THE NEXT WEEK
Ponyta was in the intensive care unit. Haley did not leave the glass cage her Pokemon was in for a moment. She did not eat or even drink and did not sleep. Vulpix accompanied her, but left for brief periods of time. She brought Haley glasses of water and snacks from the vending machine in the waiting room, and even brought a pillow once, but it was as though she weren't even there. Lance was getting frustrated. He was worried about her.
"Haley, let's go do something," Lance said.
"Like what?" Haley muttered glumly.
"I dunno.. maybe the lake? All by ourselves, without Ash or Misty or Brock."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"My Pokemon is dying and you really, really expect me to go somewhere for pleasure?" Haley snapped. Vulpix shrank away from her.
"No, but I do expect you to at least eat and drink and sleep. Here, at least let me take you to that restaurant we saw down there," Lance said.
"What part of no do you not understand?!" Haley snapped angrily.
"It's not no that I don't understand. It's why you're saying no. You're stupid if you think that staring at Ponyta is going to make her better. Can't you see? You've lost five pounds and you don't need to lose any weight! Vulpix and Persian are worried about you! Vulpix doesn't understand why you don't pay any attention to her any more when all she's trying to do is help! Does she really need to suffer along with Ponyta? Vulpix is going to pull away from you and Persian is going to as well if you keep this up."
"Just shut up and get out! I can take care of Vulpix myself without you helping!" Haley yelled.
"Now, let me ask you, what part of "You are scaring Vulpix" do you not understand?" Lance yelled back.
Vulpix looked from one to the other, not knowing what to do.
"Just get out! Go!" Haley yelled.
"Fine then, I will! But think about this: your other Pokemon are going to pull away from you if you keep this pathetic 'Oh, pity me, my Ponyta is dying so let me pretend my other Pokemon aren't here' attitude, no matter what you say or do. So are your friends if you keep being mean to them."
"Shut up!"
"GET up!"
"No!"
Vulpix had had enough. Lance was right. A jet of flame issued from her mouth directly into Haley's face, and then she vanished into her Pokeball.
"Look what you've done!" Haley screamed at Lance.
"OH, look at what I'VE done! I warned you!" With that, Lance stormed out.
"Vulpix, come out," Haley said. A beam of red light issued from the Pokeball.. and then withdrew back into it.
"Vulpix, come out!"
Once again, the light withdrew.
"Vulpix, you'd better come out!"
This time Vulpix appeared. But when Haley stretched her arm out to her, Vulpix bit her hand.
"Vulpix!" Haley yelled. "Don't do that!" She grabbed Vulpix by the scruff of her neck, who began to twist wildly.
"Vulpix, don't be so stupid! You know I still care about you!"
Vulpix turned her head, and her eyes were clouded with pain and the feeling of betrayal. They seemed to say, No, YOU don't be stupid. It's not my fault Ponyta was hurt. And it's not yours, so quit acting like it!
Haley sighed. "Vulpix, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized that I was hurting your feelings. You haven't ate yet have you? Persian hasn't either. Come out, Persian." She rummaged in her pack and drew out a bag of Pokéfood, a white bowl with the name Persian on it, and a red bowl with the name Vulpix on it. She poured some food into the bowls, fighting back tears of guilt. She thrust the bowls towards the Pokemon. She then pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, hiding her face.
I'm going to lose them along with Growlie. Only with Growlie it was the Rocket's fault. Now it's going to be mine, Haley thought. She leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, blinking furiously. Then, she felt a paw on her knee. She looked down, and there was Vulpix, looking up at her, eyes shining. Haley took her up unto her arms and sobbed into her fur.
"I'm sorry Vulpix. It's just that.. well, you know I lost my Growlithe a couple years ago. I don't want to lose Ponyta like I lost him. But I got so wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself.. I didn't realize that I was hurting you."
"I understand," Vulpix in her Pokemon language. Haley blinked. Surely.
"Huh?" she said.
"I understand," Vulpix said once again, confused.
Haley's eyes got very wide, and she crawled backwards away.
"LANCE! ASH! MISTY! BROCK!" Haley screamed. They all came running.
"What happened?" Ash asked, confused.
"She can, she can, she can talk!" Haley gasped, pointing at Vulpix.
"Vul?" Vulpix said. But to Haley, it was "Huh?"
"What are you talking about? She's saying 'vul' like she always does," Misty said.
"Vul?" Huh?
"I know what happened," Ash said suddenly.
"What?" the others said in unison.
"You're simply learning her language. I learned with Pikachu. It only happens with the Pokemon you're really, really, close to, namely, your first Pokemon. Don't worry, I freaked out too."
"I can understand Dragonite," Lance said.
"And I Togepi," Misty added.
"I can understand Onix," Brock announced.
"But no one else can, unless they had the same starting Pokemon as you," Ash said.
"And it's normal?" questioned Haley.
"Yup," Ash said, proud that he had taught Haley something, not the other way around.
"Oh," Haley said, feeling extremely stupid. Suddenly she heard a weak whinny from the glass cage. She stood and spun so fast that she knocked Ash down and looked down... into the eyes of Ponyta.
"Ponyta!" Haley exclaimed. Ponyta whickered softly. "Ponyta, you're alive! I'm so glad you pulled through!"
Ponyta was in the intensive care unit. Haley did not leave the glass cage her Pokemon was in for a moment. She did not eat or even drink and did not sleep. Vulpix accompanied her, but left for brief periods of time. She brought Haley glasses of water and snacks from the vending machine in the waiting room, and even brought a pillow once, but it was as though she weren't even there. Lance was getting frustrated. He was worried about her.
"Haley, let's go do something," Lance said.
"Like what?" Haley muttered glumly.
"I dunno.. maybe the lake? All by ourselves, without Ash or Misty or Brock."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"My Pokemon is dying and you really, really expect me to go somewhere for pleasure?" Haley snapped. Vulpix shrank away from her.
"No, but I do expect you to at least eat and drink and sleep. Here, at least let me take you to that restaurant we saw down there," Lance said.
"What part of no do you not understand?!" Haley snapped angrily.
"It's not no that I don't understand. It's why you're saying no. You're stupid if you think that staring at Ponyta is going to make her better. Can't you see? You've lost five pounds and you don't need to lose any weight! Vulpix and Persian are worried about you! Vulpix doesn't understand why you don't pay any attention to her any more when all she's trying to do is help! Does she really need to suffer along with Ponyta? Vulpix is going to pull away from you and Persian is going to as well if you keep this up."
"Just shut up and get out! I can take care of Vulpix myself without you helping!" Haley yelled.
"Now, let me ask you, what part of "You are scaring Vulpix" do you not understand?" Lance yelled back.
Vulpix looked from one to the other, not knowing what to do.
"Just get out! Go!" Haley yelled.
"Fine then, I will! But think about this: your other Pokemon are going to pull away from you if you keep this pathetic 'Oh, pity me, my Ponyta is dying so let me pretend my other Pokemon aren't here' attitude, no matter what you say or do. So are your friends if you keep being mean to them."
"Shut up!"
"GET up!"
"No!"
Vulpix had had enough. Lance was right. A jet of flame issued from her mouth directly into Haley's face, and then she vanished into her Pokeball.
"Look what you've done!" Haley screamed at Lance.
"OH, look at what I'VE done! I warned you!" With that, Lance stormed out.
"Vulpix, come out," Haley said. A beam of red light issued from the Pokeball.. and then withdrew back into it.
"Vulpix, come out!"
Once again, the light withdrew.
"Vulpix, you'd better come out!"
This time Vulpix appeared. But when Haley stretched her arm out to her, Vulpix bit her hand.
"Vulpix!" Haley yelled. "Don't do that!" She grabbed Vulpix by the scruff of her neck, who began to twist wildly.
"Vulpix, don't be so stupid! You know I still care about you!"
Vulpix turned her head, and her eyes were clouded with pain and the feeling of betrayal. They seemed to say, No, YOU don't be stupid. It's not my fault Ponyta was hurt. And it's not yours, so quit acting like it!
Haley sighed. "Vulpix, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized that I was hurting your feelings. You haven't ate yet have you? Persian hasn't either. Come out, Persian." She rummaged in her pack and drew out a bag of Pokéfood, a white bowl with the name Persian on it, and a red bowl with the name Vulpix on it. She poured some food into the bowls, fighting back tears of guilt. She thrust the bowls towards the Pokemon. She then pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, hiding her face.
I'm going to lose them along with Growlie. Only with Growlie it was the Rocket's fault. Now it's going to be mine, Haley thought. She leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, blinking furiously. Then, she felt a paw on her knee. She looked down, and there was Vulpix, looking up at her, eyes shining. Haley took her up unto her arms and sobbed into her fur.
"I'm sorry Vulpix. It's just that.. well, you know I lost my Growlithe a couple years ago. I don't want to lose Ponyta like I lost him. But I got so wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself.. I didn't realize that I was hurting you."
"I understand," Vulpix in her Pokemon language. Haley blinked. Surely.
"Huh?" she said.
"I understand," Vulpix said once again, confused.
Haley's eyes got very wide, and she crawled backwards away.
"LANCE! ASH! MISTY! BROCK!" Haley screamed. They all came running.
"What happened?" Ash asked, confused.
"She can, she can, she can talk!" Haley gasped, pointing at Vulpix.
"Vul?" Vulpix said. But to Haley, it was "Huh?"
"What are you talking about? She's saying 'vul' like she always does," Misty said.
"Vul?" Huh?
"I know what happened," Ash said suddenly.
"What?" the others said in unison.
"You're simply learning her language. I learned with Pikachu. It only happens with the Pokemon you're really, really, close to, namely, your first Pokemon. Don't worry, I freaked out too."
"I can understand Dragonite," Lance said.
"And I Togepi," Misty added.
"I can understand Onix," Brock announced.
"But no one else can, unless they had the same starting Pokemon as you," Ash said.
"And it's normal?" questioned Haley.
"Yup," Ash said, proud that he had taught Haley something, not the other way around.
"Oh," Haley said, feeling extremely stupid. Suddenly she heard a weak whinny from the glass cage. She stood and spun so fast that she knocked Ash down and looked down... into the eyes of Ponyta.
"Ponyta!" Haley exclaimed. Ponyta whickered softly. "Ponyta, you're alive! I'm so glad you pulled through!"