National Park of Memories, Chapter 32
My first stop was the Goldenrod Department Store. I hadn't shopped for supplies since Violet City, and with most of Azalea Town shut down because of Team Rocket, I had traveled through Ilex Forest on rations, pretty much. Plus, I had plenty of new cash from my Pokemon battles along the way. And Mom would pitch a fit if she knew I was running around without 'healthy' food.
The Goldenrod Department Store wasn't much different from the one in Celadon City. The first floor was the reception and information area, with the real stores on the higher floors. After finding out where the trainer supplies were, I took the escalator up (there were no elevators this time) to the floor and got right to buying. Unlike the Celadon store, there was more than enough space to walk around in this one, so Vulpix got to join me as I shopped.
Once I was finished, and my bag was heavier than ever, I left via the northern city gate. Route 35 connected to Route 36, which led to Violet City's western district. Just north of Route 36 was the National Park, which would be one of the destinations Rebecca and I would visit soon as we joined up. But before I was able to arrive at Violet City, I got caught up with some rather odd Pokemon along the way.
At the intersection of Route 35 and 36, a line of trees had somehow sprung up across the grassy road. With this being such a well-traveled route, I wondered just how whole trees had been able to grow like this. There were a few trainers trying to squeeze past the line of trees, but for some reason they weren't able to. These weren't fat trainers, either; and there was plenty of space between the skinny trees for anyone to squeeze through.
"What's going on?" I asked the first trainer I could find.
"We got some rare Pokemon blocking the road," the boy said, a teenager wearing typical 'cool' trainer gear. I looked at the trees again, this time watching as the tree's trunk somehow moved to keep someone from passing!
"What the!? What are they?"
"Sudowoodo. Must be a herd on the move, and they stopped to rest here. I'm not exactly sure how we'll move them." Both the boy and myself watched as yet another trainer tried to pass unsuccessfully. I pulled out my Pokedex and scanned one of the tree Pokemon.
"Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokemon. It disguises itself as a tree to avoid attack. It hates water, so it will disappear if it starts raining."
"It hates water?" I looked up at the trees. They didn't have more than a few patches of green... leaves? I couldn't even be sure they were leaves. Still, if it hated water, why not just spray it with some?
"I don't have any water types on me," said the trainer to my left. I looked at the few others around me, and none of them had water types either. I was out of luck, too. But I did have something else: I released Clefairy.
"Clefairy, use Metronome on that tree!"
She looked at her target, then back at me. She didn't quite understand, but still she waved one finger at the tree. Out of no where, a spray of fire engulfed one of the trees. A few trainers were also almost caught in the blast.
"I'm sorry!" I said to them, blushing a bit. "Clefairy, try again! We need water!"
She nodded, and waved her finger around again. I don't know if she could control the power at will, or we just got lucky, but this time, she delivered. Seemingly out of thin air, a torrent of water shot into the sky, before crashing down on the herd of Sudowoodo. The torrent also soaked most of the people around, myself included.
Upon feeling the cool water, the trees all started to shake violently. Their 'roots' sprung from the ground, and a pair of eyes opened up on each of the trees before us. The Sudowoodo weren't happy at being soaked, and they looked ready to retaliate. I checked my Pokedex again, and saw they were rock type critters.
The trainers around me released various Pokemon, making me a bit sad I couldn't scan each and every one of them for the Pokedex. Still, what mattered now was dealing with these rampaging trees.
"Vulpix, hold them back with Flamethrower!"
Vulpix stepped up to take Clefairy's place, and blasted a few of the Sudowoodo with her fire. It might not have been effective, but it was enough to deter them. The boy next to me had released a large yellow Pokemon I didn't recognize, and was ready to fight back.
"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!"
The Pokemon had a ring of buds around its neck, which released a swarm of sharp leaves towards the Sudowoodo herd. The tree Pokemon took this attack more seriously, and turned to retreat into the forest nearby. The other trainers were also having success in pushing back the Pokemon, with one of them even managing to capture a Sudowoodo for themselves. Once the last of the critters were gone, I recalled Clefairy and let out a sigh.
"That was something," I commented to the boy next to me. He put away his own Pokemon, meaning I couldn't scan it. I let out another sigh.
"Good thing you had your Clefairy. Wouldn't have been able to get past these things without her." He started towards Violet City.
"Heading to Violet City?" I asked, running up after him. He looked down at me, which was the first time I realized he was at least two heads taller.
"Yeah. You too?"
"Yup! Going to meet up with a friend there. My name's Star, by the way." I said with a smile. The teen smiled back at me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Alan."
"So you don't mind some company?"
"Nope. Let's go."
~o~
We arrived at Violet City later than anticipated. Along the way, I had to stop a few times because my temporary travel companion Alan wanted to chase after wild Pokemon along the sides of the road. I didn't have any problem with this, since I wasn't exactly in a rush to get back to Rebecca anyway. Plus, it was a chance to see another trainer in action, and scan a few more Pokemon for the Pokedex. He ended up catching a couple new critters, and I got to scan them all, as well as most of his team.
Once we arrived, Alan and I went our separate ways. Normally, my first stop was the Pokemon Center, but I figured I'd surprise Rebecca at her place. If I was lucky enough, she'd even invite me to stay for dinner, as well as the night! I was sure staying with her would be much more comfortable than the Pokemon Center, anyway.
It was a pleasant enough surprise for her. I had been gone for over a week, so she was getting a bit worried. And as any friend would do, she asked how it all went in Azalea Town and Goldenrod City, as well as what took me so long. I struggled to decide whether or not to share what had happened with Team Rocket, both at Azalea Town and Goldenrod. It would be a dark cloud hanging over me for the rest of my life, and a dark mark on my history as a trainer. And one I'd have to face eventually. So I shared what happened along the way.
"My goodness, Star! I'm so sorry!" She said to me as we had dinner. As I had hoped, she invited me to stay at her place for dinner and overnight. I took the chance to call Mom as well, since my Pokegear's phone function was still messed up from the incident at the Union Cave.
"It's okay," I told her, "I'll find them one day, I just know it. More importantly, I've been trying to track down that red haired trainer. Has he been around here?"
"I don't get out of Sprout Tower very much, so if he came back through I wouldn't know. I don't see why, though; he said he came from New Bark Town the first time he was here."
"Really? That means he'd probably head north, next. You think he's going for the gym badges?" I asked. Rebecca shrugged, taking another bite from her dinner.
"Could be," she said, trying to swallow fast enough to continue talking. "Little thief probably hopes to use Lapras to win easy."
"I just hope Lapras is doing okay. He was pretty mean to his other Pokemon." The thought of him taking a stick to Lapras when he didn't pay attention floated in my mind.
"People like that shouldn't be allowed to have Pokemon," said Rebecca, not letting the sad thoughts kill her appetite. "Someone should stand up for Pokemon."
"So, where will I be sleeping?"
"You want to go to bed already? It's barely nine!"
"You didn't spend all day walking through the fields. I'm tired!" Rebecca broke away from her food, walking over to the other side of the room. She pulled out a few blankets from the closet, and brought them over to the couch where she had been sitting. After throwing a few of the blankets over it, as well as a pillow on one end, she handed me another blanket.
"There you go! Not much, but I'm afraid I don't have another bed to spare."
"It's okay, I'm sure it'll be more comfortable than staying at the center. Be sure to rest up, I'd like to leave early tomorrow."
"Early? How early?" Rebecca didn't like the idea, it seemed. Maybe she wasn't a morning person?
"Soon as I wake up, not sure what time." I had lost track of time in general ever since I started traveling back in Kanto. When you're on the road, it just doesn't seem as important anymore. There's only morning, noon and night.
"Okay, you're the boss. I'll see you tomorrow." Rebecca gathered her leftovers, carrying them into her room down the hall. Vulpix attacked my own leftovers on the table, while I slipped into the makeshift bed on the couch.
"Good night, Vulpix. Don't overeat." Of course, whether or not she'd pay attention to that order was a mystery I let slide as I drifted away.
~o~
National Park, a beautiful little piece of paradise, sat between Violet, Goldenrod, and Ecruteak cities. Normally a nice place for trainers to hang out and relax, Rebecca and I ended up going on the same day the park was holding a special contest. Another bit of luck I seemed to have. Although, the contest was for catching bug Pokemon, so it was pretty hit or miss depending on your love of the type.
"You'd think they could hold a better kind of contest, right?" By the sound of Rebecca's voice, she wasn't a big fan of bug types. Typical; because she was a girl, I guess?
"I don't like them much, either, but I think a few of them are cute! One of my first Pokemon was a Weedle, and it was thanks to him I was able to beat my first gym challenge." A fond memory, indeed.
"Nice, but still pretty creepy. Let's just hurry up and get out of the park."
"What? You don't want to enter the contest?" Most of the contestants I could see were boys. Actually, I think all of them were.
"No thanks! I'm happy with my Pokemon."
"Well, I'm going to enter!" Before I could give Rebecca a chance to complain, I ran over to the contest organizer, who stood by the park entrance gate.
"Hello! You looking to enter the contest?"
"Yes, sir. Can I ask what the rules are?"
"Certainly," he said, flipping a page on his clipboard. "The contest is to determine which trainer can catch the best bug Pokemon hidden in the park. Every little critter is marked, and only one of them will net you the first place prize!"
"That's it? Seems easy enough," I said, looking down at Vulpix. With her at my side, those bugs didn't stand a chance.
"You're only given one chance, though! Here you go." He handed me a green Pokeball, with a small symbol etched on the front that resembled a Caterpie. "This will be you entry ticket. Be sure to catch the Pokemon with this Pokeball only, otherwise you'll be excluded from the contest."
"Okay, and which Pokemon exactly am I looking for?"
"Keep an eye out for the rarest one, that's all I can say!"
I gave the man my name and trainer number, which he scribbled down on his clipboard. After, he gave me a lanyard, which had the same symbol on the card at the end as the Pokeball, and my name scribbled on it. When I turned around, Rebecca was standing there, not looking particularly happy at my latest action.
"I thought you wanted to be moving fast to catch up with that trainer?"
"I do, but what if he's here today? There's no harm in looking around during the contest, and while I'm at it, I can actually try to win!" Rebecca didn't look convinced.
"Well, fine," she said, crossing her arms. "I'll just sit by the exit heading towards Ecruteak, in case anyone tries to leave that looks like the trainer. Have fun."
With Rebecca covering the exit, I was free to enjoy the contest completely. Vulpix in my arms, I stood by the gate to the park itself, standing amongst quite a few other trainers, most of them bug catchers. Almost made me question my chances of winning; you'd expect bug catchers to be better at tracking down bugs. After a few minutes of waiting, a bell went off, and the gates to the park sprung open.
Everyone around me dashed into the park, releasing their Pokemon along the way to start searching for that elusive winning critter. At first, I was left a bit shocked, seeing everyone else chasing down all sorts of bugs in the tall grass. Caterpie and Weedle were all over the place, but I could tell that only the normal trainers were after them, while the bug catchers seemed to after the Venonats, and one Butterfree I saw flying around. I stood by the entrance, trying to pinpoint the right critter to chase down.
Just beyond the fountain in the center of the park I saw it: taller than most others, its brown body trying poorly to hide in the green grass. Its horns poked out from the tall grass, a Pinsir. I ran towards the Pokemon, throwing Vulpix into the air towards the Pokemon.
"Flamethrower!" I cried, out, watching as she released the attack on the descent. The bug Pokemon couldn't even move in time to evade, becoming lost in the wave of fire. Vulpix touched down nearby, and I came up to her side, the Pokeball in my hand. Once the smoke had settled, the Pinsir was no where to be seen! Confused, I looked around, but it was no where in sight!
"I caught it! I won!" I heard the voice come from a kid nearby, hiding in the grass. He came out of hiding, his green Pokeball still shaking violently in his hands as the Pokemon I had weakened down tried to escape.
"No fair! I saw it first!" The nerve of the kid to steal it out from under me!
"Too bad! It's in my Pokeball!" The kid stuck his tongue out at me, which only made me angrier. Just as I was about to order Vulpix to attack the little brat, the Pokeball exploded in his hands, and the Pinsir emerged, burned and tired. Now was my chance!
"Vulpix, Quick Attack!"
She vanished from my side, appearing behind the bug Pokemon and giving it a hard tackle. The kid wanted to try again to catch the Pokemon, but apparently the Pokeballs were a one time deal, and the item was in pieces at his feet. Pinsir turned to Vulpix, reaching for her with his large, flexible pincers. Vulpix jumped backwards into the grass, stirring the Pokemon still hiding within. Dozens of smaller critters started scurrying about, making it hard for me to aim the Pokeball directly at Pinsir. In that mess, I saw a Pokemon I had never seen before fly out into the air.
"Look! A Yanma! That must be the winner!"
I noticed around me that other trainers were singling out that same Pokemon I saw, meaning I had to catch it before they did. Vulpix ran back to my side, still trying to flee from the angry Pinsir.
"Forget him, Vulpix, attack that bug with Ember!"
I picked her up, and threw her into the air towards Yanma. Vulpix rolled through the air, spraying tiny embers all over the air to bring down that bug. It was a pretty dangerous move, but it not only burned the Yanma, but kept the other trainers from getting close enough to throw their own Pokeballs at him. With Yanma down on the ground, I threw my Pokeball at it, trapping the bug inside. The ball shook a few times, but before I could see if the catch was successful, the Pinsir came rampaging at me, grabbing me with his large white tusks.
"Help! Vulpix!"
I felt the pincers close in, squeezing my belly tighter and tighter. Fortunately, Vulpix appeared right in front of the Pokemon, slamming into it with another powerful Quick Attack. Pinsir let go of me, and I went crashing back down on the ground, right in front of the Pokeball, which had since gone quiet. I retrieved my prize, and turned to pick up Vulpix next. No matter how many times I attacked that Pokemon, it wouldn't stay down.
"I'll take this one!" Another young trainer stepped in front of me, his Raticate standing between him and the Pinsir. "Ratty, use Hyper Fang!"
I watched from afar as the Raticate leapt onto Pinsir, driving his fangs into the Pokemon's sides. The bug shook violently, sending Raticate crashing into his trainer. The Pinsir made an effort to attack again, but instead collapsed onto the ground, his energy finally exhausted. Before the Pokemon could even take a moment to breathe, a Pokeball struck it on the head, trapping the critter inside. It made no effort to escape.
After that little bit of excitement, the bell sounded again, signaling the end of the contest. Could the Pinsir have been the winner after all? Everyone in the park shuffled out, each of the remaining contestants holding their Pokeball in one hand. The man promoting the contest stepped forward, a clipboard in one hand, a mic in the other.
"Thank you for participating in today's contest, everyone! Give yourselves a round of applause for a job well done!" Despite the man's enthusiasm, only a few people in the crowd actually started clapping. Still, he kept up his upbeat attitude.
"Okay, in my hands I have the list of winning Pokemon! First, if you caught any of the following, please proceed to the table behind me to claim your consolation prize: a box of special edition Pikachu Tissues! Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, Kakuna, Venonat." A few of the trainers got out of the crowd, disappointed at their prize. I couldn't blame them for being a bit sad, but their fault for catching such lame bugs in the first place.
"Next up, if you caught a Butterfree, Beedrill, or Venomoth, your prize will be a batch of special Pokeballs hand-made and contributed by Kurt of Azalea Town! That's right, you each get five Net Balls! Perfect for catching those elusive critters or even fish Pokemon!" Again, a few trainers stepped forward and around the announcer. My heart was beating faster every time.
"Now, for the big winners! Will the person who caught the Pinsir please step forward!" One of the bug catchers stood walked up to the man, who turned him around and stood at his side.
"This young man has just won a very special Technical Machine! This little device will teach any of his Pokemon the newly invented Pokemon ability 'Fury Cutter', contributed by Azalea Town's Bugsy! A round of applause to the third place winner, everyone!"
A bigger part of the crowd behind me clapped this time, myself included. Good thing I didn't go after that Pinsir that much after all.
"Now, will the owner of that acrobatic Vulpix please step forward!" My heart raced, and I took a step forward as instructed, Vulpix walking up next to me. The man spun me around to his left side, much like the kid before me.
"This little girl has not only caught the second place Pokemon, a rare Yanma, but also won a rare item for her Pokemon: a Silk Scarf!"
There was a louder bit of applause for me, causing me to blush a little. I felt someone tap me on my shoulder, and I turned around to be handed the prize. The scarf didn't seem like anything special, but it had a small tag on it with some information. Before I could get around to reading it, though the man continued with the first place winner.
"And now, the winner of today's contest. He, or she, caught the absolute rarest Pokemon out and about in the park today. Will the person who caught the brown-skinned Paras, with the yellow mushrooms, please step forward!"
There was a wave of murmurs from the crowd, and the kid stepped out from the crowd. He handed the Pokeball to the announcer, who released the Pokemon inside for all to see. The Paras was indeed brown, instead of the usual orange, and the mushrooms on its back were yellow instead of red. It was quite the unique Pokemon, and it left the crowd in awe, myself included.
"For those unfamiliar, Paras are usually orange with red mushrooms, but this Paras is one in a million! A Shiny Pokemon, special critters that are born with unique abilities. For his catch, not only will he receive a huge cash prize, but also this rare Pokeball!" The announcer showed the crowd the Pokeball in question, which was completely white, save for the red ring around the middle, which was normally black. Aside from the fact that the kid had caught a unique Pokemon, I was almost happier with my scarf and Yanma.
"Thank you all for participating in today's contest, and I hope we can see you all again here next month for the final Bug Catching Contest of the season!"
~o~
I met up with Rebecca again on the north end of the park. She was feeding her Victreebel something when she saw me, the green Pokeball in my hands. I had sent Clefairy back to the storage system, which felt rather cruel of me. She had been quite helpful recently, too.
"So, find your trainer?" I shook my head, raising the Pokeball and scarf in both hands.
"No, and I didn't win first place, either. I got second, and this scarf." I took a moment to read the tag attached to the item, wondering if it was just a notice of who made the thing.
"It says: 'Silk Scarf, attach to your Pokemon to raise their normal power in battle.' How can a scarf raise power?"
"I've heard of things like that, actually. They say Pokemon have special powers, and can use the stuff to make themselves stronger. Not any old trinket will do, though, so a lot of people think it's a bunch of lies."
"Can't blame them, I wouldn't believe it either." I took the tag off the scarf, and kneeled down to wrap it around Vulpix's neck. She wasn't very happy with the fabric at first, after having been forced to wear the bow back in Goldenrod by that stylist and all those girls. Though it was meant for Pokemon, I kept it with me, anyway. A bow is a bow, and it would make for a cute accessory sometime.
"Well, that trainer didn't come by here, either. So either he's already somewhere in Ecruteak, or he didn't come this way at all."
"Don't worry, I'll run into him again. For now, let's just keep moving. You know the city better than me, so why don't you lead the way?" I took the scarf off Vulpix before she damaged it with her paws. Like the bow, it'd make a nice accessory later on for myself.
"Alright, let's go!"
~o~
Ecruteak City, the historical center of all Johto, and maybe even Kanto, according to Rebecca. Though a number of the cities in Johto look and feel far more advanced in technology than Kanto, Johto was actually around much longer. Ecruteak may not be the start of all civilization in both regions, but it is one of the last remnants of those old days. Rebecca's history was rusty, but she said Ecruteak was now the oldest city in the region, just like Fuchsia is in Kanto, which explains their similarities. I never got a chance to learn much history, since I left school already.
Another interesting bit of knowledge regarding Ecruteak City is the pair of towers within its limits. The Bell Tower in the east, and the Burned Tower in the west. According to local legends, a pair of mythical bird Pokemon lived atop both towers, until one day, about 150 years ago, the bird from the Bell Tower burned down the neighboring one. Before, it was known as the Brass Tower, and after it was burned down, the bird Pokemon flew away, to live somewhere else in Johto. Of course, other cities claim that same bird Pokemon never lived atop the Brass Tower, but that's why they're called legends, right?
Well, Pokemon Gym aside, the main reason Rebecca wanted to accompany me to Ecruteak was the Burned Tower. Unlike the Bell Tower, which is now sealed off and everyone denied entry, the Burned Tower is open to any and all who dare go in. Wild critters have taken over, as usual, and the residents of the city prefer to stay away from there. It was in that same tower that Rebecca lost her parents, she said.
"I thought the tower burned down over 150 years ago." I said to her, confused.
"Yeah, but they didn't die with the fire, of course. It was an accident. At least, that's what Elder Li told me."
The front door to the tower was open, as was expected. Inside, I could hear the rustling and shifting about of wild Pokemon. Vulpix heard it too, and she instantly started growling at the darkness beyond the doorway. Rebecca released her Victreebel, which followed her into the doorway. Either she wasn't afraid of what was in there, or she didn't care. I walked in after her, slowly.
Inside, there were charred remains of tables and chairs all over the place. The walls were pitch black, with squares here and there, showing where there had once been portraits or tapestries hanging. And amongst it all, scratch marks, from the wild Pokemon that now lived there. One set of marks caught my eye, being far larger than anything I had ever seen. The only Pokemon I could think off with paw marks of that size was Arcanine. If such a Pokemon was living in the tower, we'd be in big trouble.
"Are you looking for something?" I asked, trying to keep up with Rebecca. She was already on the far side of the room, trying to find a way down into the lower levels of the tower.
"I'm just trying to find some clue, something about how they died. I never asked Elder Li about it, and he never said anything, either."
"Just be careful," I told the older girl, amazed I was the one being cautious. "I think there's something big living here."
Rebecca managed to find a staircase going down, and started descending. I waited until she and Victreebel were both at the bottom, then started down myself. The last thing I wanted was for the stairs to collapse because the two of us were too heavy. I told Vulpix to follow me, but not too closely, just to be extra safe. Down there, I followed Rebecca into one of the smaller rooms on that floor, finding her kneeling down by a small, burned table. It looked like a kid's room.
"I hope no one was actually here when it burned down." I said, feeling the charred wood as I walked by.
"No records exist from when it was burned down. If anyone died, they weren't remembered. It's a sad thought, right?" Rebecca walked over to a small chair on the other end of the room, which still stood upright, even after all those years. Before we could comment on it further, I heard something move around behind us.
I turned around as quickly as I could, and just barely caught a glimpse of something large. If it was an Arcanine, it was unusually fast, which only made things worse. Vulpix continued to growl at whatever it was, while Victreebel stood by her, protecting us from whatever it was. I walked up to Rebecca's side, pulling on her arm a bit to remind her where she was.
"There's something out there, we should probably go."
"I don't think I'll ever find what I'm looking for, Star," she said, lost in her thoughts. "What if Elder Li never told me for a good reason?"
"I'd help you out there, Rebecca, but there's something out in the hall! We should go, now!"
Another loud thud, and this time Vulpix started barking completely at whatever was beyond the doorway. Victreebel backed away even, hinting at the kind of strength it must have. Through Vulpix's barks, I heard a growl far louder than anything she could ever pull off. My heart started to beat twice as fast, and I felt sweat forming on my face as the Pokemon appeared in the doorway.
It was a lot like an Arcanine, only its fur was a deep yellow, and it had a long, purple mane on its back. Vulpix backed away from it, choosing not to growl anymore out of fear. Even Victreebel put plenty of distance between it and itself. The Pokemon just stood there, eyeing us all carefully. I reached into my bag for my Pokedex slowly, and aimed the device at it.
"Raikou, the Thunder Pokemon. A Pokemon that races across the land while barking a cry that sounds like crashing thunder."
As soon as the device started speaking, Raikou took notice of it, and let out a powerful roar that nearly left us all deaf. Reacting to the threat, Vulpix and Victreebel moved forward, attacking without our permission. The large plant Pokemon released a cloud of poison over it, while Vulpix started breathing fire in its face. We watched as the Pokemon took the brunt of the attacks without running, but once they were done, went on the offensive itself. The thin blue tail behind it rose up, glowing brightly as Raikou prepared its Thunder attack.
"We need to run, now!" I screamed, picking Vulpix up and ducking for cover behind the table. Rebecca tried to recall Victreebel, but was unable to as Raikou unleashed its attack on the grass Pokemon. Though it wouldn't be as effective as it could have been on Vulpix, the Pokemon was sent flying backwards, taking both Rebecca and a piece of the wall with them as they crashed into the grass outside. The entire building shook, and I feared it would come crashing down on us.
I took a huge risk, and dove out through the hole Rebecca and Victreebel had made in the wall. Outside, the Pokemon was knocked out completely, a large black burn on his chest. Rebecca was out cold, too, a small trickle of blood coming from her forehead. I turned around, praying I didn't see the Pokemon looking out at us through the hole. I stayed there at her side, looking back at the tower for several seconds. The Pokemon didn't make another appearance.
"Over here!" I heard the voice coming from the direction of the town. A girl, dressed in a particularly dirty work suit ran over to us, checking Rebecca.
"She's hurt, we need a doctor!" The girl nodded, and turned back towards town.
"We need a doctor over here! Doc, go fetch the nurse in town, quick!" I watched as a Growlithe ran back into town, barking the entire time for attention. The girl turned her attention back to Rebecca, checking her wrist and assessing the damage to her forehead.
"What happened?" She asked. I took a short moment to collect my thoughts and answer.
"We were attacked by a large dog Pokemon in the tower. A Raikou, I think it was called. Rebecca didn't have enough time to dodge its attack."
"She's hurt pretty bad. She may not make it." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"What? Are you sure?" I clutched onto the girl's work suit.
"Relax, Nurse Joy'll fix her right up!"
Just as the girl said this, we saw the nurse run down the slope, a stretcher behind her manned by two Chansey. Joy wasted no time in checking Rebecca's vitals, then asked for help from me and the other girl in getting her on the stretcher. Without saying anything else, she rushed back into town, heading straight for the Pokemon Center. Before I followed them back, I picked up Rebecca's Pokeball, and put Victreebel back inside. Just as I was leaving, I saw Raikou again, looking out at us from the whole in the wall.
My heart racing, I turned around and ran up the slope and back into town. If it still held a grudge, it'd have to follow me into town, something I was praying it wouldn't actually attempt.
~o~
At the center, I sat down by the girl that helped us out, waiting just outside the operating room. The needle sign above the door was still glowing red, meaning Nurse Joy was still hard at work helping Rebecca out. Pokemon Centers were usually for treating Pokemon, so I wondered if the nurse would have everything she needed. After a few moments of waiting, the girl next to me decided to strike up some conversation.
"So, what were you two doing in the tower?"
"Looking around," I said, not taking my eyes off the sign above the door. "It was Rebecca's idea."
"Good thing that Pokemon didn't attack you, otherwise you might not've survived being thrown through a wall!" Something about her attitude just seemed too cheery, especially considering what had happened.
"Who are you?" I asked, finally looking at the girl directly.
"I'm Morrigan, I live near the tower. I was a bit shocked to hear noise coming from it, so I went over to investigate."
"Well, thank you for that. Who knows what might've happened to Rebecca if you hadn't called out for help as quickly as you did." My mind overflowed with possibilities, though I quickly shut them out. Of course, that didn't stop Morrigan from putting them right back into my head.
"Well, I'd guess either that Pokemon would've finished you two off, or your friend could've died right there in your arms." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Morrigan just sat there smiling at me.
"What is wrong with you? That's my friend you're talking about!"
"Relax, kid, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. Nurse'll have her all patched up soon enough, so don't worry so much!"
Rather than indulge in her morbid humor anymore, I turned away from Morrigan, fixing my eyes on that sign again until it finally turned off. Of course, that would eat away another hour of my life, and sitting next to the grim joker wasn't much comfort. Once it did switch off, however, Nurse Joy emerged from the room, looking pretty tired. I instantly jumped out of my seat to ask her how Rebecca was doing.
"Your friend will be fine," she said, keeping a smile through all her fatigue and worry. "I'll have to see her to a larger hospital, though. I'm not equipped to finish her treatment here."
"What do you mean? Is she alright?"
"She's perfectly fine, for the most part. Her life's not in any danger, but I'm afraid she hurt her back a lot more than I can do anything about here. I'm going to contact the hospital in Olivine City; they'll be able to help her out more." Just as Nurse Joy walked to her desk, I asked her one last question.
"Can I see Rebecca?"
"Not yet, she's still unconscious. I'll let you know when you can, though."
Doctors, always worrying too much about their patients and finding plenty of excuses for them to get enough rest. I couldn't help but feel this was somehow my fault, despite it clearly being Rebecca's idea to go into the tower. I realized I was just taking myself into another endless guilt spiral, but I just couldn't stop myself from worrying. Thankfully, before it got any worse, I felt a hand land on my shoulder.
"Don't worry! You heard the nurse! She'll be okay!" Morrigan's cheery demeanor made me wonder just what kinds of horrors were really floating about her mind.
"Don't you have something else to do?" I said flatly to her, hoping she'd leave me alone for a while.
"And leave a little kid here, all alone? Never! Don't you worry, I'll stick by your side until your friend is all better." I understood that Morrigan was just looking out for what she thought was a kid sister, but I wasn't in the mood to be forgiving or apologetic. I forced her hand off my shoulder.
"I'm not a kid, I'm a Pokemon trainer!" I snapped.
"Oh! Well, I didn't know, what with your clothes, and all." I turned my gaze towards my dress, which apart from being a bit dirty from rummaging through the burned tower, was perfectly fine.
"What's wrong with my clothes?" I asked, growing more and more annoyed with her.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Morrigan shifted her eyes away, prompting me to force the issue. Something she wanted, I'm sure.
"There is something! Tell me!" My demand came out a little high pitched, making me sound a bit more like the kid she made me out to be.
"Well, it's cute... but that's not exactly what I'd expect to see a Pokemon trainer wearing, is all." I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable around Morrigan, so I reached for my bag to prove how good a trainer I was. I showed her my trainer card from Johto, pointing to the three badges already pinned to it.
"See? Proof that I'm a trainer! Doesn't matter what I wear!" I was pretty worked up over this for some reason, but I just couldn't help myself. Who was Morrigan to come around and question me like this?
"I never said anything about you not being a trainer, just that you didn't look like one. Say, since you're here, have you been to Ecruteak's gym?" The sudden change in topic threw me off.
"What? Um, no, not yet."
"Then why don't we both head there now? I know the leader a bit myself, so I can introduce you and you can have your match already!" Morrigan grabbed me by the wrist, leading me towards the door. I slipped out of her grip and planted my feet in the middle of the center.
"I can't just go to the gym now! What about Rebecca?"
"She's fine! Nurse Joy's taking good care of her! In the meantime, rather than go crazy waiting for her to wake up, why not try the gym battle? Time's a-wasting!"
"But...! Well..."
Morrigan was right about that, no sense wasting time in the center when there was nothing else I could do. I guess with all her poking and prodding at me, I had gotten a bit too agitated with the girl. After all, she was only trying to keep my mind off things. Guilt built up in me, and I had to act on it.
"I'm sorry," I muttered. Morrigan chuckled a bit.
"No hard feelings! Now, let's get a move on, kid!"
After finally dropping off Rebecca's Victreebel with Nurse Joy, I told Vulpix to follow me, and I in turn followed Morrigan out of the center. Just like Vulpix, she had her Growlithe following at her side, rather than in a Pokeball.
"Is that your Pokemon?" I asked, this time trying to strike up the chat myself.
"Yup! This here's Doc, he's been my best friend for a few years, now. Say hi, boy." The Growlithe turned its head back at us, barking gently a few times. Vulpix, strangely enough, didn't bark back, and instead asked to be carried. Morrigan noticed, and started laughing. Vulpix looked down from my arms towards Doc, who wagged his tail affectionately for a moment to attract Vulpix's attention. She turned away instead, which finally let me know just what was going on between the two Pokemon.
And I couldn't help but notice how much like Deneb and I those two Pokemon were.