Chapter Four: Journey's End
I awoke the next day sometime after noon. It was partly cloudy and the air was humid and the temperature felt very high. I slid down the tree trunk and continued down the park path. My muscles were better and as I felt a short-lived refreshing breeze I felt closer than ever to the thing I was searching for.
Finally I reached the end of the park. I exited this time through two open iron gates. I looked at the sign above it, it read "Amber City - Viridian City Friendship Park - Dedicated 1987". I looked around and saw a sign across the street that read "Amber City - City of Golden Dreams - Welcomes You". I felt led to go into the small city. This time, I looked both ways down the street and rushed across.
This city was much smaller in building size than the previous one I had been in. I traveled along the streets and looked at all of the colorful houses. I saw many children having water fights in their backyards and many happy pokémon playing with them.
I felt fine until I saw a small boy and a psyduck. He looked excited to see me and ran towards me. The clumsy psyduck followed. "Look Dave, a pikachu!! Awesome! I'm going to capture it!" He ordered the psyduck to battle me. I had had enough of running. I decided to stand my ground.
"Dave, bite him!" he ordered. It lunged toward me and I dodged. I fought back with a thundershock. Fried a bit, it ran back towards the boy.
"Dave!! Come on you coward!" he pushed him towards me, "Try again."
This time he didn't miss and he bit my tail with his big beak. I shocked him again and he let go of it. I decided this wasn't worth it and ran on til I lost sight of the boy and his pokémon. I figured if one human acted that way, more would too.
From then on, I hid in the shadows as I snuck about the city. I passed more and more houses with no resting spot in site. My stomach was still running on empty and I was incredibly thirsty from being out all day in the hot sun. I was getting tired again and knew I couldn't go on much further.
By the late afternoon I arrived near the center of the city. I couldn't think straight anymore and was very tired. I came to a large building. In front was a small picket fence and a sign that read PikaPals Headquarters. I sat in front of it and stared for a long time. Something in me told me that I should go in. I figured at least the small fence would keep me safe.
But wait, I thought, why here? Why don't I just go on? Why do I get this strange feeling when I'm around here. I peeked through the fence. On the lawn was a sleeping pokémon. I recalled it as being an ivysaur. It had an interesting look on it's face, it was one of contentment. I sighed, and wondered if I'd ever get that feeling too. I leaped over the fence and looked around. My leg throbbed. Jumping over the fence had pulled my muscle. Maybe this wasn't a good place to stop after all. I was about to leave when I stepped on a twig. It made a large cracking noise and woke up the ivysaur. It immediately looked at me and cried, "SAURRRR!"
It crept toward me and I backed up to the fence. What could I do now. There was no way I could get back over the fence with a sprained leg.
The door to the building opened and a group of kids ran out.
"What's the problem Ivy?" one of the boys asked the ivysaur.
"Ivy! Ivy saur!" it replied.
"What'd she say?" another boy asked.
"She said to look over there," he pointed. They all focused on me and gasped.
"What happened to that pikachu?" a girl asked.
"Looks pretty bad...it must've been in a fight." the first boy said.
"Matt, go get the emergency first aid kit," the girl told the first boy. He nodded and raced into the building, "Hunter, take Ivy inside; she's scaring it."
"All right. Come on Ivy," the other boy took the ivysaur, who backed off, and they also entered the building.
She got down on her knees and pulled out something out of her pocket in her khaki colored shorts. She then said, "Come here little one, I won't hurt you. I have some pikachu treats here if you want them."
I looked around for a way of escape, but saw none. Maybe though, I thought, this girl was a nice human who wouldn't fight me or try to capture me. I pushed this aside. I had my share of humans, whether an adult like Giovanni or a young trainer like the boy. But, I was very hungry. Did she really want to give me treats? I slowly came a few steps closer. She stepped a little closer also. We were now about 10 feet apart. She stretched out her hand and I saw little chunks in her hand. She gently tossed one my way. I backed up, but then came up to it, still keeping an eye on her, bent down and nibbled on it.
It was simply delicious and I swallowed the rest of it greedily. I wanted another badly, but still felt cautious. I did not want to be stuck in a cage again. I looked at her. She looked about 13 or so and had short orange hair. She was wearing a turquiose tanktop with an ID badge that said, "PikaPals" on it with a logo of a pikachu and squirtle on it, and under it was printed "Kim, PikaPals Founder".
"Would you like some more?" she asked me.
"Yes," I replied.
"You can talk!" she blurted out, "Where did you come from?"
I told her my story. She listened very carefully and every now and then I looked in her eyes. They were different than any I had seen before. In fact, they made me smile. She was so friendly and it gave me the energy to tell all that had happened to me.
As soon as I finished, the boys returned with a box with a red cross on it. They gave it to her. She set it down. "Thank-you for telling me your story... I just realized I don't know your name," she smiled again. The boys looked at her funny. She explained to them about my ability to talk.
I hesitated for a moment, "I don't have a name," I frowned, a bit embarrassed.
"Well don't worry," she assured me handing me the rest of the treats, "You've come to the right place. Here at PikaPals, we work to help all pokémon who have been abandoned or abused. You are welcome to stay here until you get better, and then we can help you find a home."
"A home?"
"Yeah, like Ivy," said the boy called Hunter, "she was abandoned by her old trainer and we found her. We took care of her and now she's my pokémon."
I again looked at the girl. She seemed nice enough and the food was delicious, "Can I stay here?"
"Yes!" she replied, "But first you need a name. Hey guys, help me out."
"How about Sparkster?" Hunter suggested, "or Electro?"
"I don't think so," I said.
"How about Chewy, or Mustard, or how 'bout..." the boy named Matt said.
"No way," I laughed.
"It needs to be something simple," Kim said thinking hard.
"Simple, huh?" said Matt, looking around as if for a sign of some sort, "How about just plain ol' Pika?"
We all looked at him in curiousity.
"You know, short for pikachu," he explained.
"Pika...Yeah, that does have a ring to it," Hunter agreed.
"How about Pika then?" Kim asked me.
I thought for a second. It was short and to the point and wasn't crazy or wierd, "Yes, I like that," I replied.
"Well then Pika," she said, "How about we take you inside and get you fixed up. It's almost time for dinner too."
"Yes," I said, "That would be great!"
She carefully scooped me up into her arms. As we walked back to the building Hunter added, "You know what Kim, we need a mascot for PikaPals and well...I think Pika would be the perfect choice."
"What do you think, Pika," Kim asked, "This should be your decision."
I thought over it. This was a beautiful place, and I couldn't help but look at these kids and wonder if this was were I belonged. They gave me a name and I felt that I owed it to them to stay for at least a while. But longer? I began to look back at my adventure to this point and asked myself if this was what I was searching for. I looked up into Kim's eyes and she smiled again. I got one of those warm feelings inside me again and I tried to come to a definate yes or no. I decided I could give it a shot. Besides, they were growing on me already and I had only met them for a few minutes.
"Yes," I answered, "I'd like that very much." They all three cheered and Kim gave me a hug. It was a new feeling for me and it rushed through me like a bolt of lightning. I felt loved, and I felt very safe. I hugged her back and even though my muscles ached and my stomach was empty, my heart was full of love. I had finally found the thing I had been searching for.
"We'll protect you," Kim said, "And no one, including that Giovanni, will ever abuse you again."
"And even if he tries to," Hunter added, "We'll stop him."
"We gotta tell all the other trainers that we got a mascot now," Matt chimed in as we entered into the building, he looked at me, "They all are crazy about pokémon. They'll love ya."
As I looked over Kim's shoulder and saw the sunset in the west, I knew my life would be filled with hope and joy. It was then that I knew PikaPals was my home.
THE END
.... or is it?
I awoke the next day sometime after noon. It was partly cloudy and the air was humid and the temperature felt very high. I slid down the tree trunk and continued down the park path. My muscles were better and as I felt a short-lived refreshing breeze I felt closer than ever to the thing I was searching for.
Finally I reached the end of the park. I exited this time through two open iron gates. I looked at the sign above it, it read "Amber City - Viridian City Friendship Park - Dedicated 1987". I looked around and saw a sign across the street that read "Amber City - City of Golden Dreams - Welcomes You". I felt led to go into the small city. This time, I looked both ways down the street and rushed across.
This city was much smaller in building size than the previous one I had been in. I traveled along the streets and looked at all of the colorful houses. I saw many children having water fights in their backyards and many happy pokémon playing with them.
I felt fine until I saw a small boy and a psyduck. He looked excited to see me and ran towards me. The clumsy psyduck followed. "Look Dave, a pikachu!! Awesome! I'm going to capture it!" He ordered the psyduck to battle me. I had had enough of running. I decided to stand my ground.
"Dave, bite him!" he ordered. It lunged toward me and I dodged. I fought back with a thundershock. Fried a bit, it ran back towards the boy.
"Dave!! Come on you coward!" he pushed him towards me, "Try again."
This time he didn't miss and he bit my tail with his big beak. I shocked him again and he let go of it. I decided this wasn't worth it and ran on til I lost sight of the boy and his pokémon. I figured if one human acted that way, more would too.
From then on, I hid in the shadows as I snuck about the city. I passed more and more houses with no resting spot in site. My stomach was still running on empty and I was incredibly thirsty from being out all day in the hot sun. I was getting tired again and knew I couldn't go on much further.
By the late afternoon I arrived near the center of the city. I couldn't think straight anymore and was very tired. I came to a large building. In front was a small picket fence and a sign that read PikaPals Headquarters. I sat in front of it and stared for a long time. Something in me told me that I should go in. I figured at least the small fence would keep me safe.
But wait, I thought, why here? Why don't I just go on? Why do I get this strange feeling when I'm around here. I peeked through the fence. On the lawn was a sleeping pokémon. I recalled it as being an ivysaur. It had an interesting look on it's face, it was one of contentment. I sighed, and wondered if I'd ever get that feeling too. I leaped over the fence and looked around. My leg throbbed. Jumping over the fence had pulled my muscle. Maybe this wasn't a good place to stop after all. I was about to leave when I stepped on a twig. It made a large cracking noise and woke up the ivysaur. It immediately looked at me and cried, "SAURRRR!"
It crept toward me and I backed up to the fence. What could I do now. There was no way I could get back over the fence with a sprained leg.
The door to the building opened and a group of kids ran out.
"What's the problem Ivy?" one of the boys asked the ivysaur.
"Ivy! Ivy saur!" it replied.
"What'd she say?" another boy asked.
"She said to look over there," he pointed. They all focused on me and gasped.
"What happened to that pikachu?" a girl asked.
"Looks pretty bad...it must've been in a fight." the first boy said.
"Matt, go get the emergency first aid kit," the girl told the first boy. He nodded and raced into the building, "Hunter, take Ivy inside; she's scaring it."
"All right. Come on Ivy," the other boy took the ivysaur, who backed off, and they also entered the building.
She got down on her knees and pulled out something out of her pocket in her khaki colored shorts. She then said, "Come here little one, I won't hurt you. I have some pikachu treats here if you want them."
I looked around for a way of escape, but saw none. Maybe though, I thought, this girl was a nice human who wouldn't fight me or try to capture me. I pushed this aside. I had my share of humans, whether an adult like Giovanni or a young trainer like the boy. But, I was very hungry. Did she really want to give me treats? I slowly came a few steps closer. She stepped a little closer also. We were now about 10 feet apart. She stretched out her hand and I saw little chunks in her hand. She gently tossed one my way. I backed up, but then came up to it, still keeping an eye on her, bent down and nibbled on it.
It was simply delicious and I swallowed the rest of it greedily. I wanted another badly, but still felt cautious. I did not want to be stuck in a cage again. I looked at her. She looked about 13 or so and had short orange hair. She was wearing a turquiose tanktop with an ID badge that said, "PikaPals" on it with a logo of a pikachu and squirtle on it, and under it was printed "Kim, PikaPals Founder".
"Would you like some more?" she asked me.
"Yes," I replied.
"You can talk!" she blurted out, "Where did you come from?"
I told her my story. She listened very carefully and every now and then I looked in her eyes. They were different than any I had seen before. In fact, they made me smile. She was so friendly and it gave me the energy to tell all that had happened to me.
As soon as I finished, the boys returned with a box with a red cross on it. They gave it to her. She set it down. "Thank-you for telling me your story... I just realized I don't know your name," she smiled again. The boys looked at her funny. She explained to them about my ability to talk.
I hesitated for a moment, "I don't have a name," I frowned, a bit embarrassed.
"Well don't worry," she assured me handing me the rest of the treats, "You've come to the right place. Here at PikaPals, we work to help all pokémon who have been abandoned or abused. You are welcome to stay here until you get better, and then we can help you find a home."
"A home?"
"Yeah, like Ivy," said the boy called Hunter, "she was abandoned by her old trainer and we found her. We took care of her and now she's my pokémon."
I again looked at the girl. She seemed nice enough and the food was delicious, "Can I stay here?"
"Yes!" she replied, "But first you need a name. Hey guys, help me out."
"How about Sparkster?" Hunter suggested, "or Electro?"
"I don't think so," I said.
"How about Chewy, or Mustard, or how 'bout..." the boy named Matt said.
"No way," I laughed.
"It needs to be something simple," Kim said thinking hard.
"Simple, huh?" said Matt, looking around as if for a sign of some sort, "How about just plain ol' Pika?"
We all looked at him in curiousity.
"You know, short for pikachu," he explained.
"Pika...Yeah, that does have a ring to it," Hunter agreed.
"How about Pika then?" Kim asked me.
I thought for a second. It was short and to the point and wasn't crazy or wierd, "Yes, I like that," I replied.
"Well then Pika," she said, "How about we take you inside and get you fixed up. It's almost time for dinner too."
"Yes," I said, "That would be great!"
She carefully scooped me up into her arms. As we walked back to the building Hunter added, "You know what Kim, we need a mascot for PikaPals and well...I think Pika would be the perfect choice."
"What do you think, Pika," Kim asked, "This should be your decision."
I thought over it. This was a beautiful place, and I couldn't help but look at these kids and wonder if this was were I belonged. They gave me a name and I felt that I owed it to them to stay for at least a while. But longer? I began to look back at my adventure to this point and asked myself if this was what I was searching for. I looked up into Kim's eyes and she smiled again. I got one of those warm feelings inside me again and I tried to come to a definate yes or no. I decided I could give it a shot. Besides, they were growing on me already and I had only met them for a few minutes.
"Yes," I answered, "I'd like that very much." They all three cheered and Kim gave me a hug. It was a new feeling for me and it rushed through me like a bolt of lightning. I felt loved, and I felt very safe. I hugged her back and even though my muscles ached and my stomach was empty, my heart was full of love. I had finally found the thing I had been searching for.
"We'll protect you," Kim said, "And no one, including that Giovanni, will ever abuse you again."
"And even if he tries to," Hunter added, "We'll stop him."
"We gotta tell all the other trainers that we got a mascot now," Matt chimed in as we entered into the building, he looked at me, "They all are crazy about pokémon. They'll love ya."
As I looked over Kim's shoulder and saw the sunset in the west, I knew my life would be filled with hope and joy. It was then that I knew PikaPals was my home.
THE END
.... or is it?