A.N. Thanks for reading! I promise that the story will contain more action soon; I will add a new friend soon for Ash to catch! Also, this story will deviate from a realistic situation when Ash goes to the hospital. For example, sending a kid straight in to get stitches without any documentation or anything on that score! It's fiction after all. Lol (Plus I'm too lazy to do research about what they need to fill out) Anyways, enjoy!

The screeching halt of the train pierced the ears of Ash, Erika, Dratini, and Riolu. Ash recalled Riolu back into his ball and clipped the ball to his hip. Erika jumped off the train and noticed that getting Ash down would be far too difficult without the assistance of someone. She released Weepinbell again who let loose two green vines from her side of her body and wrapped them around Ash. She gently lowered Ash to the platform who let out a low moan from the pressure that he applied to his foot.

"Are you ok, Ash?" responded Erika as she wrapped her arm around the boy. And they were walking down the platform when they came across a tall, bulky figure.

"Hey! What are you two kids doing riding in the back?! You know freight hopping is illegal and-Erika? Is that you?"he asked as he gave the blue-haired girl a careful look.

"We had a major accident and this boy's foot got sliced opened, and-" began Erika who was interrupted.

"Wait, how does he know your name?" asked a puzzled Ash.

"Later, Ash. Anyways, his foot needs to be taken care of; it got cut by a Gyarados when he was swimming!" Ash took off his shoe and saw that it was completely drenched in blood. The guard winced at how painful it looked and raised his vision to the two humans.

"I'll contact a security van to escort you to the nearest doctor; I'll let you both go this once,but you two should be grateful that I'm not throwing you both into jail; if this were to enter the media, your image would be ruined, Erika!" he pointed out sternly as he punched in some numbers into a phone.

"An escort will arrive momentarily; hang in there until then," calmly urged the guard. The two trainers sat down on a bench so he wouldn't be on his foot and cause any further pain.

"I'm sorry, but you will more than likely have to get stitches," pointed out Erika with a small frown. "I bet it would be a lot worse than it already is if I hadn't helped."

"I can't believe this is actually happening to me," muttered Ash. "I just wanted to become a trainer and already things look sour."

"You didn't know that Gyarados was going to do that, so you shouldn't blame yourself," said Erika. She raised her head up and saw that a vehicle was approaching. It was a small security cart that could hold only two occupants. With the help of Erika, the man was able to carry him to the cart. The cart was awfully small and by no means could Dratini fit her long body into it.

"I'm sorry, Dratini, but I have to put you in your ball for now," spoke Ash as he took it out of his Pokeball. "I'll let you out when I get through at the doctor's."

She did not resist and got absorbed into her Pokeball.

"What about you, Erika?" inquired Ash with a concerned tone in his voice.

"I'm going to the Pokemon center to get out of the rain; plus I gotta heal my Pokemon after fighting Gyarados," she added. "You should go there, too, after you get checked out! They have a nice cafeteria in the basement!"

"Ok, sounds like a plan," said Ash. The security guard closed the door of the small cart and they drove off.

The ride to the doctor's was not long and it was quiet. The guard asked Ash about his foot and he gave him the brief version of it, and afterward the two remained silent. After about a ten minute drive in the heavy rain, they finally arrived to the hospital.

"So, here we are, I'll go fetch a doctor and have them look at you ASAP," said the guard as he left the boy alone. Ash took the opportunity to tell his mother of what was going on; he did promise he'd call once he arrived to Viridian City, but hopefully with better circumstances.

"Mom, are you there?" started Ash.

"Ash? Honey, where are you? Surely you haven't gotten to Viridian City already?" she asked rhetorically since she believed her own thoughts would answer the question.

"Actually, I am, Mom," he said with a sulky voice. "I got here faster than expected because...well, there's been an accident..."

"What happened? Please, honey, don't keep back any details."

Ash took about a full minute to give her the verdict and she sounded like she was about to cry.

"Do you need me to come and get you? I don't mind at all, honey," she replied sweetly to her son.

"I appreciate the offer, mom, but I have found a traveling companion; her name is Erika and she seems fairly nice," he explained.

"Well, if you insist. You're just growing up so fast! Just tell them to mail the hospital bill to our house and I will take care of it, ok?" she said cheerfully.

"What if it's too much?" he asked worriedly.

"Our insurance will take care of it," she answered. Ash looked and saw that a female doctor appeared with a wheel-chair. "The doctor's come, I'll talk to you later." he closed the Pokegear and opened the door to the security cart and sat down on the wheel-chair. He was pushed into the doctor's office and went into a room. A tall male doctor looked at Ash and had a clipboard, scribbling down notes and stuff.

"So, Ash, I've been told that you were attacked by a wild Gyarados while swimming, which caused this laceration on your foot, am I correct?" he asked as he pointed at Ash's blood-dripping foot. The doctor got some towels prepared as Ash took off his shoe and the material of them was saturated with a serosanguinous fluid. The dripping was not overly severe (about that of a minor nosebleed) and he managed to lift his foot up and set it on a stool while still remained seated in the wheel-chair.

The doctor wiped off a large portion of the blood and got some hydrogen peroxide soaked rags and cleaned the area. Ash began to howl in pain as the solution began to cleanse the exposed flesh on his foot. The doctor analyzed the patient again and put his hand on his chin.

"This wound will require stitches; I will have to call in an anesthesiologist in to numb you while I operate," explained the Doctor.

"How long will the operation last?" inquired Ash.

"Based on this wound, and the amount of experience I have, it shouldn't take any longer than, say, 15 minutes; you will receive short term anesthesia on your foot; now I need to take some measurements," explained the Doctor. He helped pick up Ash and the boy was on an examination table. The doctor pulled out some absorbable sutures and a few other tools, one of them being a ruler. He placed it against Ash's foot and took the measurements down. "At the widest point, it is 4 centimeters, a centimeter deep, and 13 centimeters long. We will begin procedures immediately. Do you wish to be sedated? Just as a word of caution, it may hinder your thinking abilities."

"Awake would be better; could I lie on my stomach or stay on my back?" asked Ash.

"Back would be better since it would be easier to operate on," suggested the Doctor. Ash obeyed and lay down and closed his eyes. The anesthesiologist arrived and numbed his foot.

The doctor began to work on the foot, sewing the tissue together and ensuring that no bacteria or germs would infect the area. Ash was in dream land, picturing himself at the Pokemon League. Before long, he felt a shaking and opened his eyes to see that it was the doctor.

"Your foot is sewn up; we advise using crutches for a day or so to keep pressure off your foot," said the Doctor. And also, we have something to give to you from someone."

He held out a box towards Ash and he opened it. It was a pair of shoes, exactly identical to the ones he had. There was a card inside that read,

"Ash, I would like to tag along with you on your journey. Hopefully, you will be up and on your feet in no time. Be sure to meet me at the Pokemon center once you get out."

Erika

He smiled and saw that next to the shoes was a clean pair of socks. He slid them on over his feet and then did the same with his shoes. The doctor handed him some crutches and Ash signed a few papers. He released Ash and advised him to keep the area well cleaned and to not walk on it for a day or two. The stitches would dissolve in about five days.

Ash headed out of the doctor's building and the rain had stopped. It had actually turned a bright blue with a few grey clouds heading eastwards. Ash saw that across the parking lot was the Pokemon center. He took out his ball and released Dratini.

"Come on out now, girl!" he said, excited to see his Pokemon join his side again.

The teal serpent was very happy to come out of the ball and made a high-pitch squeal to show how happy she was.

"We're going to the Pokemon center now; I need you to make sure I don't fall, ok?" he asked. "Your body is solid muscle; if I fall, I want you to use your body as a cushion to reduce the impact, ok?"

"Sure thing, Ash," she said as she wagged her tail. The Pokemon center was only about 300 feet away. They reached there in about two minutes, Ash skillfully using his crutches to support himself. It was not the first time he had to use them; once at eight, he broke his heel from tripping over a log when camping with his father, so having already been exposed to them gave him an edge in using them. The electronic doors of the Pokemon Center opened and they saw the figure of a blue-haired girl.

"Erika!"

"Ash, thank goodness you're ok!" she responded as she approached him. "I was so worried that you would make it out today, but you put my mind at ease when you walked through those doors. How is your foot feeling?"

"Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. I just gotta use these crutches for a short while and then I can walk again," he explained as he sat down at a table.

"Here, I went down to the cafeteria and got some food; I'm sure you want something different to eat other than just apples and berries!" she chuckled politely as she sat down a bowl of warm miso soup in front of him. She also placed a small portion of chicken and steamed broccoli and carrots. He looked across and saw that she had a small portion of seaweed and shrimp salad. She gave the boy a bottle of water while she drank some grape juice in a bottle.

"The food is very good here," Ash stated.

"Indeed, and one of the better things about Pokemon centers is that trainers get to stay in a room for one night free," she commented as she ingested her food. "You should go heal your Pokemon after you finish eating and you can settle down in a room. I'm getting pretty tired and could use a nap."

"Same here; thanks so much for the food, Erika, and the shoes!" said Ash as he got up and went over to a counter behind which a pink-haired woman stood.

"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center. May I heal your injured party?" she asked very calmly and politely.

"Yes ma'am, and I would also like to stay in one of the rooms tonight," added Ash.

"Certainly; please return your Dratini to its ball and I will need to see identity before I give you a key to a room," she added gently as she took both Pokeballs of Ash and took them to a machine. She pressed several buttons which then caused a soft humming noise and the machine started flashing a dim light. Then the humming stopped and she took the two balls off the machine. She handed them back to Ash and he held his Pokedex to her.

"Your Pokemon are in prime form now; ah, yes, a Pokedex!" She pressed a button and the Pokedex stated that it belonged to Ash Ketchum and could not be replaced if lost or stolen. "Here you go, room number 4 is where you will be staying. It's in that direction." She pointed to Ash's right and saw several wooden doors. He put the key in his pocket and walked over to the room and opened it by turning the knob after introducing its key. He opened the room and saw it was about 14 by 14 feet. It was fairly nice; it had a queen size bed and a few chairs with a table against the wall. He took out his Pokeball and let out Dratini and Riolu.

"Hey guys, looks like we're going to be staying here for the night so my foot can rest a bit; also, I think the weather may get bad again. We will head to Viridian Forest thing tomorrow!" he said confidentially.

"What about your foot? Will you be ok to go through the forest with your crutches?" asked Riolu a bit confused.

"It'll be fine; I'll manage," replied Ash. "I am determined to get to Pewter City in two days and get my first badge!"

"I will help you fight with all I got, Ash!" exclaimed Dratini excitedly as she went over to her trainer and licked his cheek. He giggled and patted her head, causing her to squeak cheerfully.

"What about you, Riolu? Are you gonna give it your best shot?" asked Ash as he looked at the little aura Pokemon look at his face.

"Yes, yes, I will, master," he nodded with a small wag in his tail.

"Good; I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," said Ash with a huge yawn. He turned off the light of the room and got into the comfy bed.

Next chapter preview...

Ash and Erika enter Viridian Forest and Ash catches a new Pokemon. Also, they encounter a duo of rivals who want to steal his rare Pokemon!