"Alas.. another dead trainer.. where have the peaceful times gone?"
"Ah, don't mope. What've you got to mope about?"
"Nothing. But this one showed so much promise.. What do you think?"
"What do you mean, what do I think? You're the one in charge of this kinda stuff."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Oh. Well.. I suppose we can make an exception for this one. His soul still hasn't left his body.. but the bones're gonna be a problem."
"No problem. Give me ten minutes."
"Wait! Wait! Get him to the surface first!"
"I'm trying! He's too heavy! Get that Goldeen over there!"
"Umf.. umf.. why'd you have to pick the heaviest one, and the one that's underwater?"
"Don't worry about it. We're getting him up there.. almost.. almost.. AH! Fresh air! Smell the salt of the sea!"
"Knock it off. We've got so much to do and so little time. Well? Bring him back to life!"
"I'm working on it! I'm working on it! ... ... ... Ah! There we go! He's alive! He's got a pulse! HE'S ALIVE!"
"Knock it off. He won't be alive long unless we can heal him. Help me out here, it's a compound fracture.."
"All fixed. Man, you're getting rusty."
"I told you to knock it off."
"Sorry."
"How're we gonna get him to Cianwood?"
"The same way we travel. It'll just be like.. with some extra baggage."
"Oh, yes, with extra baggage. More extra baggage than we can carry. Doesen't he have a Pidgeot?"
"Yeah. I'll call him.."
"What's taking so long?"
"I dunno. Give me a break, will ya?"
"Oh. There he is. Sorry."
"Yeah, right. Okay. Well.. there he goes. It's only a shame he couldn't see us. You know how those humans are."
"Yeah. They see rare Pokemon, and they go nuts."
"Haha.. yeah, I remember the last one we found."
"Ah, well. Wave goodbye!"
"Farewell!"
"Goodbye!"
--------
"No.. I don't want to get up.. turn off that light.. it's not time for school yet.." Eric muttered, slowly opening his eyes. His vision was nearly blinded by the bright sun above him, and he covered his eyes, letting out a sharp groan. He had a splitting headache.. but he paused in mid-groan.. wasn't he.. dead? There was no way in hell anyone could survive a fall like that. Perhaps.. he was in heaven?
POKE! "Is it.. dead?"
Eric opened his eyes, looking up at the junior trainer, who quickly screeched and ran off. Groggily, he lifted himself up off the sand.. he didn't need a mirror to tell that he looked horrible, because he felt as horrible as he probably looked. His body and clothes felt wet from the changing tides, and his back was matted with sand. Basically, he felt like he had had too much to drink, and had passed out on the beach. He looked around, and noticed his Pidgeot, who was keeping lookout for him. Obviously, it found no threat in the junior trainer before, so it didn't drive him off.
"Woah.. eh.." Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. He staggered back and forth, trying to keep his balance. "Where.. am I?"
For a moment, he stood, staring out at the ocean, his vision still blurry, but now coming into focus, despite his splitting headache. He brought up his wrist, which contained his Pokegear.. surprisingly, it was still there, and working. When they said waterproof, they meant it. The map read 'Cianwood Island', and the time read, '5:12 PM'. He shook his head, and slowly turned to the right, following the map from his current location. If he was correct, he'd be able to hobble into Cianwood and get some help. He heard his Pidgeot take flight, and he looked up.. true to his guess, his Pidgeot was circling over his head.
After a few unsuccessful attempts to walk normally, he was soon walking at a slow pace.. and not soon after, he heard voices. He leaned against the nearest boulder, and listened the voices to see if they were approaching. After a moment, he concluded they weren't moving. He continued to listen, closing his eyes, waiting for a right moment to cry out for help.
"And so.. though no body was found.. we lay the trainer, Eric Malone, to rest. In his living days, he was a brave, caring trainer.. and will be forever remembered as the trainer that dissolved Team Rocket!" the voice yelled, and Eric blinked. If he wasn't mistaken, that was his name that was called. He opened his mouth, and yelled, 'Hey! Help me out, over here!', but his attempt was drowned out by what seemed like a twenty-one gun salute. He cringed painfully, as his headache grew worse with the proximity of the noise. The sounds of footsteps on the sand was soon replaced by the sounds of sobbing.
"Yes.. Eric was an excellent trainer.. He definetely redeemed himself for stealing his Pokedex by his actions against Team Rocket," Eric heard Falkner say with a sigh.
With much effort, Eric pushed away from the boulder, and staggered towards the tall stone wall in which the voices were coming from around the corner. He could tell he was near the town, but he felt his power failing him. With one last burst of energy, he managed to push himself past the corner, where he promptly fell to the sand. Everything went silent the second he hit the ground. The sobbing stopped, and Eugene, who had begun to say his last words for the makeshift funeral, had stopped.
"Oh my god.." he heard Mistral mutter, and he heard the sound of a body hitting the sand. Obviously, Mistral had fainted.
"Dear lord.. How.. what.. I.." Slowking muttered, rushing towards his trainer. "This does not seem possible! Has my beloved master arisen from the dead?!"
"No, he's not dead.. he's still alive," Bugsy muttered, nodding to Falkner, who helped lift him up. "But i'm just as surprised as you are."
"Well, let's get him to the hospital.. and bring Mistral too, Whitney," Falkner muttered. "I can't believe she fainted.."
---------
When Eric slowly awoke, his eyes were greeted by another bright light.. this time, it wasn't the sun. He wanted to look around, but doing so simply prompted a sharp pain to register through his skull. He gave a low groan.. and only seconds after that, felt feminine arms wrap around his body. He closed his eyes again.. licking his parched lips.. only to realize that he couldn't. He tried to hold back the gag reflex.. noting the feeding tube sticking out of his mouth. He heard a familiar female voice.. one that belonged to every Nurse Joy since the dawn of time, so it seemed.
"Oh.. you've awoken. Please.. just relax for a moment, so I can get that out. Just relax your throat.." Nuse Joy cooed, trying to get him to relax. It wasn't easy. He had a big plastic tube all the way down his throat. Still, he managed to relax after a minute.. and with the relaxation, came the uprising of the tube, and a similar uprising of bile in his throat. Luckily, the nurse predicted it.. and managed to catch his head in the wastebasket as he vomitted what he hadn't digested that came through the tube.
Once he'd recovered from it.. he took the glass of water nearest his, uncaring of whose it was, taking a deep sip from it. It was then a face came into view.. and he opened his eyes to see it. He knew, as the light had dimmed slightly. "Mistral.."
"I'm here.." She whispered, running a hand through his hair gently. "I have been this entire time."
"How long?" He inquired, slowly tilting his head towards the affections of the female standing over him.
Mistral thought for a few moments, her eyes turning towards the near-by calendar. "Two and a half weeks, atleast." She smiled apologetically. "Falkner, Bugsy.. everyone went home, except for me. I have no home."
"Edd too?"
"No. Edd's training at the moment. Said he wants to be better than you when wake up. I think he just might be."
Eric smirked weakly. "Yeah. I doubt that."
"Eitherways, you still have a while to recouperate. I don't think you'll be able to sign up for the Pokemon League." Mistral sighed gently, slowly shifting to sit on the edge of the bed.
Eric heaved a heavy sigh. "I planned perfectly.. to be there, be ready.." He sighed again.. reaching up a trembling hand to rub his forehead. The door opening prompted a glance in that direction. Eugene had appeared in the doorway, glancing from Mistral to Eric.
"You'll want to see this, Eric." Eugene murmured, moving to the TV on the other side of the room, turning it on and scrolling up to channel 8.
A lovely blue-haired woman appeared on the screen, holding some papers, and an attractive smile; obviously a news anchor. "This just in.. we have a live TV crew at Cianwood Hospital, where they've found the Violet City murderer. According to our reports, the man responsible was none other than Eric Malone, a trainer from New Bark Town. Though he is not armed and dangerous, several gym leaders have converged on this one spot to keep the police away while he recovers. More information as it comes. In other news, Team Rocket has been dissolved.."
The TV was turned off, and Eugene turned back to Eric. "We've got to get out of here. Can't you get better anytime soon?"
"Yeah. If I was a freak or something." Eric defended himself, rubbing his forehead. He slowly moved to sit up.. Mistral's slender arms helping him in his task. "Thanks."
"Falkner, and Bugsy are still down there guarding the hospital entrance. Whitney hasn't returned from the Pokemon Center yet." Eugene explained, throwing Eric his backpack.
The tell-tale red light summoned up Erics' majestic Pidgeot. Its wings spread and it let out a bit of a chirp, before moving towards the window. The window was opened by Eugene's hands.. and the Pidgeot climbed out onto the windowsill. "We had you moved up to the top floor for just this reason." Eugene explained, helping Eric get to the window. "Watch out for the first step. It's a doozy."
"Isn't there an easier way? Like a plea bargain? I'm sick of running.." Eric sighed, slowly stepping out onto the windowsill.
"Well, yes, if you want to fry. Go ahead. Onto the Pidgeot." Eugene pushed him.. Mistral watching with worry. The Pidgeot's large body caught Eric easily.. and with a flap of strong wings, the Pidgeot took off.
-----------
"Look! Up there! It's a Pidgeot!" One of the by-standers yelled, pointing up at the top-floor window in plain sight from the ground below. An Officer Jenny pulled out her binoculars, looking up at the Pidgeot.
"That's the convicted! He's trying to escape! Concentrate the Growlithe on that Pidgeot!"
-----------
"Damn.. I was hoping this'd be easier.." Eric murmured, watching the thick stream of fire miss the right wing of his bird Pokemon by inches. The ocean was visible from all sides.. but that still wasn't any help. "Head west, Pidgeot. We'll meet up with the others later in Goldenrod." Dodging a few more blasts of fire from the Growlithe below, the Pidgeot set a path easily and streaked off towards the city fast enough to require Eric to have to hold on for his life.
In only a few minutes, his Pidgeot finally slowed over the city of Goldenrod, and landed softly infront of the Gym. Oddly enough, there was a familiar face waiting for him. "Wow. You look like hell still."
"Whitney?" Eric slowly slid off his Pidgeot, and onto legs that hadn't seen much action in the past week. They shook with the strain of having to support his weight, but he managed to keep himself standing. "I need somewhere to rest."
"I know. Falkner just called and told me you'd be arriving soon. You might want to get inside before anyone notices you." Whitney walked over towards Eric, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and stuck her head beneath his left armpit. A firemans carry. She helped him slowly into the grassy gym. It was then he realized how lucky he truly was. Everything seemed to have a new meaning now. He realized that through all the things he'd done, he took for granted all the people and things that'd gotten him this far. Still, he said nothing as he felt the soft bed against his back. "Now, you just stay here and rest for now. You'll be safe here for a few days."
"Thank you, Whitney." Eric murmured lowly, looking up at her for a few moments. He shifted slightly to get comfortable, watching her turn and start to walk away. "Something on your mind?"
Whitney stopped, raising a hand to more or less brace herself against the door to her room, lowering her head slightly. "Not as much as you, i'm sure. We're just all intent on having you compete against all the gym leaders and becoming the new champion." She slowly glanced back at him. "You're destined to be the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time."
Normally, Eric would've scoffed at the idea or laughed, but instead, he sat back to reflect, watching Whitney bounce out of the room before turning to look out the high-set window.
-----------
"How can this be, hm? How can he dissolve Team Rocket and escape the police AND death? Do either of you know?" the shadowy figure murmured, turning to whom he addressed, taking a puff of his cigar. "How is this possible?"
The two other figures kneeled down and lowered their heads. "We aren't sure, but we've got operatives on it. We'll find out where he is."
"I want him killed. He's becoming much too dangerous for his own good.. and ours. What have Teams Aqua and Magma been doing? I want a report."
The second figure coughed gently to clear his throat. "Team Aqua has been doing some research into the myths of Mt. Pyre, as have Team Magma. There seems to be a huge dash for something there but it seems neither of them know what. You know how it is. It's a constant struggle for power over there."
"Hoenn.. that's where we should concentrate for now. Let's not worry about Johto, but keep me posted on the situation in Kanto." the shadowy figure murmured between puffs on his cigar. "And I want that boys head on a plate."
-----------
End Chapter 18
"Ah, don't mope. What've you got to mope about?"
"Nothing. But this one showed so much promise.. What do you think?"
"What do you mean, what do I think? You're the one in charge of this kinda stuff."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Oh. Well.. I suppose we can make an exception for this one. His soul still hasn't left his body.. but the bones're gonna be a problem."
"No problem. Give me ten minutes."
"Wait! Wait! Get him to the surface first!"
"I'm trying! He's too heavy! Get that Goldeen over there!"
"Umf.. umf.. why'd you have to pick the heaviest one, and the one that's underwater?"
"Don't worry about it. We're getting him up there.. almost.. almost.. AH! Fresh air! Smell the salt of the sea!"
"Knock it off. We've got so much to do and so little time. Well? Bring him back to life!"
"I'm working on it! I'm working on it! ... ... ... Ah! There we go! He's alive! He's got a pulse! HE'S ALIVE!"
"Knock it off. He won't be alive long unless we can heal him. Help me out here, it's a compound fracture.."
"All fixed. Man, you're getting rusty."
"I told you to knock it off."
"Sorry."
"How're we gonna get him to Cianwood?"
"The same way we travel. It'll just be like.. with some extra baggage."
"Oh, yes, with extra baggage. More extra baggage than we can carry. Doesen't he have a Pidgeot?"
"Yeah. I'll call him.."
"What's taking so long?"
"I dunno. Give me a break, will ya?"
"Oh. There he is. Sorry."
"Yeah, right. Okay. Well.. there he goes. It's only a shame he couldn't see us. You know how those humans are."
"Yeah. They see rare Pokemon, and they go nuts."
"Haha.. yeah, I remember the last one we found."
"Ah, well. Wave goodbye!"
"Farewell!"
"Goodbye!"
--------
"No.. I don't want to get up.. turn off that light.. it's not time for school yet.." Eric muttered, slowly opening his eyes. His vision was nearly blinded by the bright sun above him, and he covered his eyes, letting out a sharp groan. He had a splitting headache.. but he paused in mid-groan.. wasn't he.. dead? There was no way in hell anyone could survive a fall like that. Perhaps.. he was in heaven?
POKE! "Is it.. dead?"
Eric opened his eyes, looking up at the junior trainer, who quickly screeched and ran off. Groggily, he lifted himself up off the sand.. he didn't need a mirror to tell that he looked horrible, because he felt as horrible as he probably looked. His body and clothes felt wet from the changing tides, and his back was matted with sand. Basically, he felt like he had had too much to drink, and had passed out on the beach. He looked around, and noticed his Pidgeot, who was keeping lookout for him. Obviously, it found no threat in the junior trainer before, so it didn't drive him off.
"Woah.. eh.." Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. He staggered back and forth, trying to keep his balance. "Where.. am I?"
For a moment, he stood, staring out at the ocean, his vision still blurry, but now coming into focus, despite his splitting headache. He brought up his wrist, which contained his Pokegear.. surprisingly, it was still there, and working. When they said waterproof, they meant it. The map read 'Cianwood Island', and the time read, '5:12 PM'. He shook his head, and slowly turned to the right, following the map from his current location. If he was correct, he'd be able to hobble into Cianwood and get some help. He heard his Pidgeot take flight, and he looked up.. true to his guess, his Pidgeot was circling over his head.
After a few unsuccessful attempts to walk normally, he was soon walking at a slow pace.. and not soon after, he heard voices. He leaned against the nearest boulder, and listened the voices to see if they were approaching. After a moment, he concluded they weren't moving. He continued to listen, closing his eyes, waiting for a right moment to cry out for help.
"And so.. though no body was found.. we lay the trainer, Eric Malone, to rest. In his living days, he was a brave, caring trainer.. and will be forever remembered as the trainer that dissolved Team Rocket!" the voice yelled, and Eric blinked. If he wasn't mistaken, that was his name that was called. He opened his mouth, and yelled, 'Hey! Help me out, over here!', but his attempt was drowned out by what seemed like a twenty-one gun salute. He cringed painfully, as his headache grew worse with the proximity of the noise. The sounds of footsteps on the sand was soon replaced by the sounds of sobbing.
"Yes.. Eric was an excellent trainer.. He definetely redeemed himself for stealing his Pokedex by his actions against Team Rocket," Eric heard Falkner say with a sigh.
With much effort, Eric pushed away from the boulder, and staggered towards the tall stone wall in which the voices were coming from around the corner. He could tell he was near the town, but he felt his power failing him. With one last burst of energy, he managed to push himself past the corner, where he promptly fell to the sand. Everything went silent the second he hit the ground. The sobbing stopped, and Eugene, who had begun to say his last words for the makeshift funeral, had stopped.
"Oh my god.." he heard Mistral mutter, and he heard the sound of a body hitting the sand. Obviously, Mistral had fainted.
"Dear lord.. How.. what.. I.." Slowking muttered, rushing towards his trainer. "This does not seem possible! Has my beloved master arisen from the dead?!"
"No, he's not dead.. he's still alive," Bugsy muttered, nodding to Falkner, who helped lift him up. "But i'm just as surprised as you are."
"Well, let's get him to the hospital.. and bring Mistral too, Whitney," Falkner muttered. "I can't believe she fainted.."
---------
When Eric slowly awoke, his eyes were greeted by another bright light.. this time, it wasn't the sun. He wanted to look around, but doing so simply prompted a sharp pain to register through his skull. He gave a low groan.. and only seconds after that, felt feminine arms wrap around his body. He closed his eyes again.. licking his parched lips.. only to realize that he couldn't. He tried to hold back the gag reflex.. noting the feeding tube sticking out of his mouth. He heard a familiar female voice.. one that belonged to every Nurse Joy since the dawn of time, so it seemed.
"Oh.. you've awoken. Please.. just relax for a moment, so I can get that out. Just relax your throat.." Nuse Joy cooed, trying to get him to relax. It wasn't easy. He had a big plastic tube all the way down his throat. Still, he managed to relax after a minute.. and with the relaxation, came the uprising of the tube, and a similar uprising of bile in his throat. Luckily, the nurse predicted it.. and managed to catch his head in the wastebasket as he vomitted what he hadn't digested that came through the tube.
Once he'd recovered from it.. he took the glass of water nearest his, uncaring of whose it was, taking a deep sip from it. It was then a face came into view.. and he opened his eyes to see it. He knew, as the light had dimmed slightly. "Mistral.."
"I'm here.." She whispered, running a hand through his hair gently. "I have been this entire time."
"How long?" He inquired, slowly tilting his head towards the affections of the female standing over him.
Mistral thought for a few moments, her eyes turning towards the near-by calendar. "Two and a half weeks, atleast." She smiled apologetically. "Falkner, Bugsy.. everyone went home, except for me. I have no home."
"Edd too?"
"No. Edd's training at the moment. Said he wants to be better than you when wake up. I think he just might be."
Eric smirked weakly. "Yeah. I doubt that."
"Eitherways, you still have a while to recouperate. I don't think you'll be able to sign up for the Pokemon League." Mistral sighed gently, slowly shifting to sit on the edge of the bed.
Eric heaved a heavy sigh. "I planned perfectly.. to be there, be ready.." He sighed again.. reaching up a trembling hand to rub his forehead. The door opening prompted a glance in that direction. Eugene had appeared in the doorway, glancing from Mistral to Eric.
"You'll want to see this, Eric." Eugene murmured, moving to the TV on the other side of the room, turning it on and scrolling up to channel 8.
A lovely blue-haired woman appeared on the screen, holding some papers, and an attractive smile; obviously a news anchor. "This just in.. we have a live TV crew at Cianwood Hospital, where they've found the Violet City murderer. According to our reports, the man responsible was none other than Eric Malone, a trainer from New Bark Town. Though he is not armed and dangerous, several gym leaders have converged on this one spot to keep the police away while he recovers. More information as it comes. In other news, Team Rocket has been dissolved.."
The TV was turned off, and Eugene turned back to Eric. "We've got to get out of here. Can't you get better anytime soon?"
"Yeah. If I was a freak or something." Eric defended himself, rubbing his forehead. He slowly moved to sit up.. Mistral's slender arms helping him in his task. "Thanks."
"Falkner, and Bugsy are still down there guarding the hospital entrance. Whitney hasn't returned from the Pokemon Center yet." Eugene explained, throwing Eric his backpack.
The tell-tale red light summoned up Erics' majestic Pidgeot. Its wings spread and it let out a bit of a chirp, before moving towards the window. The window was opened by Eugene's hands.. and the Pidgeot climbed out onto the windowsill. "We had you moved up to the top floor for just this reason." Eugene explained, helping Eric get to the window. "Watch out for the first step. It's a doozy."
"Isn't there an easier way? Like a plea bargain? I'm sick of running.." Eric sighed, slowly stepping out onto the windowsill.
"Well, yes, if you want to fry. Go ahead. Onto the Pidgeot." Eugene pushed him.. Mistral watching with worry. The Pidgeot's large body caught Eric easily.. and with a flap of strong wings, the Pidgeot took off.
-----------
"Look! Up there! It's a Pidgeot!" One of the by-standers yelled, pointing up at the top-floor window in plain sight from the ground below. An Officer Jenny pulled out her binoculars, looking up at the Pidgeot.
"That's the convicted! He's trying to escape! Concentrate the Growlithe on that Pidgeot!"
-----------
"Damn.. I was hoping this'd be easier.." Eric murmured, watching the thick stream of fire miss the right wing of his bird Pokemon by inches. The ocean was visible from all sides.. but that still wasn't any help. "Head west, Pidgeot. We'll meet up with the others later in Goldenrod." Dodging a few more blasts of fire from the Growlithe below, the Pidgeot set a path easily and streaked off towards the city fast enough to require Eric to have to hold on for his life.
In only a few minutes, his Pidgeot finally slowed over the city of Goldenrod, and landed softly infront of the Gym. Oddly enough, there was a familiar face waiting for him. "Wow. You look like hell still."
"Whitney?" Eric slowly slid off his Pidgeot, and onto legs that hadn't seen much action in the past week. They shook with the strain of having to support his weight, but he managed to keep himself standing. "I need somewhere to rest."
"I know. Falkner just called and told me you'd be arriving soon. You might want to get inside before anyone notices you." Whitney walked over towards Eric, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and stuck her head beneath his left armpit. A firemans carry. She helped him slowly into the grassy gym. It was then he realized how lucky he truly was. Everything seemed to have a new meaning now. He realized that through all the things he'd done, he took for granted all the people and things that'd gotten him this far. Still, he said nothing as he felt the soft bed against his back. "Now, you just stay here and rest for now. You'll be safe here for a few days."
"Thank you, Whitney." Eric murmured lowly, looking up at her for a few moments. He shifted slightly to get comfortable, watching her turn and start to walk away. "Something on your mind?"
Whitney stopped, raising a hand to more or less brace herself against the door to her room, lowering her head slightly. "Not as much as you, i'm sure. We're just all intent on having you compete against all the gym leaders and becoming the new champion." She slowly glanced back at him. "You're destined to be the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time."
Normally, Eric would've scoffed at the idea or laughed, but instead, he sat back to reflect, watching Whitney bounce out of the room before turning to look out the high-set window.
-----------
"How can this be, hm? How can he dissolve Team Rocket and escape the police AND death? Do either of you know?" the shadowy figure murmured, turning to whom he addressed, taking a puff of his cigar. "How is this possible?"
The two other figures kneeled down and lowered their heads. "We aren't sure, but we've got operatives on it. We'll find out where he is."
"I want him killed. He's becoming much too dangerous for his own good.. and ours. What have Teams Aqua and Magma been doing? I want a report."
The second figure coughed gently to clear his throat. "Team Aqua has been doing some research into the myths of Mt. Pyre, as have Team Magma. There seems to be a huge dash for something there but it seems neither of them know what. You know how it is. It's a constant struggle for power over there."
"Hoenn.. that's where we should concentrate for now. Let's not worry about Johto, but keep me posted on the situation in Kanto." the shadowy figure murmured between puffs on his cigar. "And I want that boys head on a plate."
-----------
End Chapter 18