Pokémon Journeys: Ch. 3: Past Reflections
The next morning the trio headed for Saffron City. It wasn't that far from Turquoise Village, so they decided to walk and enjoy the morning. It was that kind of comfortable temperature than felt kind of warm on the skin but crisp whenever you breathed it in. The sky was somewhat overcast, but then again the area around Saffron always seemed to have a darkness about it. Despite that, the Pokémon were in good cheer when they finally reached the city. All of them, that is, except Pulsar. He'd been here before, and the experience had not been be a pleasant one. As he looked forlornly at the Saffron Gym, his eyes took on a distant look as he remembered the events that had happened only a few months before.
(Flashback)
***
I stood ready for battle. Across the floor from him was an Alakazam, which I knew would be a very tough opponent. But I still thought I could win . The Alakazam sneered at me and then glanced at the Gym Leader, a somewhat frightening teenage girl with long black hair and yellow eyes. "You want me to fight this? I think Abra would be a better match for him!" it said. I felt my blood boil. An Abra? I was much better than that! I'd show that arrogant jerk if it was the last thing I did!
"Pulsar, Agility! Then hit it with your Thunder!" Matt commanded. "PiKA!" I said enthusiastically. I leapt forward and darted around the Alakazam. It was confused by my speed and couldn't get a lock on me. I suddenly skidded to a stop and leapt upward, landing on its shoulders. "P'kaaaaahhhh….CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" My Thunder attack ripped through it and I could feel it shake under the force. I jumped down, thinking the battle was finished. To my surprise, my opponent started to glow and in an instant it was healed. I was so stunned that I didn't know what to do.
"Psychic attack," The leader said calmly. Her voice was eerie. It made my blood run cold to hear it. So calm and emotionless… I didn't have much time to contemplate that, for I felt a force gather around me and I was lifted off the ground. My mind was a jumble. I couldn't think, I couldn't move. I was hurled into the ceiling, and then into the floor, and into the ceiling again . When the attack was done, I could hardly breathe. But I got back on my feet anyway.
"You don't know when to give up, do you?" The Alakazam asked haughtily. I gritted my teeth and slowly turned to face him. "Oh, I know when to quit – NEVER!" With that I lunged at it again, slamming into it with my Take Down. It hurt me, but despite that I wasn't worried. It hurt my opponent more. The Alakazam looked hurt, but it glared at me and launched a Psybeam at me. Now, I was fast, as all Pikachu are, so I dodged it. But I was tired. The second and third attacks I couldn't dodge. I got shakily to my feet, defiant even though I knew I was done for. One last it hit me – with a Swift attack this time. I tried to dodge it, but the shimmering stars followed me and hurled me backward upon impact. After that, everything went black.
***
"Pulsar? PULSAR?" Crystal said, waving one paw in front of the Raichu. He snapped out of his trance and looked over at her. "Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm okay. So where are we going?" he asked. "I don't know. I think maybe we'll wait here. Keia went off somewhere and said she'd be back. She had something she needed to do, but she didn't specify. I didn't press the point," Crystal replied. She looked at the Gym and back to him. "Well, on second thought, let's go have a look around. I've never been here before, and I like to see the sights, you know?" She said, starting off. He nodded and followed silently. After a while they passed the Saffron Pokémon Center. He knew this place all too well, too.
***
When next I knew, I was called out in the Pokémon Center.
Matt was standing there talking to the Nurse, which ever Joy it was. It's a
Joy-full world, I thought amusedly. My good humor didn't last long. I looked
over as someone else entered the Pokémon Center, not really concerned but a bit
curious. Two Chansey were rushing an injured Umbreon into the E.R.
"Sorry to do this to ya, Pulsar, but I really need to win that badge," Matt said from behind me. I started to turn and look at him when suddenly I felt something cold touch my fur, and for a moment everything went kind of hazy. I felt a surge of strength go through me, felt my voltage level rise dramatically. It was strange. I looked over at Matt, confused. "Rai?" I was shocked by my own voice. I looked down at my now-brown fur and swished my bladed tail. He looked at me approvingly and then pulled out my Pokéball. "Return, Pulsar." I started to protest but was drawn into the Pokéball. After that, for good or for bad, my life was never the same.
***
"So, Pulsar, do you know this place? Any good places to eat?" Crystal asked. He shook his head to clear the dreary thoughts from it and looked over at her. "Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact."
"Okay, well, lets get some food and then go back to wait for Keia," She replied. The Raichu lead her to a small restaurant. "I'll get the food this time, since you got dinner yesterday," he told her. He crept into the diner, and Crystal tried to keep from snickering as she watched. Raichu weren't really built for sneaking…
Nonetheless, no one noticed Pulsar enter. He hopped up on a stool and peered over the counter. A small girl nearby spotted him. "Mommy, mommy! Look! A Raichu! Oh, isn't he cute?" She exclaimed, crawling up on the stool next to him and petting him. "Rai!" he said happily. Pulsar liked little kids. They didn't care about battling – just having fun. Kind of like him. "Marie, honey, we need to go," a woman said, picking her up off the stool and leading her by one hand out the door. Pulsar sighed and jumped back down, then snuck into the kitchen. Aha! There was cardboard container of fried chicken being filled up for an order that had been places while he was at the counter. When it was finished, he suddenly leapt up and grabbed the handle of it in his mouth, then jumped back down. "Hey!" The angry cook yelled, grabbing a rolling pin and running for Pulsar. He calmly set the food down. He wanted fried chicken, but not that fried. He used his Thundershock on the man and then picked up the basket again and ran out of the restaurant, meeting Crystal outside. After explaining what had taken so long, he went with her back to the gym. They didn't want to eat until Keia returned, so they waited there. And once again, Pulsar felt himself grow somewhat distant.
***
He took me back to that gym, with the Alakazam. From what I'd learned later, Sandslash had taken on Kadabra, the other Pokémon the Gym leader had. But, as Matt explained, he needed me to take on the super-powered Alakazam. I didn't want to fight for him now. What he had done to me was unforgivable. I had liked the way I was.
But still, I wanted to show that Alakazam just how tough
I was. At the time, I just kept telling myself over and over that it was
because of my loss to Alakazam that all of this had happened. That all of this
was really his fault. I knew better. But at the moment, I used anything I could
to fuel my anger. Anger fueled power. Power was what I needed to win. The
Alakazam looked at me with contempt as he always did. This time, though, I
would wipe that look off his face. As the battle started, I began with my
Thunderbolt. It was powerful as well as accurate, so it was a good starting
attack. My opponent fought back with Psybeam, and I felt myself become
confused. Matt ordered me to use Thunder, but I shocked myself instead of
Alakazam. Where was it? Where was my enemy? I couldn't figure it out. It was
like he was everywhere at once, but at the same time he was nowhere. Then I
focused on him. He was there, and he was about to attack, I poured every bit of
energy I had into my Thunder, which miraculously hit its mark. Alakazam went down
hard and didn't get back up. Matt cheered and thrust one fist in the air
triumphantly. I wasn't all that happy. I'd beaten my opponent, one last time.
For one last time I'd helped my trainer to win a Badge so he could enter the
championship. I had done more than my part, much more than he had ever done for
me. So at that moment I ran out of the Gym. I could hear him calling me, but I
ignored him and kept going until I was far into the dark woods surrounding the
city. For hours after I could see him searching for me, hear him calling for
me. The light from the flame of his Chameleon lit up the darkness, but he never
found me. After a few hours he gave up. The next day he left the city, heading
for Fuchsia. He looked over his shoulder at he dark forest, tears rimming his
dark eyes.
I never saw him again after that. Sometimes I wonder if
he ever made it to the Pokémon League… and sometimes, I wonder why I care. Why
should I? He was never good to me. He didn't care about me…did he?
***
Crystal watched as Pulsar looked at the Gym. It was as if he was really looking at something else, like he was looking through it to something that only he could see. She sighed. Where was Keia? She'd been gone a long time. It was going to get dark soon, and she was getting hungry.
Far from the Gym, on a large and grassy hill, Keia stood with a beautiful red rose in her mouth. Her eyes watered as she looked at he plain gray stone before her. She had stood here for a long time, offering a silent prayer to the boy she had loved. Slowly, she set the rose down gently on the ground in front of his grave. The warm wind gently played with the long grasses that grew unattended in the graveyard. She stood there, long after sunset, watching as the fading light set the sky aflame. Before she knew it, it was dark. Up on the hill, the moon and stars shown clearly. She stared up at them for a while, marveling at their beauty. Hoping that somehow her trainer was there somewhere, and that he could hear her prayer.
Later on that night the Espeon retuned to her friends. They could tell by her quiet nature and the look in her eyes that whatever she had been doing was something important, so neither bothered to question her as to where she had been or bother her about the time it had taken. The food was cold, but it didn't matter to them – food was food, and they were glad to have it. The other two went to sleep, but Keia spent the night staring at the sky. I hope he heard me… I- I hope he knows how much I cared about him… She looked up at the stars, …do you? She asked silently, as if maybe there was some kind of answer there.
A shooting star, its light brighter than the others, shot across the sky and faded into the distance. After watching it for a moment, Keia lay down to rest, happy for the first time since the death of her trainer.
He knew.