Back to me, and now we get into something you may or may not enjoy!
"Don't worry, I'm positive this will lead us back to the main Route!"
"Pi-ka!"
"Positive, huh?"
"That's what he said an hour ago!"
"My only question is, who's the genius who let Ash navigate?" I said wryly.
"I think that was Misty," Brock chimed in, much to the redhead's outrage.
"What?! Did not!" she denied. Liar!
"You said, and I quote, 'Alright, Ash Ketchum, if you know where we are, you lead us back to Route 5!'" I said in a false soprano.
"I don't sound like that!"
"Well, my impersonations stink, so it's no wonder."
Yeah, we're lost again. But this specific version of lost is the one I'm glad to be in. I'm pretty sure we're close to the Hidden Village now, meaning Ash will get Bulbasaur. Speaking of, I'm tempted to ask any of the Pokémon there if they want to come with or something. I mean, I remember reading that most of them wanted to leave, but Bulbasaur was unintentionally preventing them from doing so.
Also, my plan to learn PokéSpeak...is not going too well. I decided to start with the names of moves first, to get one over on anyone who have tricks to non-verbally command their Pokémon.
"Okay, Eevee, how do you say 'Swift'?" I asked.
"{Swift,}" Eevee repeated. I cleared my throat and attempted to listen as best as I could to how she enunciated it.
"{Really-really-really fast attack?}" I said cautiously. Eevee shook her head in the negative. I sighed. This is harder than I thought...
So, yeah, I'm going to need to work on that. Anyway, we stopped for a break (again?) and were trying to figure out how to get back to Route 5. Just then, we heard something a short distance away. Turning, we saw it to be an Oddish, who was drinking some water from a puddle. Ash wanted to catch it, but Misty intervened, saying that she wanted to catch it. Of course, Oddish started running away when it noticed us. But I had a question to ask.
"Err, why? Oddish aren't Water-types," I pointed out. This confuses me slightly. After all, you'd think Misty would know that.
"Uh...can they learn any Water-type moves?" she questioned.
"Hang on...nope," I stated after checking my Pokédex real quick. Misty was crestfallen at this. Anyway, even though she didn't go after Oddish with Starmie, Bulbasaur still showed up in an attempt to safeguard it. Ash took the lead this time, sending Butterfree out. In a display of legitimately good strategy, he attempted to put Bulbasaur to sleep with Butterfree's Sleep Powder. That would have worked, if it wasn't for one thing. Grass-types are immune to Powder moves. So because Bulbasaur wasn't put to sleep, he managed to do...something (kind of looked like a Flying-type move of some sorts. Whirlwind, maybe?) and send the Sleep Powder back at Butterfree. Butterfree started to lose consciousness, and drifted low enough that Bulbasaur could Tackle him into submission. Then he left, Oddish in tow.
Ash legitimately cried after seeing Bulbasaur vanish. I'd tease him, but I can't blame him either. Starter Pokémon are really hard to find in the wild, after all. Only place I can think of from the games is the Friend Safari...and I have no idea how that'll be justified in the Anime. Although come to think of, the only Safari Zone seen period in the Anime was the Kanto one, and that episode is banned outside Japan.
...Wait, why am I thinking about that now of all times?! ...Although, we are going to end up going there when we get to Fuschia, so...
"Bleck! Ptooey! I am never doing that again!" I coughed out, trying to wring water out of my clothes. You're probably wondering what happened. Well, Brock fell off the bridge...which was a total safety hazard, I might add! Anyway, he fell off into the river, and the bridge collapsed, not in that order. Anyway, while Ash could haul Misty up, there was no way he was going to be able to haul both of us up. And like an idiot, I was right in front of Brock when the bridge collapsed. So I did something stupid.
I let go and plummeted. ...Yeah. That happened.
I'm lucky I didn't get myself killed, admittedly. I guess that Anime Toughness thing really does exist! Now that's Tonka Tough! ...Okay, there's my meme for the day. Where'd Brock-?
"Gah..." Never mind, there he is, struggling to get to his feet! I immediately rushed over to him.
"Woah there, take it easy, Brock!" I cautioned, trying to help him up.
"Did you fall off too?" Brock asked wearily.
"Err...no. I let go because Ash and Misty would have fallen with me," I said sheepishly.
"I see...GAH!" he yelled in pain as he finally stood up, collapsing to one knee and clutching his right leg. His pants were torn along the leg, and...
"Brock, there's blood on your hand! You're bleeding!" I exclaimed in shock. At that remark, Geodude, Onix, and Zubat all released themselves from their Pokéballs out of worry for their Trainer. Onix and Geodude especially, as they had known Brock for years. Brock had once told us that Geodude was the offspring of his dad's Golem, and I knew that Onix was his starter.
"Gh...it must have happened when I went tumbling downstream," Brock rationalized, before the pain flared up again.
Oh crap oh crap oh crap! This is not good! Potions don't work on humans for whatever dumb reason, I checked...mainly because I tend to injure myself somehow. Not the point! We don't have any Berries either! Where's that Melanie girl who lives at the Hidden Village anyway?!
...No! This is no time for panic! I gotta do something. "Eevee, Spearow, Nidoran, I need you guys' help, pronto!" I yelled, sending out all three of my Pokémon. They all acknowledged me when they came out, but then they noticed Brock and his Pokémon. Spearow looked back and forth between them and me with a quizzical look on his face.
"Brock's injured his leg, and we don't have any human medicine. I want you guys, all six of you," I added, speaking to Zubat, Geodude, and Onix, "to find some Oran or Sitrus Berries, fast. I'll do what I can for him myself," I finished. I've never taken any first-aid seminars or anything, but I've injured myself enough in the past to know what to do. The six of them immediately left, looking for the Berries, or at least something. As for myself, I took out one of my undershirts from my bag and pressed it to the wound to prevent it from bleeding out.
I really hope I'm doing this right...
Eevee frantically ran through the forest, looking for Berries of any kind. She leaped up on a fallen log, looking every which way. "{See anything?!}" she called out.
Nidoran poked his head out from a bush. "{Nope. Ain't found anything,} he reported.
"{Come on, come on!}" Spearow said in agitation as he flew from tree to tree looking for Berries. "{Damn it! Nothing!}" he swore.
"{Now hold on there, pardner! While this is a bit of a sticky situation, that doesn't mean you should swear,}" Nidoran said disapprovingly.
"{I'm swearing because this is a sticky situation! Not the point; Zubat, you find anything?!}" Spearow demanded. The Bat Pokémon swooped down from the tree he was checking, shaking his head in sadness.
"{I found something!}" Geodude's voice rang out. Turning in surprise, they noticed Geodude and Onix at a tree off in the distance. Said tree had Sitrus Berries on it.
"{Yes! Bingo!}" Eevee cheered, before rushing forward with Quick Attack. Zubat followed in his own Quick Attack while Spearow and Nidoran flew/ran as fast as they could. They all met up at the foot of the tree.
"{Right, how're we supposed to get them down?}" Nidoran questioned.
Spearow puffed up his chest. "{Weeeeell, I could use that new move Pidgeotto so graciously taught me how to use to slice them off. Zubat can do the same with his Quick Attack,}" he explained his plan.
"{Oh, is that what you were doing? It looked more like you were trying to flirt with her,}" Eevee said slyly. Spearow coughed and looked to the side.
"{I, uh, may have been doing that too. A little,}" he said in embarrassment. Nidoran was about to say something cutting, but Onix had finally had enough.
"{This is taking too long,}" he grunted. He wrapped his body around the tree and started shaking it furiously in a Bind attack. The Sitrus Berries all fell to the ground, completely whole.
"{Great!}" Zubat cheered. But then something struck him. "{Wait...how are we supposed to get them to Brock?}" he wondered. The others considered the point, but Geodude refocused them.
"{I'll get them. I'm the only one here with hands,}" he stated, scooping up the Sitrus Berries. The six of them immediately set off back the way they had come. It was only a minute later that they ran into more problems. Namely, where was the river?
"{Which way did we come from?}" Spearow wondered as they tried to find their way.
"{No idea. I can't smell anything. Eevee?}" Nidoran questioned. But the Evolution Pokémon shook her head in the negative.
"{There's some kind of low level Sweet Scent in the air. It's not enough to make anyone sluggish, but it's enough that it's confused my nose. I can't smell back along our own scents. And it took us a while to get here, so I can't hear them,}" she explained.
"{And none of the locals have shown their faces, so we can't ask them either,}" Onix grumbled. It was then that Spearow noticed a blue thing creeping out from behind a tree.
"{Maybe not. Hey! You!}" he yelled. The blue thing stiffened in fright. "{Yes, you! The blue thing! Get out here!}" Spearow demanded. The blue Pokémon then slowly walked out, revealing itself to have a black and white spiral on its belly. It didn't have arms either.
"{I'd be mad at your tone if this wasn't an emergency, just so you know,}" Eevee told Spearow dryly.
"{Whatever. What kind of Pokémon is this anyway? I've never seen one like it!}" Spearow declared.
"{I have. This little fella's a Poliwag. He's a Water-type, so he's sure to know where the river is!}" Nidoran realized.
Said Poliwag was also a tiny bit scared. Eevee softened on seeing this. "{Hey, we don't mean to be scary. It's just that we're kind of in an emergency and need to get to the river. Do you think you can take us there?}" she asked kindly.
"{O-Okay,}" Poliwag said hesitantly, its voice revealing it to be a he. Poliwag proceeded to lead them in the direction of the river, but couldn't help but be nervous. These Pokémon...they were undoubtedly Trained Pokémon. He could see it from the way they moved. He wished he could be that confident.
In the minds of Onix, Geodude, and Zubat though, there was only one thought. 'We won't let you down, Brock!'
So there I was, Brock having collapsed on his side, frantically trying to keep Brock awake by yammering out questions for him to answer. Who's his favorite sibling, how he met Geodude and Onix, whether or not he'll catch more Pokémon. Things like that.
...You know, looking back, I don't think it was that serious. But I panicked, no harm no foul. Just as Brock was about to lose consciousness, who should turn up, but-
"Vui!" Eevee's voice rang out. Turning, I saw the six of them run...okay, run is a bit of a misnomer. The six of them arrived, Geodude carrying Sitrus Berries.
"Oh thank goodness!" I sighed in relief, taking a couple from him. "Hey, Brock, wake up! Sitrus Berries, right on cue!" Brock groaned a little before taking the Berries from me, plopping them in his mouth. His wound glowed a little, before it healed. Not by much, but it didn't look nearly as serious.
"Good work, you guys!" I cheered. Zubat, Geodude, and Onix all sighed in relief. Nidoran sat down, Spearow preened himself, and Eevee leaped for joy. Just then, I noticed a blue thing peeking out from behind a tree.
I blinked. "Huh? What's that?" I wondered. The blue thing stiffened...before walking out from behind the tree. Upon doing so, it revealed itself to be a Poliwag.
"A Poliwag? Where'd that come from?" I asked in surprise. Eevee leaped for my attention, then pantomimed something. Uh...
"I'm not even going to pretend to understand what you meant by that," I admitted. Seeing Eevee's crestfallen look, I hastily added, "But I think I got the gist of it. Poliwag here helped you out, right?"
At everyone's nod, I turned to Poliwag. "Well, in that case, we owe you one, Poliwag. Thanks," I thanked the Tadpole Pokémon. Poliwag looked at me in surprise, but ran off anyway. I guess I could have caught it, but that would have seemed rude. Besides, I've got Brock to worry about.
"Brock, you feeling any better?" I asked in concern.
"A little...I guess those Sitrus Berries did their job," he groaned. He also attempted to get back to his feet. NOPE!
"Hey, hey, take it easy!"
"Um...what's going on?" another voice cut in. Turning, I saw that it was a girl, who looked rather confused. Ahah! This must be that Melanie girl!
"My friend here took a nasty tumble, and has been injured," I said. I would have explained more, but she cut me off.
"Oh no! Hang on, bring him with me! I know first aid," she exclaimed, running off. I nodded to the others. Geodude and Onix helped Brock to his feet, and we all walked slowly after the girl.
Yeesh! What took her so long?!
Things went semi-alright from there. Melanie is not qualified in the least to be a Doctor, Pokémon or otherwise, but my random flailing about, plus the Sitrus Berries I had given Brock, had done enough that he was going to be fine. Course, he couldn't use his leg for a bit, so I had to be the one to go rescue Ash and Misty from the traps that Melanie had set up. I would be mad at her, but they were for the benefit of the Pokémon who stayed here, so I couldn't really blame her.
...Wait, I take that back. I am a bit mad at her because of that stunt she pulled with the bridge. Yeah, she was the one responsible for that. I may have lost my temper...
"Wait, that was YOU?!" I asked in shock.
"Well, yes. Why do you ask?" Melanie wondered. I immediately got in her face. Since I was pretty tall for my age when I was 10, that worked pretty well.
"Well, your stupid stunt is the reason Brock was injured and I had to jump off it! You could have gotten us killed!" I yelled at her.
"I-I didn't mean to..." she stammered out.
"Yeah, well, don't do it again," I stoically said, having finally calmed down.
Anyway, yeah, I got Ash and Misty from the net they had been stuck in. Ash was saying something about pirates. ...Since when are there pirates in Kanto? Well, I guess Team Rocket can kind of count, but if you want pirates, go to Hoenn. Team Aqua are good substitutes.
I brought them back to the main area of the Hidden Village, which was really just Melanie's cottage. Brock was up and about, although he was still limping slightly. Geodude was also out of his Pokéball, keeping an eye on him I guess.
So Melanie explained the whole thing to Ash and Misty, although not knowing about Brock's injury made them slightly more amiable to her than I was. Anyway, Melanie said that Trainers could not catch Pokémon around here, and Misty agreed with that wholeheartedly, saying that you'd have to be a crook to want to do that.
"Well, unless they wanna come with," I commented. I got a rather withering glare from her at that.
"What?! If they want to come with, I'm certainly not going to stop them!" I protested. Unknown to me though, a certain blue Pokémon peaked his head out from behind a tree at that.
A bit later, Ash and Brock were helping out the local Staryu, while Misty was talking to Oddish. I was just sitting there, wondering if I'm really going about this the right way. Should I really be going with Ash and all? I mean...judging from those times he's ditched me, I doubt he really thinks of me as a friend. Knowing how his brain works in this point of time, he probably thinks he's better than me since he has two Badges and I don't. Yet.
...But he's also ditched Misty a few times, and I know that they'll be friends for sure. Sigh...this is what happens when I don't have anything like the Internet to distract me. I get all melancholy.
"I'm done thinking about this," I sighed, leaning back into the grass. I started as a certain blue face appeared in my line of vision.
"Woah! ...Oh, Poliwag! Didn't expect to see you here," I greeted the Tadpole Pokémon. Poliwag just stared at me with an interesting look on its face.
Suddenly, my Pokéballs opened, releasing all three of my Pokémon. "Yikes! Hey, warn a guy next time you do that!" I admonished. I swear Spearow said something sarcastic at that point if the look on Eevee's face was any indication. But she turned it off and turned to Poliwag. They started speaking, and I really wish my lessons were going better!
"{Hey, it's you again! Thanks for earlier!}" Eevee said in gratitude.
"{What are you even doing here?}" Spearow questioned. Poliwag looked down at that question.
"{I, um, just wanted to know how you guys are so brave. I wish I could be that brave,}" he whispered. Spearow puffed himself up at that.
"{Well, I don't mean to brag,}" he started.
"{Yes, you do,}" Eevee interrupted wryly. Spearow gave her a withering look. He was about to continue, when Nidoran interjected.
"{Brave? Shoot, back when we met earlier, we were as scared as a Bug-type in a volcano,}" Nidoran confided.
"{Really?!}" Poliwag asked in surprise. "{But you looked-}"
"{We looked calm, but a friend of our Trainer's was in a bit of a pinch. If you hadn't shown us the way back to the river, well I don't rightly know what would have happened,}" Nidoran mused.
"{Oh. Okay...}" Poliwag said sadly. He made to turn away, but Eevee stopped him.
"{Hey, why do you ask anyway?}" she wondered.
Poliwag looked away. "{My old Trainer...he abandoned me because I didn't want to fight. He said that I '...was useless if I couldn't even fight',}" he said morosely.
All three of the Pokémon he was talking to were outraged. "{What?! That's complete crap! Who was this so-called Trainer?! I'd like to Peck his eyes out!}" Spearow declared in anger.
"{Um...I didn't really catch what his name was. ...Wait, I remember. His name was Paul,}" Poliwag remembered.
"{Well, this 'Paul' sounds like a mighty fine piece of work. I'd like to introduce him to my horn and see what he thinks then,}" Nidoran said in a sour tone.
"..." Eevee paused for a moment as she took this in. "{Poliwag, don't take this the wrong way...but your old Trainer sounds like an asshole,}" she said decisively. Spearow nodded super fast at that, in complete agreement. Meanwhile, Nidoran covered his ears. Not an easy task considering how large they are.
"{Little lady, I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear words like that pass through your dainty little lips,}" he decided. Eevee took offense at that.
"{Who's dainty?!}" she demanded.
"{Um...}" That was when they remembered Poliwag was there. Nidoran decided to give him some advice.
"{Alright, Poliwag, let me tell you something my Old Mon once said to me. 'Nidoran, one ees not born brave, but rather he becomez brave by pushing back ze fear and doubt',}" Nidoran quoted with a rather bizarre accent.
"{...Your dad sounds weird,}" Spearow said in a deadpan tone.
Nidoran shrugged. "{Well, Pops was from Kalos. They all talk a bit like that 'round there! 'Course, it's been ages since I've seen him. I might have remembered the accent wrong,}" he mused.
"{Anyway, Poliwag, if you do want to get braver, why don't you come with us? Our Trainer isn't anything like that jerk Paul,}" Eevee offered.
Poliwag had wide eyes at that. "{Really?}" he asked with weighted breath.
"{Yeah. He's a bit weird, but he's alright,}" Spearow confirmed. Nidoran nodded right next to them.
"{Then...I want to come with you guys!}" Poliwag chirped.
...I really really wish I could understand what they were saying. That's it! I'm working over time on those lessons! Anyway, Poliwag turned to me and said something, but like a dumbass, I just blinked. Eevee finally sighed, before going into my bag and pulling out an empty Pokéball.
That's when it hit me. "Oh! Poliwag, do you want to come with us?" I asked. At Poliwag's answering nod, I asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Poliwag was a bit hesitant at that, before nodding again.
I nodded back. "Alright then. If that's what you want, then who am I to complain?" I said rhetorically. I held out the Pokéball, and Poliwag slapped the button with its tail. The Ball opened, drawing him inside. It clicked automatically at that, since Poliwag had willingly let itself be caught. I let him out again and scanned him with my Pokédex.
"Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon. Its slick black skin is thin and damp. A part of its internal organs can be seen through the skin as a spiral pattern. The direction of the spiral on the belly differs by area. It is more adept at swimming than walking. This Poliwag is Male and has the Ability Water Absorb. He knows the Moves Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubblebeam, and Water Pulse."
I've finally got my fourth Pokémon. Maybe I should speed up on that?
...Nah.
I have now caught a Poliwag! Let's see what happens now.