Goh knew he was running late, so he willed his legs and feet to move even faster. He promised Chloe that he would meet up with her to study for the test they both had on Friday, and he'd be damned if he was going to break a promise to her. Even if their plans had been to meet earlier, he only managed to turn up after the sun had set.
If only his pride let him set other matters aside and just focus on that promise.
The air tasted like copper as he knocked on the door to the home of Professor Cerise. It was a bit after hours, so he wasn't sure what his reception would be once he arrived, but he hoped he wasn't as disfigured as he felt.
It was Chloe who opened the door. The look on her face was one of anger and annoyance, but as she took in his features, the sight transitioned through shock and horror into fear and pity.
"Oh my gosh, Goh, what in the world happened to you?!"
He knew he looked awful. His nose was bleeding, and at least one of his eyes was blackened. He only had the distorted reflection of his visage in windows and on windshields of cars to see just what became of him, but he knew he looked downright awful. His lip was busted open and he couldn't tell if the blood he tasted was because of that or the blood from his nose rolling down his face.
"Sorry I'm late…"
He didn't want to shock her with his appearance, but neither did he want to let her down and think he was just going to flake on her again after he'd done just that so many other times. So he decided to take the gamble and decided to head over, anyway.
Chloe grabbed him by the hand and pulled him inside.
"You've got some nerve," she said as she walked him through the Cerise home to the bathroom. "Showing up looking like someone decided to pummel you into the dirt. I was just mad before, and I'd just make you apologize by giving me your dessert at school tomorrow. But you came here looking like THIS?!"
She turned him around so he would face the bathroom mirror, and he saw just how beaten his face really did look. The one eye that wasn't blackened was swollen, and his lip had two cuts in it. The blood from his nose had at least crusted up, but he still looked completely terrible.
"S-Sorry…"
Chloe reached into her pocket and took out a blue handkerchief. Goh recognized it as her own personal handkerchief that she used to tie around her lunch box or to wipe her face clean at school. Here, she ran some warm water over it from the tap and then began wiping Goh's face clean with it.
The blue cloth was quickly becoming stained red.
Chloe's eyes, which he could barely see as the handkerchief ran over his face, had a pained, conflicted look in them.
"Don't apologize yet," she said, looking at him closely. "You still haven't explained what happened."
He swallowed. "Oh, that…" he said. He coughed, tasting a bit of blood, still. "...are your parents and Parker home?"
As he was mentioned, Chloe's little brother poked his head around the corner. "G-Goh?! What happened to you?"
"Parker, can you go get the first aid kit?" Chloe asked. "You know where it is, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. One sec."
Goh looked down sheepishly at his stupid question. Of course they were home.
He turned his head as Chloe ran more warm water over the handkerchief and began washing the blood off that had drizzled down his face. In the darkness, illuminated by the bathroom light, he saw the worried faces of Professor Cerise and his wife as he heard Parker opening some drawers in the kitchen, digging out the first aid kit. Even the family Pokémon, Yamper, had poked his head around the corner to see what was going on. His small eyes widened at the sight, and he tentatively hobbled closer on his short legs.
Once Parker returned, Chloe took the first aid kit from him and asked him to get an ice pack from the freezer. As he turned and left, Chloe rinsed all of Goh's blood from the handkerchief and it returned to it's normal, pleasant blue color since the blood hadn't had time to set and stain it. Then, she took a pair of tweezers and took a cotton swab and dipped it into the hydrogen peroxide in the first aid kit and then used it to dab Goh's wounds. He hissed through his teeth at the stinging, though it didn't truly hurt.
"Most of the bleeding already stopped," she said. "The most we can do now is try to control the swelling."
"Got it," he said, nodding ever so slightly.
Parker returned with the ice pack and handed it to Chloe. She put it inside her handkerchief and handed it to Goh. "Hold this against any part of your face that feels like it hurts," she said.
Goh had nothing more to say, so he simply did as he was instructed.
Chloe took him by the hand once more and walked him into the family's common room with the television set and the dining room table. Chloe's mother turned off the TV as Chloe sat Goh in a chair and took the chair next to him. The Professor and his wife took opposite seats at the table, with Parker flopping down on a Snorlax-shaped bean bag chair in the corner.
Professor Cerise cleared his throat and spoke with a calm, quiet voice.
"What happened, Goh?"
He felt ashamed, having Chloe's family worry about him so openly, but at the same time, he felt relieved that someone was around to help take care of his wounds. If he had gone home, there was about a fifty percent chance Granny Halta would be home and only about a ten percent chance that he'd find his own parents there.
"...I got in a fight after school today," he said.
"Well, doy," Chloe said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she did.
He shot a glance at her with a look that mixed his pain with his sadness, and she went quiet.
Chloe sighed. "...sorry, Goh. I didn't mean it like that."
"It's fine," he said, not really feeling particularly fine.
"Why don't you tell us what the fight was about?" Chloe's mother asked. "Or do you need a glass of water, first?"
"Water would be great," he said. "And… well… it was because these guys kept picking on me and I… I had it, you know?"
He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and he forced them back with what shreds of pride he had remaining.
"Oh, Goh…" Chloe whispered.
"They kept calling me stupid. And a liar," he explained. "You know they've been doing it, Chloe. You're there."
She nodded, her lips turned into a sad frown. "Yeah…"
"It's not my fault they don't believe that I actually saw Mew," he said. "And you know we've gotten to where we've shoved each other around before."
The 'we' in Goh's sentence meant a few of their classmates, led by the class clown Yeardley. He would often tease Goh over his obsession and insistence that he had seen Mew at summer camp, those years ago. When Chloe would stand up for him, they would turn the bullying onto her, and eventually the teacher would get involved, though she usually did nothing to Yeardley but give him a slap on the wrist. Neither Goh nor Chloe were overly fond of him.
But this time, in Goh's estimation, he went too far.
He looked up at Chloe, taking the glass of water from her mother in one hand and holding the ice pack against his face with the other. "Do you remember what he said the other day to me?"
Chloe's eyes flashed with realization. "...You mean… about the docks? Oh, no, Goh, did you really…?"
The incident was one they were both already intimately familiar with. Yeardley had told Goh that there was a sighting of Mew underneath a truck in Vermilion Harbor, and though Chloe had warned him over and over not to go and that it was dangerous, he went and snuck around there anyway in his desperation for a clue to reach the Pokémon. He ended up nearly being crushed by a container being lifted off a shipping freighter and held by the sailors there until Officer Jenny could get in touch with his parents.
The incident came with its own headaches, but thankfully his parents were able to keep this out of the news, given it was as insignificant as it was. It was only a few days ago, and Goh had skipped school until today, where he would see Yeardley again.
Goh knew he had nothing to gain by lying to the girl who had just cleaned his dirty face or her family, so he told them the truth. He sat the emptied glass on the table.
"I found Yeardley after school and I only meant to demand an apology. But he just…"
He could feel the anger boiling up in him again.
"He just made fun of me, instead."
The tears once again threatened to pour down his cheeks, but the cold from the ice pack helped him maintain his focus as well as his pride.
"Yeardley said I was stupid for believing such an obviously fake rumor, and that if the only thing that happened to me was I got scolded, I should count myself lucky. But… I still wanted an apology. I deserve an apology. But he…"
Instead, Yeardley said something that caused Goh's injured pride to quickly ignite into active violence.
"What did he do, Goh?" Chloe asked.
Looking up at the Professor and his wife, it was clear they were letting their daughter take the lead on the matter. They probably figured, Goh reasoned, that he would be more willing to talk to his peer than to an adult, even if they were listening.
"...he asked if I was going to hide behind you again."
It was a difficult thing for a boy and his pride, to have to be protected by a girl. Both Goh and Chloe knew it, even if it was foolish to put a value like that onto their gender. But it was something Yeardley and his friends would often take metaphorical stabs at, and though Chloe knew it hurt Goh's pride to have her stand up for him, she also knew that she couldn't bear to see him hurting, either.
"...oh."
Chloe had nothing else to say. Her cheeks turned a warm pink and she looked away.
"I couldn't let him get away with saying something about you," he said. "You told me not to go to the docks. You didn't do anything worth teasing over. He should have left you out of it. But when he did…"
The world turned red.
"...I jumped him. I punched him so hard, I think I heard his nose crack."
Goh had fought like a young man possessed. He swung his fists with strength he didn't know he possessed, leaving large welts and bruises on the faces of Yeardley and his two friends. Yeardley's bloody nose was proof enough of his fury.
"...but it was three against one," he said. "And after I surprised them, they turned on me, and I hesitated for just one second too long."
Yeardley was the one who gave Goh the black eye, after all. Though he was still wearing his black sweatshirt over his school uniform, there were probably bruises all over his legs and arms from where they had kicked him after they knocked him down.
"...I must have passed out after that. I don't remember if I was hit unconscious or maybe I just cried myself to sleep lying there after school. For whatever reason, no one came by and found me, and when I woke up, I realized I was late coming here to study. I didn't want to worry you."
"I tried calling your phone…" Chloe said quietly. "You didn't answer so I just thought you were flaking on me again." Yamper whined beneath her seat, rubbing up against her leg to try and comfort her.
Goh checked his pockets for the first time since he regained consciousness. His phone was missing. "...they probably took my phone off me after I lost consciousness," he said.
"You're in a tough position," Professor Cerise, setting his own glass on the table. Goh wasn't sure what the amber-colored liquid inside the glass was, but he did see the Professor look at him with calm, resolute eyes. "Since you swung first, you're technically the aggressor here, Goh. A lot of what happened they can say was in self defense."
He nodded. "I understand, sir."
"This sucks," Chloe said, frowning. "They can't just get away with this! They're bullies, each and every one of them! You know they did this to him!"
"Yamp! Yamp!" Yamper barked in agreement.
"But without evidence, there's not a lot we can do," Chloe's father said. "Goh was the only witness who'd give his side of the story. That Yeardley boy and his friends would be able to say anything and it's three against one. They could even say that they found your phone separate from you, if they haven't gotten rid of it somewhere yet."
Goh silently thanked his Mom and Dad for getting insurance on the device. It was likely he'd never see it again.
"...I'm sure they don't want to look bad by getting hurt by Goh, either," Chloe's mother said, scratching her chin. "Maybe they'll all skip school tomorrow and not go back until they're well enough to pretend they weren't hurt?"
"I dunno why you guys are treating this like a loss," Parker said from the corner. "I think Goh's awesome for standing up to bullies like that! I wish I could beat up some of the kids in my class!"
"Parker," Professor Cerise said. "You shouldn't fight. Especially at school."
"Okay, Dad…" he grumbled.
There was a moment of quiet as Parker slouched down into the bean bag chair.
"So what now?" Goh asked, still holding the handkerchief with the ice pack to his face.
"I guess I'll drive you to your home. Your Grandmother is probably there waiting for you, worried sick."
"I'll text her," Chloe said. "I'll let her know what happened."
Goh put a hand on Chloe's wrist. "...please don't tell her I got into a fight."
Chloe looked up at him, and the sympathy in her eyes caught Goh off guard, but she nodded at him.
"Alright."
As she began texting his grandmother, Professor Cerise was putting on his jacket to keep the night's chill off. "Goh, are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," he said.
"Can I come, Dad?" Chloe asked.
"You need to get ready for bed," he replied. "You, too, Parker. It's a school night."
Parker groaned. "Aww, man…"
Goh handed the ice pack-handkerchief combination back to Chloe. She took the pack out of the handkerchief, but then pushed the handkerchief back into his hands.
"You should take this," she said, looking at where their hands were touching.
Goh blinked, though one of his eyes was still swollen. "Why?"
"Just… in case you need it. If you get in another fight, you might need it to clean up afterwards," she said. "I know I can't stop you from doing stuff like that, I just…" She paused, and Goh saw a complex mix of emotions swirl in her eyes.
He thought for a moment that she might start crying, so he took the handkerchief and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe with me," he said. "I'm sure there'll be a time I'll need it, and I'll be thankful for it." He gave her his best, most confident smile, even though he knew she'd be able to see right through his false assurance. He wasn't even sure he'd remember it, later.
She nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Thanks, Goh."
"I should be thanking you," he said.
"Heh… right."
Professor Cerise called to him from the door. "Goh? Are you coming."
"I'll be right there!" he shouted.
As he turned to leave, Chloe put her arms around him from behind, and she pulled him into a hug.
"Good night, Goh," she said.
"Good night, Chloe."
With that, he pulled out of her hug and rushed to the door where Professor Cerise was waiting for him. The night seemed chillier than it was when he had arrived not long before, and he hopped into the passenger side of the car as Professor Cerise climbed into the driver's side.
Goh watched the Cerise home disappear behind them into the night.
It was quiet for some time as they drove. Goh felt ashamed of himself, being forced to rely on Professor Cerise to take him home at this time of night. He wasn't in any position to tell Chloe's father that he'd rather walk home, so he sat in the seat quietly, looking at the lights inside the buildings in Vermilion City as they drove.
Finally, Professor Cerise began to speak.
"I honestly didn't know you had it in you."
Goh turned to him. "Had what in me, sir?" he asked.
"You're a scrapper, just like I was at your age."
"For real?" Goh asked, blinking.
Professor Cerise smirked. "Yeah. I would roughhouse with my friends a lot at your age. We'd just be imitating things we'd seen on TV, and we were all friends afterwards, so it wasn't exactly the same…" He smiled. Goh could see that his mind was drifting through memories.
"As an adult, I should tell you that you shouldn't get into fights," he continued. "As a Professor, I should tell you that not even Pokémon Battles should be used to resolve personal conflicts, so fights between people shouldn't come to blows either. But as a Father…?" He chuckled. "Thank you for standing up for my daughter, Goh. I'm very proud of you."
"Does this mean I'm not in trouble with you?" he asked.
He smirked. "Even if I wanted to do something like tell you that you couldn't see Chloe for a week, she'd just get mad at me for blaming you for something that wasn't your fault," he said.
To that, Goh just laughed. "Yeah, that's Chloe for you…"
The car pulled to a stop outside of the apartment building Goh's family lived in.
"You're a good friend to Chloe, and a brave young man, Goh. I know you were only doing what you thought was right."
He nodded, smiling to himself. "Thank you, sir."
"Now go on. Get up to your family and tell them I said hello."
"Yes, sir."
Goh slipped out of the door and waved to Professor Cerise as he began his drive home. As he stepped into the apartment building and approached the elevator to be carried to his floor, he felt the slightly damp handkerchief still in his pocket, and it filled him with a sense of strength.
All he had to do now was explain things to his parents, himself. The rest would be easy.
Many, many months later, in a far-away corner of the Johto Region, Goh found himself in another dire situation.
"No good. It won't connect."
He frowned at his Rotom Phone. This tree must have been so far out in the country that there was no reception.
Beside him, a legend growled.
He looked over to see the legendary Pokémon Suicune, still feeling weak from their injuries. The nearby Pokémon of the forest seemed to be worried about them as well. Looking over their body, Goh saw that Suicune's leg had several cuts from the poacher's net slicing into it.
"You're wounded…"
When Goh moved his hand to check the severity of the injuries, Suicune lurched upward and bit at him, though the Pokémon's teeth only caught air.
Seeing the injuries reminded Goh of his own reflection he had seen that night, long before he became a Pokémon Trainer. The swollen face and crusted blood was as visible in his mind's eye now as it was on his face, then.
He opened up his backpack and took out a Potion - a special spray medicine for a Pokémon that would disinfect a wound as well as speed its healing.
"It's alright. Just let me see."
He crawled over to Suicune's side and sprayed the wound with the Potion. Suicune hissed in response at the unwelcome sensation.
"Did it sting you?" he asked, a gentle smile on his face. "Sorry about that." The hissing that came from Suicune reminded him of Chloe dabbing his face with the peroxide soaked cotton, and how unpleasant that felt.
Speaking of Chloe, he reached into his back pocket, where he carried the memento of his childhood friend. Ever since the night Chloe had pressed it into his hands, he kept it with him as a sort of lucky charm, an amulet against getting hurt as badly as he was again. Though with Suicune's injuries reminding him of his own, he knew what he should do with it.
"I'm glad I brought this," he said as he tied it around the now healing wounds on Suicune's leg.
"Thank you, Chloe."
He turned and gave Suicune the same gentle smile his friend had given him. Even if he ended up releasing Suicune at the end of this day, he would still have this memory connecting himself, Suicune, and the girl who worried and fussed over him in his heart.
He would have to come up with a better way to thank her, soon.
The story of how Goh ended up with Chloe's handkerchief is something that I wondered about, so I made up my own version for this series. It's sort of a lucky charm Goh keeps to keep himself safe after everything that happened with Yeardley. I hope we get to see what truly happened one day, but we might have to be satisfied with what's in our imaginations. This is another story I wrote before One Who Chases was fully formalized, but it fits right in with the mood, I believe.
The next full book, Chaser and the Rising Mountain, starts next week! See you then!
