guess. And how long will I be on fucking bed rest?"

She ignored him and tossed the Poke Balls up in the air. The three Pokemon appeared, and took in their surroundings.

Vul, Vul! screeched the Vulpix.

She darted between Kelly and Weston and hissed protectively; smoke curling away from her maw. Kelly fell over backwards and scooted away; surprised by the tiny fiery fox.

"Grace, cool it!" he said sharply.

The Vulpix backed off ever so slightly, but kept a watchful eye on Kelly.

"Now then," continued Weston once his Pokemon saw he was breathing, "we have unfinished business. What is your name?"

"Kelly Walsch. And what should I call you?" she asked.

She conveniently didn't mention she had snooped through his things and found his trainer's license.

"Call me Wes."

An awkward silence followed, and Kelly decided it was time to get back to the pile of items she had found. A baseball bat, a half-gone package of bottled water, three D batteries, a cracked flashlight, a wooden rocking horse, a hole-ridden tarp, and two large boxes filled with packing peanuts. Weston watched her in amazement as she tentatively rummaged through the useless junk.

"Okay; I just found half a can of beer and two-thirds of a turkey sandwich. I have a feeling we're someone's guests."

"Well crap; that's not good," mumbled Weston. "This is the ass-end of Jubilife, too."

Kelly picked up the wooden baseball bat and ran her finger across it's rough surface.

"We'll just have to chase him off, I guess."

At first, Weston thought the younger girl was joking. But when he saw that determined look on her face and the way she held the bat, he stifled a snort.

"And how do you propose we do that, exactly?" he asked; his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"We? I was certain you were the one who took an ass-whooping from three slightly retarded officers," she retorted sharply.

His face flushed a dangerous red, but Kelly ignored him as she continued finding useful items in the warehouse.

"Coming from the girl who's probably only been a trainer for, what, a week?"

She whirled on him; eyes gleaming with fury. "You better watch it, Wes. If you jam that stick any farther up your ass it'll puncture a lung; and you won't get any fucking help with that from me!"

Kelly was aware of a low growl emanating from Grace as she walked over and flopped down angrily next to her bag; bat in hand.

Poor Shadow. I bet he's forlorn and missing me right about now…

"Ahh…" I moaned blissfully. We had finally reached the Pokemon Center after a terribly long walk. I was laying belly-up on the amazing, magical machine that heals. All my cares were forgotten. The healthy equivalent of marijuana. Claire and Kenya were obviously under the machine as well; for I could hear their moans mixing with mine. When it lifted, my cuts had completely vanished. Thank you modern technology!

"Here are your Pokemon. Please come again!" chirped the ever-cheery Nurse Joy.

"Thanks," mumbled Raina.

I was in an exceptional mood; that is, until Greg blessed us with his comments.

"Hey Shadow; not missing Kelly so much anymore?" piped up Greg.

"Idiot!" hissed Raina.

My lower lip began to tremble.

Being permanently bonded to the first thing you see really bites.

"Uh… Kelly? Kelly… KELLY!"

"Wha…" she moaned. She realized she had fallen asleep and jumped; instantly awake.

"Remember that baseball bat you had?" he asked; voice a little shaky.

"…Yeah, why?" She heard a loud crash and a bang.

"Now might be a good time to use it." Kelly grasped the bat and quickly moved to his side.

"Someone's been trying to bust down the door for about half an hour now," he informed her.

Half an hour? Had she been out that long?

"And what do you propose I do about it?" she hissed. She noticed it was completely dark outside. She must have slept for hours.

"Just… you know, be ready."

She was wondering what he meant when his voice boomed; echoing off the walls.

"Anne, Poison Sting! Uno, Confusion! Grace, Flamethrower!"

Anne busted the door down and they all fired their attacks. Through the purple energy, the flames, and the poison barbs, however, Kelly could see what they were attacking was not human.

"STOP!" she yelled.

The three Pokemon jumped at her command and paused long enough for Kelly to get a glimpse of the bird they had assaulted.

The Pelipper glared at them all; looking terribly pissed. Kelly stammered out her next sentence timidly.

"Uh… hiya, Chipper… did Raina send you?"

She yelped as he promptly used Spit Up on her.

Rejoice; we made it to Chapter Ten. I honestly didn't know if i had the commitment to stick with this story this long; but i'm enjoying myself too much to stop. Thank you to all who reviewed! If you have any suggestions, feel free to PM me. Chapter Eleven should be up within a week! (: