Failure. An unwanted and irritating burden. It nags at the conscious, poking and prodding with constant reminders of broken promises. Green clutched her pokéball belt in her hand, each holder empty of its pokéball. Three broken promises. She's told them they'd win, that their work would pay off. That the disapproving stares they got were wrong. Yet, here she was. Kneeling before a tumble dryer with nothing to show as her pokémon healed from their injuries. Machoke's and Graveler's had been so bad that Nurse Joy insisted they needed all night to heal. Mankey was relatively okay and she could have picked him hours ago but she couldn't. She couldn't bring her failure to him. Right now he was probably under the impression that they won.
"How can I break his hope like that?" She thought to herself.
A sudden wave of rage overcame her and Green tossed her belt to the side with a frustrated cry. It skidded across the tiled bathroom floor with a clatter, coming to a rest by the sink. For a single moment that made her feel a little better until that dammed white stitching caught her attention. She scooted over to the belt and picked it up again.
"Have Fun and Prosper," It read.
Green wanted to throw it away again, raising her arm to do so. She stopped and hunched over in defeat, lowering the belt back into her lap. The ding of the tumble dryer finishing chimed out. She sighed and shuffled back over to it.
"Fuck off Red," She muttered as she unloaded the clothes.
She poured everything into folding those clothes and placing them in the small basket beside her. Hoping that it might distract her from her failure. Even as it lingered in her mind Green stubbornly fought it off, aggressively folding each piece of clothing and slamming it into the basket. She only stopped as she pulled Abby's shorts from the dryer. Another broken promise. Each day she wasted trying to beat Surge was another day she put Abby at risk of being found. They needed to keep moving, she couldn't afford to fail her gym challenges right now. Roughly, she folded the shorts and threw them into the basket. Stubbornly, she continued through the rest. No matter how much they nagged at her, Green refused to let her failures slow her down. She needed to get stronger and feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to help. Packing up, going back to the meadow and training was all she could put her mental energy towards. Defiantly, she got dressed, packed her bag and washed herself up. She scrubbed each tooth with her toothbrush as if she was trying to file them down to nothing. When it came time to fasten that belt back around her waist she only allowed herself one final glance at Red's message, scowling as her eyes scanned the words. She buckled the belt up behind her back, swung her bag over her shoulder and faced the door of her room. Her face was stern and steadfast. After taking a calming deep breath, she pushed open the door, made her way down the hall and out into the lobby.
"Oh! Good morning Ma- I mean Green!" Nurse Joy greeted her, looking over her shoulder from the healing machine.
The lobby was completely empty, illuminated entirely by the powerful overhead lights. Only a trickle of natural light made its way inside, cracks of the orange morning sun peeked through between the adjacent buildings. Green allowed herself a small smile as she watched Nurse Joy from the counter, getting herself flustered as she tried to get Green's pokéballs to her quickly. She plucked the three pokéballs from the healing machine and placed them into a small tray fitted with a few round holders. Joy hurried up the counter and placed them before Green with a slightly panicked look.
"Sorry to make you wait! I wasn't expecting you to be awake so early! I even got up especially to make sure they'd be ready for you, I should have gotten up earlier sorry!" Joy apologised profusely.
Green waited patiently for her to finish before taking the pokéballs from the tray.
"It's fine Joy, thank you," She assured her.
There was an awkward silence as Green put the pokéballs back onto her belt, clipping them into place. Joy fidgeted anxiously, teetering on the edge of saying something. Green raised her eyes from her belt and waited expectedly for her to speak. Joy's eyes darted away and she twirled a curl of her pink hair with her finger. While Green sympathised with her, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. She went to turn away but to her annoyance Joy found her voice.
"I, uh, I watched your battle yesterday on my break," she began nervously, "you did a really great job, please don't feel too down about losing." Joy stammered, fighting to keep eye contact with her.
Green gave her a gentle smile, appreciating the effort to make her feel better. Even if it didn't work.
"Thanks, Joy," She managed, fighting to keep her smile.
Joy's eyes darted away from hers awkwardly, wandering about until suddenly focusing on something behind Green. They widened and Joy gawked in shock.
"Oh my," she gasped before hurriedly tiding the already perfectly clean counter.
Green looked over her shoulder curiously. Her stomach dropped as she was met with the absolute last person she wanted to see right now. Of all people, Surge came strolling through the sliding glass doors of the pokémon centre, his eyes fixed onto Green and a smirk plastered across his face.
"Welcome Leader Surge! What can we help you with today?" Joy shouted with a nervous tremble.
Green felt like huddling back against the counter and shrinking until she was too small to see as Surge approached her with a confident stride. He placed his large powerful hand on her shoulder as he continued to beam at her.
"Actually I'm here for this one, good timing eh?" He responded with a gruff chuckle.
Green eyed the door behind Surge. Maybe she could make a break for it.
"Green, I want to train you. You had a fantastic performance out there yesterday, you've got real potential kid!" He exclaimed cheerfully, squeezing her shoulder with a firm grip.
Green stared at him blankly, utterly dumbfounded. Undeterred, Surge only laughed, throwing his head back with a roar of laughter.
"I see, quiet just like your brother!" He was gleaming now, his eyes full of an unrelenting determination.
Green furrowed her brow at the comparison.
"I can speak," She responded with a low mutter.
Surge paused, considering her for a moment. His eyes fell to her belt before shifting back to her thoughtfully. He let go of her shoulder and took a small step back from her. In that small moment, Green felt an unusual rush of panic course through her. Although she wanted nothing to do with him, the idea of him giving up on her struck her with fear. Fortunately, he wasn't, or unfortunately. She couldn't decide.
"Listen, kid, I know that loss sucked, you came a lot closer than anyone thought you were going to. Victory was in reach and I took that from you so I'm probably the last guy you wanna see right now. However, I'm giving you an opportunity here that other trainers can only dream of. If you're really serious about training, you'll take it." His voice lowered, losing the energy as it fell into a serious solemn tone.
Green couldn't deny the truth of what he was saying. She'd seen first hand how many fans Surge had. He wasn't like Brock or Misty, he was a real big-city gym leader. The kind of person people would do anything to train with and here he was offering it to her, despite her lack of enthusiasm. She sighed, swallowed her pride and extended out her hand to him.
"Okay, I accept," She relented.
Surge's smile returned but Green swiftly interjected again.
"But," she continued, "I need to head back to my camp first, I made a promise to someone that I need to keep." She insisted.
Surge nodded and shrugged.
"Fine by me, I'll tag along. We can discuss the training on the way there!" He declared with a shout.
Surge gave her what was meant to be an encouraging slap on the back but his huge arm ended up knocking the wind out of her. As Green gave an alarmed gasp Surge recoiled his hand and gave her an apologetic grin.
"Ah, sorry about that got too excited," He apologised with an awkward laugh.
He turned his attention to Joy. The small act of making eye contact with her made her fumble the tray in her hands and drop it.
"Joy, let any trainers who stop by here know that the gym will be closed over the weekend." He instructed cheerily before leading Green out of the pokémon centre.
Joy picked up her tray and shot back up to a straight standing position.
"Yes, Leader Surge!" She responded with a shout, which made Surge chuckle on his way out the door.
Green gave him a curious look as they walked down the now relatively empty streets.
"You're really going to close the gym for two days just to train me?" She asked sceptically.
Surge beamed down at her and grasped her shoulder again, noticeably gentler this time.
"Like I said kid, you've got real promise! You showed a real solid understanding of your fundamentals out there. You clearly came in with a plan. Not just any plan mind you, a plan that got you one knockout away from victory! That's leaps and bounds above what I'd expect from a trainer of your level." Surge professed, absolutely dripping with enthusiasm.
His unrelenting praise was beginning to work, forcing a smile onto Green's face. She ducked her eyes away from his, her cheeks burning lightly. In the moment of silence that followed Green was struck with a realisation that forced an excited grin onto her face. She wasn't nervous anymore. She had been talking with a super attractive, adorable girl and Surge who she not only found attractive but looked up to tremendously. Not even for a second had her chest felt tight or had she stumbled on her words. If anything she had been a little rude. Even with the weight of her failure lingering over her, Green couldn't help but smile. Surge interrupted her rush of excitement with a question.
"So, where do you think you went wrong in our fight?" He asked.
Green had to think about her answer for a moment. A multitude of reasons was apparent to her but to sum them up was a challenge.
"I think," she began wearily, "I didn't have a real response to your Magneton, I just kinda threw my fighting types at them hoping they'd land a hit." She answered slowly, thinking carefully about each word.
Surge folded his arms and nodded along with her.
"That's definitely one reason, what can you do to fix that?" He asked.
They stopped at a crossing and waited for the thin line of people walking before them to clear out so that they'd have the all-clear to cross.
"Evolve Mankey?" Green more asked than answered.
In truth, she was stumped on that. Fighting moves are all close range and apart from hurling rocks, Green couldn't come up with anything that Machoke or Mankey could have done differently. Surge grinned at that answer and shook his head.
"That'll help but it's not the solution. Honestly, you got pretty close with your rock tossing strategy. You need to cross-type," Surge explained as they began to cross the intersection.
Green couldn't help but laugh at herself now. Surge was right, she had been close. So close that it was just a little annoying.
"Rock-type, obviously. It'll give your fighting types the range option they so desperately need. Once we arrive at your camp I'll show you how it can be a bit difficult at first but I believe in you kid!" Surge assured her, giving her a gentle slap on the back.
Green giggled and felt a rising feeling of determination that made her clench her hands into tight fists. Even though she had still had to break the news of their loss to Machoke and Mankey, she felt little better about it now that she had a clear idea of what she needed to do. Hopefully, they still trusted a plan coming from her after what they went through in the arena. That thought curbed her enthusiasm and she clutched her belt, looking down at their pokéballs with a frown. Graveler worried her most of all in that regard. After what he went through Green had serious concerns about his already shoddy confidence.
"So, what else? There's more than just cross typing for you to work on," Surge added, putting a stop to her out of control train of doubts.
She put her concerns about her pokémon to one side for now and focused on Surge's question. She knew there was more but she couldn't find the right words to describe it.
"Um, I'm not quite sure," She answered softly.
Surge raised an eyebrow at her.
"Not quite sure or not sure at all?" He asked.
With a bit more resolve Green looked up at him.
"Not quite sure, I know there's something," She answered confidently.
Surge smiled and nodded, lifting his hand from her.
"Well use the trip to your camp to mull it over," He instructed, turning his eyes from her up towards the hillsides peaking up over the buildings in the distance.
"Where is this camp anyway?" Surge asked.
Green looked up at the same hillsides and pointed.
"In the forest behind the hills, we're- I'm set up in a meadow, a good way inside," Green answered.
Her clumsy stutter threw her off, it wasn't like there was any point in trying to hide Abby from him. He'd see her when they arrived. So why had she still tried to? No matter why Surge hadn't seemed to notice.
"Oh, that meadow? Yeah I know the one you're talking about, I head up there to uh," he paused awkwardly, "clear my head when gym life gets too stressful," he eventually settled on.
Green raised an eyebrow at the pause but didn't press him on it, only letting out a laugh in response.
"Yeah? Is being a gym leader that stressful?" She asked.
Surge laughed back and ran his hand through his golden hair.
"Fuck yeah it is, there's a lot more to it than battling you guys. Being a gym leader comes with the responsibility of not only leading your gym but the city it resides in. As Gym Leader I've gotta make all the hard decisions about how everything is run not just my gym." Surge sighed, looking around at the city around them.
Green gave him a concerned look.
"What if they need you when you're gone, like if there's an emergency or something?" She asked worriedly.
Surge saw the concerned look and smiled gently at her, placing his hand back on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, there's a council that runs this place with me. If anything happens they can handle it, I'm only one vote of eight after all." He assured her.
Green gave him a nod, dropping the issue. She refocused back on the main issue she faced, racking her brain to figure out exactly what else she had done wrong in their fight. Surge kept quiet as she thought, tucking his hands into the pockets of his wool-lined jacket he was wearing.
"Almost Magikarp! Keep it up!" Abby yelled out.
She, along with Darcy was sat on the large stump before the towering waterfall, watching Magikarp try his best to climb it. The morning sun had risen well over the trees by now, showering them in its orange light. The morning air was fresh, the rushing water of the river beside them making it smell strangely sweet. It was a familiar smell, for better or for worse it reminded Abby of home. The same smell would waft from Cerulean river and through her bedroom window back in Cerulean. Even venturing up to her secret tree on particularly clear days. Abby fumbled the ring Pete had given her, trying not to miss him. Up until now, she had been neglecting to wear the presents he had given her, partly due to the rush of trying to stay away from the rangers but mostly because she hated being reminded of him. A small part of her still wanted to be angry at him for reasons she couldn't place. This morning she'd been feeling sentimental however and decided to put them on. Her Salamance ring, her Flygon bracelet and Haxorus claw necklace. The awe in Darcy's eyes as she had pulled them from the bottom of her bag still brought a grin to her face. Dratini's reaction had been a lot more meaningful. Although he could be a bit of mystery to her at times, the pleased look on his face had been unmistakable.
"Fuck, sorry but they're so cool!" Darcy exclaimed, leaning over to examine the Haxorus claw again, "where did you say you got them again?" She asked, their eyes sparkling with wonder.
Abby giggled and looked down at her bracelet warmly, holding it up out in front of her.
"My brother gave them to me for my 18th," She answered softly, knowing that if she matched Darcy's excitement she might end up crying.
Darcy grasped her wrist, examining the bracelet.
"Your brother must have been pretty cool," Darcy responded, running one of the dangling Flygons between their fingers.
A loud explosion interrupted them. Instantly, both their eyes were fixed on Magikarp. He flew through the air with a burst of light blue energy, arcing out of the river and towards the waterfall. As he approached his body began to charge, a light blue glow pulsing off him. His face was tight with focus. As he made contact with the waterfall the built-up energy exploded again, sending Magikarp flying up the crashing wall of water. He flailed his tail with all his might, carefully angling his fins to keep himself from veering off course. Again, his body began to charge. Quickly the inertia caused by the powerful current of the waterfall began to cancel out the force of the burst. Magikarp released another, much quicker than before but noticeably less powerful. He began rapidly firing off bursts of flying elemental energy, gradually slowing down. About two-thirds of the way up the waterfall all of Magikarp's momentum was cancelled and he was sent crashing back down. Swiftly, he adjusted his fins so that he was sent flying from the waterfall. Using another set of rapid bursts, Magikarp slowed himself down in the air and gracefully splashed down into the river.
"Great work buddy! You're making progress keep it up!" Abby called out again.
Magikarp poked his head up out of the water and grinned happily before surging back up the river, his tail and fins glowing white. Abby turned her attention back to Darcy to find them smirking at her.
"So, how ya feeling after last night? It got pretty intense huh?" Darcy asked slyly.
Abby laughed and shrugged, placing her hands on her stomach.
"A little sore I guess, nothing too bad. I don't think you've got enough muscle to fuck me that hard," She responded with a cheeky grin.
Darcy gave a pleased smile.
"Hope not, I've been working hard to stay toned without getting too bulky. It's a fine art being gender-neutral you know!" They exclaimed, sitting back to show off their midriff.
As Abby admired Darcy's finely toned stomach she felt a sudden cold touch on her hand. She looked down and smiled gently as she saw Dratini slithering up her arm lazily. He wrapped himself around her shoulders and yawned, resting his head on her collarbone.
"That good huh?" Abby asked, scratching his head with her finger.
He gazed up at her, not moving his head. The smile that formed was enough of an answer to satisfy Abby.
"Make sure you stay warm okay? I want to do some training with you too once Magikarp has tired himself out," Abby instructed kindly, giving Dratini a scratch.
Another set of booms roared through the air as Magikarp made another approach at the waterfall. Again, he used bursts of flying elemental energy to propel himself up the waterfall and again only made it about two-thirds of the way up. Just a fraction higher than last time. As he fell back down through the air Abby got up, watching him with a thoughtful look. She met him by the river bank as he splashed down gently. He popped up out of the water and greeted her with an excited grin.
"Great job buddy, you're still making progress," She assured him, "I want you to try leaping from the waterfall-like you do when you leap from the river, I reckon if you use your burst in the air you'll get more from it. Also, remember to try and focus on using some water type energy while in the waterfall." She instructed, acting out her plan with her hands.
Magikarp followed along, swimming casually in place against the current. As soon as Abby was done he leapt up and dived back under the water, speeding away with a white glow. Abby kept her eyes on him as she made her way back to the stump.
"You reckon that'll work?" Darcy asked, watching Magikarp too.
Abby shrugged.
"I don't know but it's worth a try I guess, at this rate, we'll be here for weeks before he reaches the top. If he even will, he may reach a physical limit to how much power he can put out." Abby answered.
Dratini lifted his head from Abby's collarbone and watched curiously. It caught Abby's attention. Up until now, he'd had little to no interest in what Magikarp was doing but now, he was completely focused on him.
"What do you see?" Abby wondered out loud, scratching behind his ears.
Dratini continued to stare at Magikarp.
"Dratini…" He murmured.
Eventually, Magiakarp reached his jumping point again. With a loud bang, he flew into the air, angling himself so he faced up in the direction of the waterfall's current. He hit the water and let out a burst, this time on a slight angle. Immediately he began charging again. As Abby had instructed Magikarp leapt from the waterfall, arcing up as if he was leaping along a horizontal plane. He let out another burst of energy on a slight angle. He sped through the air, gaining much more distance than he had previously. Again, he reentered the waterfall. He strained as he swam with the remaining momentum of the burst, forcing a few small dark blue sparks to fly out. Magikarp repeated this cycle, making it higher and higher until he passed his previous record. He kept going, further and further beyond until it looked as if he might make it over the top. However, just as he was about to make that final leap he flailed in the air utterly exhausted. Too exhausted to force another burst of energy out. He began to fall back down, arcing away from the waterfall. Abby raised his pokéball, took aim and marked him with the beam. In a flash, he was back in his pokéball. Abby tucked it back into her pocket.
"Fuck, so close too," She sighed before grinning and turning to Darcy.
"Next time for sure!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet.
Darcy laughed and joined her on their feet.
"Hell yeah! Great work!" They agreed, hugging Abby excitedly.
Abby returned the hug and the two of them hopped up and down excitedly. Amid their celebration, Dratini's ear pricked up. He whipped his head around, catching Darcy's attention. As Darcy raised their head from Abby's shoulder to follow Dratini's gaze, Abby's attention was caught. The three of them stared at the treeline together. For a moment Dratini's eyes were narrowed suspiciously and a few purple sparks flew from his mouth. Until suddenly his eyes widened with delight.
"Tini!" He chimed, grinning happily at whatever was coming.
The branches of the treeline cracked and snapped, rustling as something forced their way through them.
"Hey, Dratini!" Green called back, stumbling out of the treeline.
Abby gasped and ran up to her excitedly, throwing her arms around her shoulders.
"You're back!" She cried, an overflow of questions ready to pour out until she saw Surge standing behind her.
Green gave Abby a small smile and hugged her back.
"Hey," She replied softly.
Abby paused, the memory of her perving on Surge and Darcy flooding back into her mind. Surge's attention was anywhere but Abby however.
"Darcy? What are you doing here babe?" He asked, opening his arms for them as they ran up to greet him.
Darcy embraced him happily, pressing their head into his chest.
"Having fun!" They replied cheerily.
Darcy stood up on their toes and kissed Surge lightly on the lips. Surge kissed them back, grasping Darcy's exposed midriff. He pulled back from their kiss and looked over at Abby as Darcy lay their head against his chest. His eyes flashed with recognition. He laughed and smirked at her.
"Oh yeah, you! I remember you!" He exclaimed, "the girl from the bushes!"
Green raised an eyebrow at Abby as her face went bright red.
"I'm not even gonna ask," She laughed.
Green petted Dratini on the head. He cried out happily, nuzzling the top of his head against her palm. As their eyes met, however, his smile stopped and he gazed up at her with an annoyed look. He turned his nose up at her and refused to make eye contact. Green felt a twang of guilt and hurriedly stepped around Abby.
"The camp is just through here, you guys catch up I'm gonna go on ahead!" She called out before hurrying away down the small path to the meadow.
Surge watched her with a curious look but shrugged it off, turning his attention back to Abby.
"So, you guys have been having fun huh?" He asked slyly.
Abby took a small step back, utterly flustered.
"Yeah just a little," Darcy giggled before prodding Surge in the chest, "so what are you doing out here? Having fun too?" They asked slyly, glancing back in the direction Green went.
Surge laughed and placed his hand on Darcy's lower back, pulling them closer to him.
"Actually I'm here to help her train, unlike you I'm not constantly horny," He teased playfully.
Darcy leaned back against his hand and folded their arms, giving him a sceptical look.
"So you brought a cute girl like that out here into the middle of the woods and you're not gonna fuck her?" They asked doubtfully.
Surge shrugged.
"After we're done if she wants to then sure but not while we're training. I reckon she's got real potential Darcy, she's Red's sister." He explained, also turning his gaze to the direction Green went.
Darcy raised their eyebrow in surprise.
"Ohhhhh, I see," They exclaimed, turning back to Surge with a curious look.
Abby awkwardly shuffled her feet, watching Darcy and Surge quietly.
"She's right!" Abby interrupted, a little louder than she wanted to, "the camp is that way, I'll uh see you there?" She had to force out before turning on her heel and quickly hurrying away.
Surge and Darcy laughed together. They followed behind, keeping a leisurely pace as they continued to embrace one another. Abby hurried back out into the meadow to find Green crouched down on the river's shore. She was carefully untying her boots, clearly taking her time. Abby sat down beside her, untying her running shoes along with her.
"So, I'm guessing he beat you then?" She asked cautiously.
Green sighed and glanced up at her, continuing to slide off her boot.
"Yeah," she admitted, "sorry, we'll have to spend more time here,"
Abby shrugged as she slipped off her shoes.
"Alright," she responded cheerfully.
To her surprise Green whipped her head up to face her properly, seeming bewildered.
"You're not upset?" She asked in disbelief.
Abby shot her a confused look.
"No? Why would I be?" She asked back as she bundled up her socks.
Green's bewildered expression turned into a pained one.
"Well, isn't the idea to keep moving? Aren't I putting you in danger by keeping you here longer?" Green asked sadly, her voice trembling slightly.
Abby patted her shoulder gently, turning her body to face Green.
"Green it's fine, if the rangers had any idea where we were they would have come by now. We can spend as much time here as we need to." Abby assured her before giving her a hug, "you've got nothing to feel bad about okay?"
A smile formed on Green's still shocked face. She hugged Abby back and took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Thanks, Abby," She answered quietly.
She pulled back and bundled up her socks, stuffing them into her boots. She quickly rolled up the legs of her jeans and started to wade across the river with her boots in hand. Abby followed after her, hurrying a little as she heard Surge and Darcy's laughter getting closer.
Green's head was spinning as she made her way back to their little campsite. She swung off her bag, unbuckled her pokéball belt and sat down on a small boulder. A small smile remained on her face as she stared at her three pokéballs. The lingering feeling of failure that had followed her from Vermilion felt as if it were lifting off her shoulders. After taking a moment to build up some courage Green plucked Mankey's pokéball from her belt and pressed its button. The ball sprung open and with a flash Mankey appeared before she curled up on the grass. He yawned and got to his feet groggily, rubbing his eyes. When he noticed Green he beamed excitedly and scurried up onto her shoulder.
"Mankey!" He exclaimed, looking around at the meadow happily.
Green giggled softly and scratched behind his ears with her finger.
"Hey buddy," She greeted him cautiously.
She reached for Machoke's ball, needing a considerably longer moment to build up the courage to release him. Abby joined her in the camp during that moment, sprawling out on the grass with an exhausted sigh. Dratini and Green's eyes met. He stared at her expectedly, glancing at Machoke's ball.
"Yeah I know," She muttered, gripping the ball tightly.
She pressed the button on the ball and with a powerful flash of red Machoke appeared before her. He grinned excitedly and stretched out his arms, inhaling the fresh meadow air deeply through his nostrils.
"Machoke!" He cried, his voice booming.
He looked down at her, clearly expecting her to match his excitement. When he noticed her obvious anxiety he gave her a confused look and sat down beside the boulder.
"Ma?" He asked softly.
Green took a deep breath and looked between them sadly.
"I know you guys put in a lot of work back there but, we didn't win," She admitted.
A strange relief washed over her as she let those words out, that weight on her shoulders fully disappearing. As expected Mankey and Machoke looked disappointed. Mankey looked down at the ground, his ears drooping sadly. Machoke frowned but put his arm around her. Green lay her head on his shoulder, feeling oddly happy to be able to share her disappointment with them. Being able to see her pokémon, to see how the burns that had covered both their bodies had fully healed, lessened the guilt slightly.
"Machoke?" Machoke asked, pointing to Graveler's pokéball still in its holster.
Green unclipped it and held it out in front of her.
"He did his best but Raichu hurt him pretty badly," She answered solemnly.
Abby sat up and gave her a concerned look.
"How bad?" She asked.
Green sighed.
"Raichu cut through all his arms with an iron tail," She answered.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Surge interrupted, approaching them camp with Darcy.
He clutched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Raichu struggles with holding back," He admitted sheepishly.
Machoke and Mankey looked up at Surge with shocked looks. While Machoke remained sitting, looking up at Surge in disbelief. Mankey screeched angrily and leapt from Green's shoulder at him. Green caught him before he could make it very far, pulling him back to her chest struggling and writhing. Surge roared with laughter and crouched down before them, watching Mankey with a wild smirk.
"Oh, I like him! You caught a good one there!" He exclaimed before turning his attention to Machoke.
"And look at this big guy! That's got to be one of the biggest Machoke's I've ever seen! Did get him from a pokémon breeder or something?" Surge asked.
Jackson's taunts rang in Green's head.
"Pedigree Pokémon!" She heard him cry.
Green's face went red as Surge pretty much confirmed what he'd been saying.
"Oh, well we met when he was a Machop. He was a gift from… a friend," She answered, choosing to omit Blue's name.
Machoke had a different response, beaming happily at the compliment. He stood up, standing a few inches above Surge and flexed his muscles proudly.
"Machoke!" He boomed.
Darcy stared at Machoke silently in stunned awe. They took a few steps back and joined Abby on the grass. Abby giggled seeing their face and the two of them quietly whispered to each other, keeping their eyes on Machoke.
"Where's your Graveler?" Surge asked excitedly.
Green nervously held out Graveler's pokéball and forced herself to release him. With a press of the button, the pokéball opened and Graveler was materialised onto the grass between Green and Surge. He was beaming ecstatically, facing Green with an elated look.
"Graveler!" He exclaimed, holding up his now healed arms.
Green couldn't help but smile seeing them, they were spotless as if nothing had even happened to them.
"Ah there you are, I've been looking forward to meeting you," Surge marvelled, catching Graveler's attention.
When Graveler met Surge's fascinated gaze he shrunk back, his enthusiasm disappearing completely. That didn't stop Surge from placing a hand on top of his head as he admired him.
"Baiting out Electrode's jump was honestly what caught my attention, it's a strategy like that, that separates the good trains from the great," Surge praised, "was that something you planned out beforehand or did he come up with it on the fly?"
Green felt a twang of pride.
"Beforehand, I figured you probably had some defence against ground types," Green answered, smiling broadly.
Surge stood up and turned to face her.
"Excellent! Now, have you come up with an answer for the question I gave you back in Vermilion?" He asked.
Green nodded wearily.
"Kinda, all I could come up with was needing to improve the strength of my pokémon's attacks." She answered with an unsure shrug.
Surge grasped her shoulder and gave her a shrug back.
"Close enough, come on I'll explain it more," He replied, beginning to make his way out into the field.
Green followed after him with her Pokémon in tow, feeling a rush of excitement. Absolutely raring to start her training.