10

I wake up hardly able to see. The curse is still blurring my vision, but I can get up well enough. I do so and someone rushes over to me. I recognize Serena's trench coat as it hits my legs when she stops moving by my side.

"Hey, you are up. Feeling better?" She asks, concerned.

I nod. "Yeah…" I try to stand up, but just fall back down on my butt. I curse myself and just sit there, waiting to get my vision back. Sakura runs over and offers me a cup full of herbal medicine, and I drink it. I nearly spit it out it is so disgusting, but taste is hardly something I should care about when I'm slowly dying. A few minutes after drinking it, I can fully move around, so we all pack up and head down the cave again. I notice Serena's coat is somewhat dirty, and Sakura is still wearing her usual vest.

"Hey Sakura," I say to her, and she turns to me. "Why do you wear the same thing every day?"

"The same reason you wear the same outfit every other day; because I packed lightly." She answered with a tone that seemed to turn Raizu away. He shuts up and they continue to walk for a while, bumping into nothing but the still air in front of them as they go through the dimly lit cavern. No diglett or dugtrio attack, mostly because Serena kept her terreon out with us as we walked. As we walked, I thought about the last few days quite a bit. An assassin? Is what he did really that big a deal that they have to send someone out to kill me?… I need more pokémon, and more powerful ones. I end my thoughts on getting more pokémon, but am not sure of how to acquire such in Kanto. Eevee isn't going to evolve anytime soon… and I do suppose that Abby will fight if I want her too… but I feel vulnerable still. I need one more… something special.

-----

We journey to the end of the cave is rather uneventful, but left all of us hungry. Sakura agreed to go stock up on supplies while Serena and I left to find the quickest way to Lavender Town.

We are both sitting on a bench and looking at the map when I find the easiest way. "Duh! We just go east past the cave, and then head north. The docks head straight to Lavender! No wild pokémon to worry about even."

She nods. "I guess, but that field will take about a day to get through… is that okay?"

"We don't have any other choice." I say. We get up and walk away when someone comes from behind me and tugs my shirt.

I turn around and give him "The Look" and say, "What is the big idea?!" and I find what the big deal is.

The man is a bloody mess. Literally and figuratively. He has raggedy clothes on, and hardly any shorts. His hair is messy, and face is dirty and covered in blood. He has no shoes, and his thigh appears to be bleeding a lot.

Serena gets down and look at the cut right away. "Oh no, we have to get him to a hospital. A huge artery down here was cut, and if we don't move fast…"

He pushes her away. "No chance of that. I am here just for him." He points at me. Great, more about me?… I think, when he hands me a pokéball.

I look at it and ask, "Uh, man, this isn't the best way to spend your last moments alive."

"Oh, but it is. This pokémon was sent from your father." He stumbles a bit, and falls to his knees, clenching his thigh in pain.

My father? I haven't seen or spoken to him since I was young… and he left… I push the thoughts out of my head. "I don't care what is wrong with you. I'm not taking this and we are getting you to a hospital." I sounded convincing enough, but he was dead. Serena was sobbing over him, and a few people ran off to the hospital. I just stand there stunned at seeing a dying man that, for no obvious reason, just gave me a pokéball and died. My father is long gone, why would he just try to contact me like that…

"Now what do we do?" Says Sakura, through tears. "Did your dad have anything to do with this!?" She yells, angry.

I step back and answer plainly. "I hardly know my dad."

"Liar!" She yells. "I bet your dad did something and now your are dying for him! What happened Raizu?!"

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" I yell, wondering how I lost my composure over something I wish I forgot. Well, that answers itself. "MY DAD LEFT MY MOTHER YEARS AGO! I COULD CARE LESS WHAT HE DID, AND I CERTAINLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM!"

I see her expression change through her tear streaked face from one of rage to one of sorrow and pity. She jumps up to me and hugs me and whispers in my ear. "Okay, but just tell me when you want to get some closure. I know something happened, and I will help you through it."

I nod, and a few tears flow down from my eyes. "It isn't a problem really…" I push her back. "Okay, lets wait here for the ambulance. We may get arrested, but we don't have any weapons on us."

-----

And sure enough, we were. The police had heard of my presence in Viridian, but Sakura got us out. Her reputation for being fair and just was, well, understated by herself even. She literally walked in, said I didn't do anything, and we left. It was like some otherworldly experience.

She got the supplies, a few days rations of food, and we started the trek to Lavender. The field between the docks and Vermilion is enormous, but press on nonetheless. The roads make our trip a little easier, and we had minimal interference by wild pokémon. When we set up camp, I'm surprised to see that my curse didn't do anything to me that night. At around 8 or so, I decided to see what was in the pokéball the stranger handed me earlier. Could my father really have sent me something that important that he send an envoy who got attacked?… I pushed those thoughts out of my head and got up, telling the girls I had to take a whiz. I head north to a small clearing and toss the pokéball onto the ground and release it.

The pokémon comes out with the familiar red flash and appears on the ground, kneeling. The pokémon I have come to love ever since I first saw it stands right in front of me.

Are you my new master?

I answer through words, being used enough to telepathy. "I suppose. Do you know why you are here?"

I probably know more than you. I know why you are dying, and why you are pursued by the state that is Viridian City.

"Then, dear friend, explain. While I'm still reeling from the fact that I have a Lucario with me now."