Giving Chase

The stairway down into the Rocket hideout led down so far that it was difficult to see if it was lit up at all. Red had his Pikachu perched on his shoulder, and nodded to her to send her in front to lead him safely. The crackling electricity from Pikachu's cheeks illuminated a decent area around them, allowing Red to descend to the bottom floor safely. Once he arrived, Pikachu began to sniff around for any danger. The place was eerily quiet. As Red surveyed, he noticed speckles of blood decorating the grayish tiles around his feet. The trainer gulped. After a few moments, his Pikachu returned to him, pointing towards a closet under the very stairwell they had just taken to get there. Red didn't want to make too much noise, but still hustled over to the closet. His hands trembled. He didn't feel well prepared for what he would see, but he willed as much bravery as he could and whipped the closet open.

There, laying among heaps of cleaning supplies and rations, was Green. One of his eyes was swollen nearly shut, painted a deep purple and red. Through a white cloth that was tied around his friend's face, he could tell that Green had sustained a severe bloody nose. Whether his nose was actually broken remained to be seen. His hands, though not bound currently, showed beaten skin and swelling around the wrists. Red almost couldn't move. His body was on autopilot. The boy knelt into the closet and shook his friend, whispering fearfully into his ear. To Red's relief, Green awoke and turned to him. "R-Red? Is that you?"

"Green…" Red gently tugged on Green's arms, ushering him out of the closet and into the light. Green grunted in agony but complied. "Green, your Raticate brought me here. What happened?"

The brunette trainer winced and leaned onto his friend's shoulder. This was the best he could do to not double over and vomit. "I… I tried to help this old lady that stopped me on the street. She was begging anyone she thought looked like a trainer to help get her Pokémon back from Team Rocket. Whether… Whether it was a trick or not, I thought I could handle it."

Green slumped further into Red. Red raised his arms to hold his friend steady, making sure to keep an ear out for anyone coming down the hallways. He nodded in understanding. "I get it. The guard they had upstairs gave me a pretty good beating too. Um. I don't want to stay here, Green. Do you have your Pokémon?"

Green felt around his belt and silently counted the poke balls attached to it. He faltered.

"My… My Raticate. You said Raticate found you. Do you-?"

"Ah, yeah. He's right here. I have him." Red felt for Raticate's ball in his bag, then popped it back into place on Green's belt. "How'd you get them all back?"

"Wartortle and Kadabra really gave those thieves a run for their money after they took everyone from me… So the grunt that had all my Pokémon just left them on the floor outside the closet. I don't think I have any that can fight now, though…"

Red decided in that instant, this was not a safe place for them to keep talking. He motioned for Green to lean on him while he lifted them both from the floor. They were seriously hurt, and needed medical attention before they were found by more grunts.

"Elevator." Green pointed down a short hallway behind the stairwell. "Service elevator. Don't make me walk back up."

Same old Green. Red handled his friend as he hobbled, entering the safety of the elevator together.

When Red opened his eyes, he was staring at a bright white ceiling. He felt comfortable. The trainer waited a moment for his sight to adjust, then rolled over onto his side. He unintentionally met eyes with Green. He wasn't certain, but he though that both of their faces warmed in unison.

"Hey, you're awake too." Green smiled, that same big toothy grin he had as a youngster. "That was some day yesterday, huh?"

"Yesterday?" Red echoed. He laid his head a little deeper into his pillow. He was piecing things together, but it was difficult. He started to understand where they had ended up.

"Yeah. We slept like Geodude in the desert. Probably because we had to be sedated and stuff."

"Did we?"

"We both needed stitches, I think. You had some nasty Golbat poison in your arms. And they broke my nose."

Ah, Red thought. He grimaced and hummed in anger. He'd have to find the grunts who hurt his dear friend and take them down personally.

"We're safe though." Green's smile faded slightly. "And out of commission for a while. Nurse Joy is only releasing us under the condition that we stay under a guardian's care for the next month, at least."

"But!" Red jolted up into a sitting position, wincing and drawing a sharp breath as his beaten arms protested. "But Green… Team Rocket is still out there! The guys that hurt you, they're-"

"Not your responsibility, Red."

The trainers turned to a figure that had suddenly appeared in their room. Nurse Joy held both of their backpacks in her arms, discharge papers neatly tucked inside their side pockets. She bore a frown, one that embodied sincere concern. "Red dear. After you dispatched the guard in the casino, a passerby phoned the Celadon police and the building was raided. Moments after you arrived here. Saving your friend was brave, yes. But both of you," her attention swiftly changed to Green, who was now sitting up in bed. He gulped. "Should have known better than to go after active criminals! Did you even see the damage that they did to the casino?"

Red averted his eyes from their pink-haired nurse. So, no one knew it was actually his Nidoking that destroyed everything. That was a relief. Green piped up in Red's defense.

"I'm sorry, Nurse Joy. I was the one who stupidly ran in to try to help someone who could've been tricking me. My Raticate found Red so he could get me out of that tough spot."

Nurse Joy sighed. "Tough spot indeed. Anywho. Red, your mother is here to escort you both home now. Come along boys."

The ride home was far more silent than the boys were anticipating. They thought that they'd be barraged by questions, lectures, the usual for reckless behavior. But there was none of that.

Once things were settled inside, Red's mother sat the two trainers down at the kitchen table. Green shifted uncomfortably. Red rested a hand on one of his friend's knees in a comforting gesture.

"Green," Red's mother began. "Professor Oak is in Johto at a seminar for a short while, and Daisy tagged along to see some friends. So, you'll be staying with me until they get home."

The brunette perked. He hadn't realized it until this moment how much he didn't enjoy the thought of being alone. Sure, he wanted to get back out and continue his quest for mastery, but at the moment, going solo at home or on the road made him feel frightened. He kicked himself for that. Never in his life had he felt this way. He was the trailblazer, the doer, always accomplishing something and showing off in some way or another. Curious and brave. After what happened at the casino, though… ruminating on it made him feel so, so cold. Weak, frail. It kept running through his mind, now that things were still, and he could process. One grunt smacking him when he rushed her, another ordering his Raticate to threaten him before breaking his nose, ultimately being tied up, gagged, and thrown in that dark closet to wait for Arceus knows how long for help. There were so many lucky stars he wanted to thank for sending Red to rescue him.

Red, while Green was spaced out and staring at the wall, rubbed a thumb over his friend's knee. He couldn't imagine what Green was feeling. Even though he himself was shaken, and unable to really move past the images of that grunt's Golbat tearing at his arms and roughing up his Charmeleon, he knew that Green probably felt far worse. At least Red had taken his beating from a Pokémon, which were pretty dangerous creatures all things considered. But his eleven year old best friend had been beaten into submission by a bunch of grown adults. It was hard for him to think about. It made him grind his teeth.

Both boys were dragged from their thoughts by the smell of hot chocolate. There were mugs in front of them, Green's covered in whipped cream. They looked up at Red's mother, almost confused with why they were receiving treats.

"Mom? We're not in trouble?" Red's voice shook. His mother brushed her curly black hair behind her shoulder and sighed.

"Professor Oak and I both agree that we're just happy you boys are okay. You were hurt, and you made us worry, that's for certain. But you had your Pokémon there with you, which was such a huge safety net."

Red and Green glanced at each other. Each one assumed that they were thinking the same thing.

They needed to have a heart to heart later.