blegh. Just blegh. I'm on vacation with friends and there has been copious amounts of alcohol for the last few days. XD That said, I think I'm on the right day so enjoy and please review. I love hearing your thoughts and theories about where this is going and what they're doing.

Chapter 12

Fragile Trust

"Stop that Quilava!" Lurching awake at the yell, Blue barely had time to think before he spotted a yellow and blue object dart for the front doors. Jumping out of his chair, he ran after the fire type, barreling into her just before she escaped. When they stopped sliding, the trainer lifted his head to meet scared, panicked, red eyes.

His grandfather's lessons returned to him then, and he smiled soothingly, rubbing a hand over her head in an attempt to calm her. "Easy, buddy," He crooned, "no one's going to hurt you. The nice nurse only wants to help." As he spoke the heat emanating from the frightened pokemon lessened, her panting gradually slowing.

However, when he lifted his hand, the starter flinched, attempting to edge away from the limb. Blue quickly lowered it back to her head, scratching along the surprisingly soft fur there. Again, he wondered just what her trainer put her through. This was the third time this had happened in the past two days. Something would spook the pokemon, and she would make a break for the door.

It was why Blue took to sitting in the chair beside said door, so he could catch her when she ran. While he didn't know what she fled from, it couldn't be anything good. Slowly sitting up, Blue pulled her to him, her body shaking. "Shh." He gently scratched her back. "It's okay, I have you."

After another moment, the tremors subsided, and Blue worked his way into a standing position, the pokemon in his arms. Once he was up though, he frowned, gently adjusting her weight to get a better sense of it. A pokemon her size should be anywhere between forty and fifty pounds, depending on fat to muscle ratio, yet she felt lighter. While it didn't appear she was underweight, Blue felt the difference.

Once settled, Blue walked the Quilava back to the infirmary. He was currently the only non-injured trainer Nurse Joy allowed back here, simply because he'd been a big help with the fiasco two days prior. That, and someone had to keep Red from running off. Both he and the nurse could tell the stubborn trainer was getting impatient, but until Nurse Joy declared his burns far enough along to be partially healed, the mute was confined to bed rest.

Pikachu on the other hand… As Blue set Quilava back on a bed, he heard a three tone click. Looking up, he found the mouse running obstacles around tables the duo somehow managed to position throughout the room. He blinked, ready to ask about it, when Nurse Joy approached with a tray of colorful gummies.

"Thank you for catching her, Gary. She's a quick one."

"It's fine," he shrugged, frowning at the nurse. "Why did she run this time?"

She sighed, sadly observing the shivering form in his arms. "It could be anything, really. That trainer beat and starved her. Pokemon who have been through what she's experienced, will unfortunately, startle at the slightest thing."

"Will she be sent back to him?" Blue asked, a hint of anger in his tone. How anyone could treat their pokemon like that was beyond him. Pokemon weren't things. They were living, breathing beings. A pokemon depended on it's trainer to take care of it, to feed it and help it grow. Knowing this Quilava couldn't reach her full potential because her trainer betrayed that trust made his blood boil. A small part of him regretted not letting Blastoise drown the ass when he had the chance.

"Thankfully, no, she won't." Relief flowed from both participants of the conversation. No pokemon deserved what happened to Quilava, and knowing she would never have to go back to that trainer was welcome. Nurse Joy set the tray down on the bed and carefully held a hand out to the fire type. When the pokemon sniffed the appendage, the nurse smiled. "Her trainer was arrested for pokemon abuse, assault, and intent to murder another trainer and their pokemon. His license has already been suspended and, once the League reviews the case, it'll most likely be revoked. From what Officer Jenny said, he'll also be taken to the Indigo Plateau, and spend time behind bars if that happens."

Slowly, she slipped her hand up to scratch the back of Quilava's head. After a tense moment, the blue-furred otter melted into a puddle across Blue's lap and Nurse Joy's smile turned sad. "It means she'll end up going to another trainer but, if she's this skittish around the three of us, I'm afraid no one will want her. The only trainers we see are those always ready to battle. They won't want a pokemon that refuses to."

Blue, seeing her dilemma, frowned, and looked at the fire type. She was a pretty girl, very sweet, but that wouldn't do on his or Red's teams either. A thought occurred to him. But, before he could mention it to Nurse Joy, he knew he would need to talk to Red first. Along with everything else they needed to discuss.

"I...may have an idea." He started, slowly. "But I need to think about it. Is that okay?"

Visibly confused, Nurse Joy nodded and returned to business, picking up one of the gummies from the tray. "If you could convince her to eat these, that would help a lot. They're the vitamins and nutrients she's lacking. They will speed up her healing."

"Of course. I'll make sure she eats them all." He smiled, taking the gummy from her. She nodded and left the room, leaving the two trainers and pokemon. The three other trainers he'd met on arrival were cleared to leave the center the day before. While it was nice to meet them, it was clear they'd been thrown off by the situation, scared of him, and ready to high tail it out of town. Not that Blue blamed them.

"What's got you in knots?"

Blue sighed at the voice in his head, glancing at his friend. Red was currently tugging on the tip of Pikachu's tail, then letting go before the mouse turned around. "Just doing a lot of thinking is all. There's some stuff I've been wanting to talk to you about but we never get the time to. He's going to shock you if you keep doing that, you know."

True to his word, not more than a moment later Blue saw a rather small spark jump up the other trainer's arm. Red just shrugged, scratching between Pikachu's ears. "He's a shockingly sassy pikachu. He would've done it just to get my attention anyway."

"Pika!" The mouse grinned, his ears lowering to allow Red easier access.

The trainer rolled his eyes, picking the electric type up and cradling him in his arms. "Yes, yes, I know all about how sassy and sarcastic you are. Anyway, what did you wanna talk about? Nurse Joy's gone off to cook dinner, so we'll have about an hour before she or Chansey comes poking around."

"Mostly about your plans." Blue started quietly, checking through the window that the mute trainer was right. "What exactly did you plan on doing once you leave here?"

The other trainer frowned. "You said I could travel with you. I was going to take you up on that offer until Pikachu and I were strong enough. Then we'll go looking for Team Rocket. Why do you ask?"

Okay, so that part of the plan hadn't changed. Rearranging his list of priorities, Blue frowned. "Because, as much as you think you'll be able to, you have to look at the facts, Red. How are you going to take down Team Rocket when it's just you and Pikachu? He's blind and you're mute. That isn't much of a fighting team. You can't do it—"

"I can and I will." Red snapped, cutting him off as if he'd done so verbally. "You don't think I know this, Gary? You don't think I've thought about this time and time again?"

"Alone, Red." Blue finished quietly. His eyes softened with worry. "I know you two are stubborn, but that doesn't mean you can do it alone. You need someone to be your voice and have your back when you get into trouble. Did you know you're illegally carrying that pikachu? You're considered dead, which means they deactivated your trainer's license. If you walk into any gym, or any other pokemon center, they will arrest you and take Pikachu away."

Red frowned, staring at the electric type happily cradled in his arms. While it hurt Blue to say it, he knew it was like a bandaid—needed to be torn off quickly. After a moment, the mute trainer looked back at him, arms tightening around the mouse. "What do you suggest then? I can't go back to Pallet Town, but I don't want to lose Pikachu."

"Don't worry about the licenses." Blue muttered. Glancing through the window once more to check on Nurse Joy, he continued. "I picked up a couple unregistered dexes from Gramps' lab before I left. I watched him program enough of them so I should be able to set up a couple false ones for you and I."

When Quilava squirmed in his lap, Blue remembered what he'd been considering since talking to the nurse and, carefully reaching over the skittish pokemon, grabbed the tray. He set it on the table beside him, removed one of the gummies, and held it up for the fire type to sniff. Once she had, she licked it out of his fingers, her saliva nearly scalding them. That was why he wasn't a fan of fire types. Everything about them could burn a trainer, in one way or another. From their saliva all the way up to their temperament.

"What do you mean 'you and me'? What are you planning?"

Blue grimaced and quickly wiped his hand on his pants leg. He'd been scalded by hot water before, so it wasn't that big of a problem, but it still hurt. Carefully picking up another gummy, he spoke quietly, so as to not spook the pokemon in his lap. "What I mean is, I'm coming with you. I can't let you go off on your own, knowing you're doing something as suicidal as going after Team Rocket. Mew and Mewtwo brought you to me because of our bond. I'm not going to throw that away just because you're a stubborn, self-sacrificing idiot with a death wish."

"But, what about your grandfather? If you cut ties, won't that hurt him?"

Blue hid the pain behind a neutral expression as Quilava licked his hand again.

"I hate to do it to him, but you need my help more than he does. When I left Pallet Town, I left Gary Oak behind. From now until we return to Pallet Town with our heads held high, I will be your voice. I will be Blue."

Red was quiet for all of a minute before he snorted, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "You...are a nerd. What's next? Going to don a blue suit and go fight pokemon from space?"

Childishly, Blue stuck out his tongue. "Like you have room to talk, Red." Said trainer held his free hand up in surrender, grinning.

"Okay, I'll give you that. So what's next, Blue?"

As he reached for another gummy, he thought back on the information Mimey gave him, frowning as he added it to his list of priorities. "This town's pokemart doesn't sell much in the way of equipment or clothing, so we can't get you kitted out until we reach Goldenrod. I heard they have a department store with everything we need. For now, just a bag, a bed roll and rations should be enough. It usually only takes about a week to get through Ilex, but we'll be traveling slower due to your injuries, and to give Pikachu time to train, so it'll take about two. I still have my pokedex, which means we can get a room at the pokemon center in Goldenrod while I work on registering the other two."

Pausing, Blue shrugged. "I still plan on getting all eight Johto badges, so we'll likely follow that route, train when we can, and explore. Before leaving Pallet Town, I received some advice from a good friend that I plan on putting to use, but only once we start traveling. Other than that, I haven't planned much beyond Goldenrod, we'll just have to see where we stand afterward."

Blue picked the last two gummies off the tray, holding them out in his open palm for Quilava to eat. Red nodded his understanding, absentmindedly returning to picking on Pikachu before frowning and looking at the fire type.

"What are your plans for her? Are we going to bring her along?"

"That's what I've been considering." He quietly admitted. "I figured that, if we take her along, we might be able to convince her to open up to other trainers and pokemon. If not to battle, then to at least be a companion to someone. She's a sweet girl, but that trainer seriously messed her up if she's this skittish. I've seen pokemon with a timid nature before, and she's even worse than those on a bad day."

Blue gently ran his hand along Quilava's back, dragging his nails through her fur in a way he knew Umbreon enjoyed. Sure enough, the fire type sighed in happiness, resting her head on his knee. Looking up, he found Red playing with Pikachu's tail again. "Why are you doing that? I thought he didn't like having his tail touched?"

"He doesn't." Red smirked, dragging a finger along the very edge of the electric type's tail. "But he wants to learn how to use his electricity to sense nearby opponents, so he's pushing a charge through his tail. I'm just having fun frustrating him by touching and tugging different parts."

That caught his attention. Blue sat up, careful not to disturb Quilava, and watched Red's actions. The trainer did not touch the pokemon, but came close enough for the charge to be visible between them. "That is actually really cool. I didn't know pikachus could do that. I've heard Elektrike and Manetric could but not Chu's."

"From what I understand they can, but only Raichus and experienced Pikachus." Red appeared almost sheepish as he continued frustrating the mouse.

Blue finally realised what about Red's words were bothering him and he frowned. "I know Pikachu can understand you but since when can you understand him? I thought only pokemon with Telepathy could communicate with humans."

Red shrugged, frowning when a particularly strong charge surged up his arm. "It's not so much words as it is intentions. There are a few words I recognize like 'train', 'battle', or a sarcastic 'sorry'—" He trailed off, narrowing his eyes before flicking the mouse's tail. Pikachu yelped, turning to pet the sore spot and the mute trainer snorted. "Like that. As I said, very sarcastic and sassy pikachu. The ability comes and goes in waves, vague impressions sometimes and like a full on mental play at others."

The mouse huffed, looking in the trainer's direction while holding his tail, and Blue got the sense Pikachu was trying to glare at Red. Glad, for once, that Pikachu couldn't see him, he smiled. These were the kinds of interactions he never witnessed when he and Ash met up. It was always to battle or show off, or be the arrogant little jerk he used to be. This here, though, was the soft side of Red that Blue presumed was how Ash acted with his starter on a daily basis.

Their strength didn't come just from hard work, it was a product of the bond the two shared. Their friendship epitomised what he hoped he could form with the rest of his pokemon, Blastoise in particular, since they started the journey together.

A flash of light brought Blue out of his thoughts and he smiled in amusement at Red's hair, now a poofy mess. The mute trainer on the other hand...he leaned back against the pillows with his arms crossed, glowering at the happy—and still statically charged—Pikachu. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You won't be when you run into a tree."

That...sounded like a fight in the making. Blue could only watch as the, to him, one sided argument slowly began to escalate until a loud hum was emitting from Pikachu's cheeks and Red was leaning down to glare into the mouse's nonexistent eyes.

"What did I tell you two about arguing in my infirmary?!" A soft, yet stern, voice snapped, causing both trainers and pokemon to jump. In Blue's lap, Quilava started from her doze, bolting to her feet and whipping around in fear. Reacting without thinking, Blue grabbed onto her, attempting to calm her down.

While Nurse Joy laid into Red and Pikachu, Blue focused on calming the Johto starter, murmuring to her and ignoring the residual burns from petting her fiery hide. Eventually, he managed to settle her back down and sighed, looking at the nurse who looked ready to box Red's ears.

"Nurse Joy?" He asked quietly, not wanting to scare Quilava more than she already was. As much as Red deserved the scolding, he wanted to get the fire type's ownership taken care of.

The nurse halted her tirade, taking a breath before turning to the trainer. "Yes, Gary?"

"Would it be okay if I adopted Quilava?" Seeing the nurse hesitate before replying, Blue spoke up quickly. "Even if she won't battle, I can help her not be so scared of everything. Plus, traveling would allow her to explore and come out of her shell."

Nurse Joy frowned, turning to face him and crossing her arms. "I don't know about this. Are you sure you can handle it? I can tell just by looking at you and your pokemon you're a battling kind of trainer. If you force her to battle, whatever trust you've established with her will be broken."

"I can do it." He declared confidently. "If Quilava doesn't want to battle then I won't make her."

Blue could tell she was coming around to the idea. After what seemed an eternity, she sighed and nodded. "Very well. Let me get in touch with Officer Jenny and we'll set up the transfer papers."

Red threw his hands up in happiness, the emotions spreading to Pikachu, who danced on the bed. Blue, on the other hand, simply smiled, stroking Quilava's head. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."