Chapter Five: Bridgetown

Hayley reached the safety of the nearby town around midday. Her Zigzagoon's condition was worsening. The Pokémon was in so much pain, the poor thing had closed its eyes and refused to move. The settlement was built on an old bridge – the river beneath having disappeared years ago. Crudely made shacks line up either side of the town's one and only road. Hayley had told her about this place before. Although small, the settlement saw many travellers pass through. The people here will surely not pay too much attention to her, the girl thought. After all, she was just a stranger.

She asked a few of the townsfolk, who in turn directed her to the local physician. Out in the wasteland, healers were rare to come by. Rarer even still were doctors who could treat both humans and Pokémon alike. Luckily for Hayley, the physician in this town just happen to be an incredibly skilled physician able to heal almost all ailments.

"The name's Luke," the doctor remarked.

"Like Saint Luke from the bible?" Hayley queried.

"Well… something like that," the man laughed. "I bet my parents didn't think of that when naming me. A happy accident, perhaps."

"So… can you heal my Ziggy?"

"Your Zigzagoon's in poor shape. What happened to him?"

"A Beedrill attacked us," the girl answered. "We barely got away."

"Those damn critters," Luke cursed. "I see poisonous stings all the time. You'd be surprised just how easy it is to heal. Only need an antidote."

"So you can heal him?

"Of course," the physician said. "But for a price."

"How much?"

"Five caps."

Hayley looked into her wallet. Over the years, her father managed to save around 30 or so caps. Knowing the condition her Pokémon was in, the girl had no choice but to pay up.

"Here's five caps," the girl said, grabbing five caps from the bag and placing them on the table.

"Look," the doctor remarked. "It's going to take some time for the antidote to do its job. Why don't you go down to the bar? I hear Pete's giving a discount on ale."

Hayley left the physician's clinic. The doctor was probably right; it was going to take a while. The girl was hesitant to leave her Zigzagoon, but she knew it was in good hands. Plus, walking for the entire day made Hayley somewhat thirsty. She was eager to try out the town's ale. Her father would occasionally bring back beer during his travels. Although she found alcohol bitter, there was some kind of charm to it.

She wandered down the street. A few people glanced at her, probably trying to work out if they'd seen her before or not. A group of children were playing a game of ball. It child took turns throwing and catching a ball. Even a Bulbasaur joined in on the action. Now and then the children will pass the ball to the Pokemon. The Bulbasaur would then nudge the ball back towards the children using its forehead. The children would get a chuckle out of this every time.

The saloon was on the other side of town – since the town only consisted of one long bridge, it was difficult to get lost. Hayley made her way to the tavern. Besides the large signage, nothing else distinguished the building any of the others. The saloon has hastily been built, using nearby materials. The girl at first thought about knocking on the door. But then she realised just how foolish she would look. Without announcing, Hayley opened the door and entered.

The saloon had a few patrons, men and women of all ages. Each person crowded around the three or so tables, probably discussing rumours and gossip. Hayley approached the counter. Behind the counter was a Charmander. The small, bipedal lizard-like Pokémon breathed flames under a stove. A cook would drop ingredients in before stirring. The innkeeper quickly went to take her order. The man looked to be in his fifties, although in the wasteland it was difficult to tell a person's true age.

"A drink…" she said simply. "What do you serve?"

"Not much, sadly," the innkeeper. "Not after some raiders attacked the brewery. We've a few ales, but not much."

"What happened?" the girl asked, puzzled.

"You don't know?" the man laughed. "Of course you don't. You're strange to these parts."

"Not really," Hayley replied. "My father use to come here."

"You're Lester's daughter," the innkeeper asked. "How's he doing?"

"Dead…"

"Oh," the man said disappointingly. "I won't ask what happened to him."

"Please don't."

"Fine… fine… I won't ask."

"You mentioned raiders?" Hayley asked. "Any idea who they are?"

"A local gang," the man replied. "Petty scum, in my opinion. Been a pest recently. Them and their Pokémon will attack settlements. They don't seem to care, really."

"Know if anyone stole a Miltank?"

"Not really," the innkeeper answered. "But I heard from others these raiders pick on small farms, robbing them blind. As for specific Pokémon, I'm probably not the best person to ask. The guy over there does though? He's a former raider. He'll surely know what's what."

The innkeeper pointed to a man sitting alone at a small table. The man was smoking a cigarette; the smoke covered the corner of the room. Besides him was a Ferroseed, although the spiky Pokémon didn't move. The Ferroseed seemed to be guarding its trainer. Hayley was uncertain to talk to the man. He looked kind of dodgy, she thought. But with her father's Miltank missing, the girl had no choice.

"Hi," the girl asked, somewhat coyly. "Been told you can help me recover a Pokémon?"

"The name's Krey," he smiled. "And no… I can't help."

"Can't?"

"Look, missy," the man replied. "I overheard your conversation with Pete. If you're looking for a stolen Pokémon, there's nothing I can do to help. However those raiders were, they're long gone. So my advice, give up any ambition of getting your Pokémon back."

Defeated, the girl returned to the counter. She quickly gulped the beer, before leaving the saloon. Hayley quickly returned to the clinic. Hopefully, she thought, the treatment would've worked by now.

The antidote had almost done its job, so Hayley decided to check the doctor's bookshelf. To the girl's astonishment, there was no medical book insight. Instead, the shelf was littered with classic fiction books describing events before the bomb. Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mocking Bird, a fantasy novel called Magician; just to name a few. She flicked through one of them fleetingly but was side-tracked by a loud noise. Someone had fired a gun outside. Hayley quickly went outside to see what the commotion was all about.

A raider was in the middle of the street, his arm pulled upwards. He fired another shot, scaring the townspeople. A few fled inside their houses.

"I want ya to hand over yer caps!" the raider yelled. "Do it now, and no one'll be harm."

As the raider sprouted out threats, Cray wandered out of the tavern. He chuckled a bit. Amateur, he thought. Back in his days, he wouldn't be yelling idle threats. He would've razed the town to the ground by now. Things were different. The former raider now knew it was best not to go around destroying things. Burning bridges, he learnt, was never the answer. The man walked into the centre of town, to face the young thug. Cray placed the cigarette on the ground, before smudging it with his boots.

"Told you, kid, to get out of town," he remarked. "Does it appear I need to teach you a lesson?" Cray put his hand on his belt, grabbing hold of a Pokéball.

"Like ya can beat me!" the raider yelled.

"We'll see," muffled Cray. "Ferroseed… time to rumble!"

"Mightyena," the raider spoke to his Pokémon. "Time to ruffle up some feathers, eh?"

The Ferroseed remain the centre of the road, not moving an inch. The raider's Mightyena circled the Pokémon, not sure whether to attack or not. The raider's Pokémon attempt to make a fake attack, pretending to strike the Ferroseed. But this didn't cause the Ferroseed to flinch.

"Don't just hang about!" the raider yelled angrily. "Attack it now!"

Mightyena appeared to nod its head as if he'd been listening. The raider's Pokémon crouched, readying itself to leap upon the opposing Pokémon. Just seconds before the Mightyena pounced on the other Pokémon, however, the Ferroseed tensed itself before letting go. Out of its body shot green thorns, hitting the Mightyena, causing the raider's Pokémon to fall back. The Mightyena whimpered before returning to its trainer.

"What the fuck was that?" the raider yelled, kicking his own Pokémon.

"Learnt your lesson yet," Cray said, sarcastically.

Not knowing how to respond, the raider picked his injured Pokémon before fleeing the town. Cray laughed. What an idiot, he thought. But they were getting more desperate. This worried the man. What could be happening to cause this? Before the townsfolk rallied around him, Cray decided it was best to return to the tavern… and probably finish his well-earnt ale.

Hayley also retreated inside, now checking on her Pokémon again. Luke was stroking the Zigzagoon, trying his best to calm the Pokémon.

"He should rest for now," the doctor said. "You can stay here tonight. I'm sure your Zigzagoon will be better in the morning."

Hayley thanked the doctor. That night she barely slept, and instead stayed next to her Pokémon, worried he was going to worsen again.