Chapter four, ladies and gentlemen. I know at the end of the last chapter I said I'd post a one-shot next but then I thought to myself 'I'll focus on getting this story done first, then I'll focus on other stories.' So, I hope you enjoy and I'll see you at the end.

Disclaimer: You know I don't own Pokémon. Or do I? *dun dun dun* No, no I don't.

On with the story:


Chapter Four

The Bet


[Four days later]

Delia and Giovanni sat on a couch in the lobby of the Viridian city Pokémon center waiting for David to arrive.

"Explain to me how this happened again. I still don't understand." Gio spoke up.

Delia was lying down on the couch with her hands behind her head. She let out a sigh before speaking. "Okay, for the last time..."


[Four days ago: forest between Pallet and Viridian]

"So, tell me about yourself, Delia." Came David's voice as he was climbing up a tree.

Both David and Delia had been wondering through the great forest between Pallet and Viridian City for an hour now and had stopped to rest.

"Nothing much to tell, really." Delia said as she reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a blue lunchbox with a picture of a Pikachu on the front. She opened it, pulled out a sandwich and continued while she ate. "I was born in Pallet, my mom works as a nurse at the towns local hospital, I helped out the professor with his research before starting my journey and... what on earth are you doing?"

Delia watched in confusion as David struggled to climb up a large tree. "Trying to get a better view of where we are from up here." He said nonchalantly.

He grabbed on to a branch closest to him and attempted to pull himself up. Before he could pull up further however, the sound of snapping could be heard. David's eyes widened as he turned to the source of the sound and saw that the branch he was holding was about to break. Before David had time to react, the branch snapped and he fell to the ground with a loud 'thud'.

"Are you alright?" Delia asked in concern as she ran over to him.

David stood up, albeit very slowly, and looked very groggy. "Yes, I am a pretty girl." He said before falling to the ground face first. Delia sweat-dropped and helped David back onto his feet. Once he was able to stand firmly on the ground, Delia sat back down next to her lunch box, shaking her head while she did.

"It's a good thing I asked to tag along. I doubt you'd last two minutes out here on your own." She said with a smirk.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" David asked, giving Delia an incredulous look. Delia shrugged. "Exactly that. You wouldn't be able to last very long out here alone. But don't worry Davy, I'll protect you." Delia's tone and smile turned into that of teasing ones.

David looked wide eyed at Delia. "Now look here country girl, I'm willing to bet that I'd last a lot longer than you could in this forest. In fact, I'm willing to bet that I'd make it to Viridian City before you." David gave a cocky smile and puffed his chest out at his declaration.

"Alright Ketchum. You're on." Delia said, standing up and holding her hand out for David to shake. "First one to Viridian City Pokémon Center wins." David thought for a moment then took the offered hand and shook it.

"Alright, and the loser has to carry the others backpack for a week." David added.

"Deal." Delia said before they both took their hands away.

Both David and Delia packed what ever they had removed from their bags and headed off in different directions.

"You're going down country girl!" David called out.

"Don't count on it city boy!" Delia called back.


[Day 1]

Delia had been wondering through the thick forest for forty-five minutes and so far she hadn't seen a single Pokémon. The forest was very dense and felt very isolated.

'Getting a little lonely.' She thought to herself. 'I know.'

Reaching to the belt on her shorts, Delia pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Bulby, I choose you!" In a flash of white light her little grass-type appeared with a big smile.

"Bulba Saur!" she greeted happily as she ran into Delia's open arms.

"Hello Bulby." She greeted cheerfully.

Bulby nuzzled into Delia and she couldn't help but giggle at Bulby's actions. "Come on. Let's find the way out of here." She said in a cheery way. Bulby nodded in agreement and the two began walking through the dense forest.

The forest was eerily quiet as they walked, Delia could feel Bulby shaking slightly in her arms. She hugged her a little more tightly to reassure her that everything was okay. It must've worked Because Delia felt Bulby's shaking stop after that. She looked down at her and smiled at how brave she was. They both stopped suddenly when they heard a noise coming from some bushes up ahead. Delia heard Bulby growl at the possible danger from her arms.

"It's okay Bulby." She reassured. "Whatever's in there, we can handle it."

Bulby gave a confident nod and hopped out of Delia's arms and on too the ground. Ready for whatever was about to hop out of the bushes.

After a few more seconds of noises and rustling, a small purple Pokémon with a long tail that curled at the end, a whisker on either cheek and two sharp front teeth appeared. It saw Delia and Bulby and took a battle stance.

"A Rattata." Delia exclaimed under her breath.

Before she could react, Rattata charged towards Delia and Bulby. It hit Bulby with a tackle and she fell back before jumping forward on all fours, ready to battle.

"Are you okay Bulby?" Delia asked in concern.

Bulby gave a nod and continued to stare down Rattata. Smiling, Delia pointed at their opponent and called out,

"Alright Bulby, tackle!"

Bulby ran towards Rattata at full speed and hit it at full force in the stomach. Rattata gasped for air as it tried to stand back up. It managed to get back up and jumped at Bulby, its fangs in full view. Before Delia could call out an order, Rattata bit down on Bulby who cried in pain. Bulby managed to shake Rattata off and jumped back to put as much distance between her and it as possible.

"Quick, use scratch!"

Bulby complied and lunged at Rattata at full speed. Its claws made contact with Rattata who winced in pain at the constant scratches it was receiving. Once Bulby was finished, Rattata struggled to move forward. After three steps it fell to the ground, fainted from fatigue. Not wasting another second, Delia pulled out a Pokéball and threw it towards the purple rat Pokémon.

"Pokéball go!" She yelled as the sphere flew out of her hand and towards Rattata.

Upon contact with Rattata, the Pokéball opened and Rattata was sucked into it in a flash of red. The ball moved from side to side for a while. Delia and Bulby stood in anticipation at what the result would finally be. After a few more movements, the sphere finally stopped moving and the red light in the center disappeared, indicating that the Rattata was caught. Delia walked up to the Pokéball with Bulby by her side, picked it up and began jumping up and down with glee.

"Alright! I caught a Rattata!" She cheered.

"Bul Bulbasaur!" Bulby exclaimed happily as it jumped up and down in joy.

Deciding to wait until it had rested for a bit before Delia introduced herself and Bulby, she put Rattata's ball on her belt and Bulby jumped back into her arms. They then began walking through the forest again. Taking in the surroundings.


After a full two hours of walking, Delia decided that her and Bulby would take a break near a lake they stumbled across connecting to a river. The lake itself, was magnificent. It was fairly big with a waterfall coming down from a nearby hill. All kinds of water Pokémon could be seen swimming through the crystal clear water. Bulby and Delia sat on a large rock near the lake and just relaxed.

'This would be a perfect fishing spot.' Delia thought to herself. 'It's a shame I don't have a fishing rod.'

Sighing, Delia took her bag off, put it behind her and laid on the ground with her head resting on the bag. Bulby jumped up onto her stomach and made herself comfortable. Sighing, they both laid there for a while, just enjoying the sound of the forest.

'I could definitely stay here forever.' Delia thought happily.

Delia suddenly sat up once she realised something. Bulby noticed her trainer's sudden movements and looked up at Delia quizzically.

"Shall we introduce ourselves to our new friend, Bulby?" She asked with a smile as she took out Rattatas Pokéball.

Bulby nodded excitedly and Delia couldn't help but giggle at her excitement. Bulby hopped off of her and Delia stood up. Looking at the sphere in her right hand, she smiled and tossed it into the air.

"Rattata, come on out and introduce yourself!"

The ball burst open and in a flash of white light Rattata appeared. He jumped up and down in excitement with a huge smile on his face. Laughing, Delia and Bulby approached the little rat Pokémon and Delia knelt down in front of it.

"Hello, Rattata. I'm Delia, this is my friend Bulby. It's very nice to meet you." Delia greeted cheerfully, a warm smile on her face.

Bulby did the same and Rattata began chattering happily and jumping up and down. They all laughed and played around for a while.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Delia said as she picked up her bag and opened it, pulling out the camera. Bulby and Rattata watched on in fascination and curiosity at the device in Delia's hand. Looking at them both, she smiled at them.

"I need to get a picture of you both for my journal." She explained with a smile.

Both Bulby and Rattata jumped up and down happily and Delia giggled at their excitement. They were acting like little kids at Christmas. Once Delia calmed them down, she got Bulby to sit in front of her while she pointed the camera at her.

"Smile." Delia said happily.

Bulby smiled at the camera and Delia took the picture. She repeated this action with Rattata and the little rat was more than happy to have his picture taken. After the pictures were taken Delia stuck them in the journal and put the book back in her bag. Once she stood up and looked at the sky Delia only then realised how late it was.

The sky was a beautiful mix of oranges, reds, yellows and golds. A few stars were starting to appear. Delia let out a content sigh at the image in front of her and her Pokémon followed suit.

"We should get a fire started and camp here for the night." Delia told her Pokémon.

They nodded in agreement and they all split up to get the stuff they needed to set up a camp. Delia gathered the fire wood, Rattata found some berries for himself and Bulby, and Bulby found a few fruits for Delia.

After they had gotten what they needed, the three of them sat around the campfire in a comfortable silence eating the berries and fruit. While eating, Delia's thoughts went from the day she had, to David. She couldn't help thinking about what he might be doing right now and how his day went.

'Did he catch any Pokémon? Did he find a place as nice as this to camp? is he alright?' Delia didn't know why she thought that last part. 'Honestly, who worries about someone they've literally only known for a day? Well, two days if you count when we first met, but that's besides the point.'

Delia then began to wonder why she asked if she could tag along with him. Yeah she was little scared to go alone but still.

'I hardly know anything about him other than he's from Viridian, he's got a slight ego, he's rude, he purposely calls me country girl to egg me on. Though, he does seem like a nice person and I'll admit aside from being annoying he can be funny, sarcastic, but still funny. And he does seem to share the same love for Pokémon as me.' As these thoughts were going through her head, Delia went to her bag and took out her sleeping bag.

As Delia rolled out her sleeping bag she decided to let Bulby and Rattata sleep outside their Pokéballs tonight. Delia went behind and tree and changed into her pajamas. As she climbed into the bag, she made some room to allow Bulby and Rattata to fit in. Once they were all settled, they relaxed and allowed the sound of the forest lull them to sleep.

"Goodnight." Delia said quietly.

"Bulba."

"ta."


[Day 2]

Delia woke to the sun shining down from the sky onto her face, the rays warming her skin as it did. She looked to both her sides and saw that Rattata and Bulby were still sound asleep. Not wanting to wake either of them, Delia slowly and carefully got out of the sleeping bag, grabbed her bag and went to the lake to have a wash.

Once she finished washing up, Delia changed into her traveling outfit. A dark-pink sleeveless t-shirt, a green checkered short sleeved shirt buttoned up over it, light-black shorts, white socks and a pair of brown shoes. She then tied her hair into two pigtails.

Her mom picked the outfit for her saying 'It's stylish yet respectable and is perfect for traveling.' Delia had to agree with her there. It was definitely stylish and respectable. Good for traveling however? 'Well we'll wait and see how handy shorts come in if we travel up one of those snowy mountains.' Delia thought.

Delia was on her way back to her sleeping bag to wake the Pokémon. She stopped half way however, when she noticed that they were already awake and running around chasing each other. Delia smiled at the sight and went to roll up the sleeping bag and put it back in her bag. Once she got that out of the way Delia returned Bulby to her Pokéball and was about to return Rattata.

"Alright Rattata. Time go back in your Pokéball." She exclaimed, pointing the sphere at Rattata.

"Ratt ata." He said, shaking his head furiously.

Delia looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong Rattata? Don't you want to go back into your ball?" She asked softly.

Rattata shook his head again.

"Do you not like being in your Pokeball?"

Rattata nodded.

Delia sighed and put his Pokéball on her belt and held her arm out. "Hop on then." she said with a smile. Rattata jumped up happily and ran up Delia's arm, sitting himself on her left shoulder. Laughing, she scratched behind his ear and then they went onward towards Viridian.

While they were walking, a thought suddenly came to Delia's mind.

"Hey Rattata. I just realised, I never asked what moves you know."

Rattata looked up at the sky as if thinking and then looked back at Delia, nodding as if to confirm that she was right. He then jumped off of her shoulder and began looking around for something. After a minute or two, Rattata found whatever it was he was looking for and gestured for Delia to watch. Nodding, Delia sat down and watched Rattata's little demonstration.

Rattata stared down his target, which in this case was a small tree that probably reached just past Delia's knees. After a moment, Rattata charged at the tree and jumped into the air with his fangs out. Once he was close enough, Rattata bit down on one of the branches and cut it clean off. Delia looked on with wide eyes and applauded.

"Well done Rattata. Was that bite?" She asked with a smile.

"Ata." Rattata nodded. He then stared down that same tree again and swung his claws at it.

"Scratch?" Delia asked.

Rattata nodded again. He then turned to face the tree a third time and charged at it at full speed for a tackle attack. However, Rattata overshot his target and ran straight past the small tree and hit a much larger one head first. the tree shook slightly and Rattata fell to the ground holding his head in pain. Seeing this, Delia instantly shot up and ran over to the hurt Pokémon.

"Rattata! Are you okay?" She asked with great concern.

Rattata continued rubbing his head but looked up at his concerned trainer and nodded. Delia sighed in relief and picked Rattata up into her arms.

"You need to be more careful Rattata. You could've seriously injured yourself." Delia explained as she rocked the purple rat in her arms. He nodded and looked down sadly.

"Oh don't be sad. That's why we train. To get better at these kinds of things." She comforted.

Rattata nodded but he still didn't look any happier. So, after a quick thought Delia knew exactly what to do. She began tickling the down trodden Pokémon. He laughed in her arms as she kept tickling his little stomach. After a minute, Delia stopped and Rattata looked up at her with a smile which she returned.

"Better?" She asked

Rattata nodded and hopped back onto Delia's shoulder and licked her cheek in thanks. Delia giggled and they began walking again. Delia made it two steps before hearing strange sounds coming from above. Both Rattata and Delia looked up to the source of the noise and their eyes widened and mouths gaped at what they saw.

Surrounding them on every tree were a large family of Beedrill. It turns out the tree Rattata hit was a part of their nest, as the top of the tree was filled with Kakuna. Delia began to slowly back away with Rattata on her shoulder. She was nearly in the clear until,

'SNAP'

Delia stood on the branch Rattata bit off of the small tree and broke it. This got the Beedrill mad as they began flying in the air and dove towards them. Screaming, Delia turned and ran in the direction of Viridian City. Rattata clinging to her for dear life. Delia quickly took him in her arms while still running and began sprinting at full speed away from the attacking Pokémon. She didn't bother looking back to see how many were chasing her, the sound of their wings buzzing was enough to give her the general idea.

Delia heard one of the Beedrill getting closer and she could tell what was coming next. So without a second thought Delia dived to the ground and a Beedrill flew past her with its drills pointed outward. She quickly got back up and sprinted at full speed again. She kept running until she saw something in the horizon that brought a feeling of relief to the auburn-haired girl.

"Viridian City!" She exclaimed happily as she kept running.

Delia was forced to stop however, when a large group of Beedril flew in front of her. She turned to double back but was met with the sight of the rest of the Beedrill behind her. They began to charge towards Delia and Rattata, drills and stingers pointed in their direction.

Delia hugged Rattata close to shield him from the attacks and closed her eyes to prepare for what came next.

Before the attacks hit, Delia saw a flash of light through her closed eyes. Opening them, Delia was met with Bulby staring angrily at the incoming Pokémon. Without hesitation a large yellow cloud of smoke came out of Bulby's bulb and struck the oncoming Beedrill. Once the Beedrill came into contact with the cloud they instantly froze and fell to the ground, no longer moving.

"Stun spore." Delia said in relief. She let out the breath she was holding and sat on the ground. Bulby came up to her and Rattata with a concerned look on her face.

"Bul Bulba Bulbasaur?" It asked.

"We're alright Bulby. Just a little shaken. Thank you so much." Delia said gratefully as she brought Bulby in for a hug. Bulby nuzzled close to her and Rattata and they just sat there for a moment.

"Time to go." Delia finally said as she stood up. Delia returned Bulby to her ball and Rattata hopped on her shoulder. Smiling, they began walking in the direction of Viridian City.


The sun was setting by the time they reached the Pokémon Center. Once they entered, Delia looked around to see if David had arrived before her. The only other person she saw in the lobby was a boy with a Meowth sitting on a couch, so she walked up to the Nurse Joy standing at the reception desk. She looked up from her work and greeted Delia with a welcoming smile.

"Hello there. Welcome to Viridian Pokémon Center." She greeted in the cheery voice that all Nurse Joys usually have.

"Hi there. I'm just looking for someone and was hoping you could tell me if he checked into a room for the night?" Delia asked half hoping he arrived and half hoping he didn't. She was hoping he was alright, yes, but at the same time she didn't want to lose the bet.

"Certainly. Can you tell me his name?" Nurse Joy asked as she walked to a computer to her right.

"David Ashton Ketchum." Delia responded.

The boy with the Meowth turned to look at Delia once she mentioned David's name. Delia didn't seem to notice that someone was staring at her.

"David? I'm sorry but I haven't seen him since he left for Pallet Town two days ago." Nurse Joy said apologetically.

"You know David?" Delia asked.

Nurse Joy smiled and nodded.

"I do indeed. I taught him basic first-aid. He's a sweet boy. A little clumsy, but sweet." Nurse Joy responded cheerfully.

Delia smiled and nodded in thanks and proceeded to ask if she could get her Pokémon healed. Nurse Joy nodded with a very cheerful smile. Delia thanked Nurse Joy, gave her Bulby's Pokéball and told Rattata to follow the nurse to get some rest. Delia then turned and went over to the couch and sat down to get some rest herself. Though she was glad she won the bet, Delia hoped David was alright.

"Pardon me, but how do you know David Ketchum?" A voice said to her right.

Delia looked in the direction of the voice and was greeted by the boy with the Meowth. She looked at him suspiciously before finally answering.

"I'm his friend. How do you know him?"

"I'm his best friend." The boy said.

"And you are?"

"Giovanni." He said with a smile as he held out his hand. Delia looked at the hand and then back at him.

"Delia Summers." She said, ignoring the offered hand.

Gio's eyes went wide at hearing her name. Surely it couldn't be the same girl. Could it?

"Delia? You wouldn't happen to be the girl David met at Viridian mall last year would you?" He asked. Delia nodded and he laughed slightly.

"Arceus, he wouldn't shut up about you for a full week. It was annoying to a level I never knew existed." He said as he crossed his arms and shook his head at the memory.

'He was talking about me for a week?' Delia didn't know whether to be slightly creeped out or flattered by this. Probably both.

"So where is he?" Gio's voice snapped Delia out of her thoughts.

"It's a long story." She said with a sigh.


[Present Day]

"Oh yeah. This all started because of a stupid bet." Gio said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

"It seemed like a fun idea at the time." Delia said as she sighed and closed her eyes.

"Well congratulations, your little bet might have gotten my best friend killed." The older boy snapped at Delia. Delia sat up and gave Giovanni an incredulous look.

"How is this my fault? He was the one who suggested the bet. And I'm his friend too for your information!" Delia snapped back.

"First: you've only known him what, a day? Two if you count when you first met him. Second: you said he wouldn't last two minutes without you and that triggered his competitive side. He can't resist a challenge when the opportunity arises. So if anything's happened to him, I'm holding you responsible for it."

Before Delia could say anything else, the doors to the Pokémon Center opened and a figure stepped through. Gio and Delia turned to see who came in and gasped at who it was.

David stood in the doorway of the entrance. What shocked the two trainers the most was how he looked. His jacket was torn in different places, he had cuts on his face and hands and his right eye was bruised.

Gio, Delia, and Nurse Joy, who had been sitting at her desk when David came in, ran over to him.

"David! What happened?!" Gio asked in concern.

"How bad are you hurt?!" Came Delia's voice in an equally concerned tone.

David looked at them groggily and laughed slightly before finally answering. "You would not believe the day I'm having."

As he said that he fell to the ground unconscious.


And that was chapter four ladies and gentlemen. I updated this chapter slightly. It was originally written in Delia's P.O.V. but it didn't turn out so well, so I changed it to third person instead and I think it now looks a lot better than it did before. What do you think? Leave a review and let me know.

Also just as a heads up, I started college recently so updates will be a little longer but they'll still come. To make up for it I'll make some chapters a little longer if I can so there's more story. Until then, live long and prosper and may the force be with you.