24
"Red...Red? Look he's moving!"
"I'll get the nurse."
"Red, can you hear me?"
"Huh? What's going on?"
My head hurts. I don't know who is talking to me or why. My eyes feel heavy, and I have this terrible taste in my mouth. Ah, so bright! Am I lying down? Hmm, this feels like a bed.
I force my eyes open and see Daisy leaning over the end of the bed with her hands grabbing my feet . She looks intently at my face and when she sees me move leans back, and her larger than life smile quickly fades into a faint grin. Daisy seems happy but worried.
"Daisy...OW!"
Trying to sit up in the bed, I feel aches burn all over my sides and my temples. Clutching the egg white sheets in my hands, I notice an intravenous cord coming out of my arm that connects me to a piece of machinery to the right of my bed. OK, so I'm definitely in an hospital.
"What happened?"
"Red, you just calm down, OK!" Daisy says coming to my side and putting a hand on my head.
"OWW!"
"I'm sorry! Oh, did I hurt you?"
"It's OK! You didn't know. I...what happened to me? I hurt all over!"
"YOU NEARLY GOT YOURSELF KILLED IS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!"
"I…"
In bursts Mom and a man in lab coat at the sound Daisy's shouting. This doctor seems calm enough, but Mom looks like she wants to devour me alive.
"WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO PROVE? DAISY SAID THAT YELLOW TOLD YOU TO STAY AT HER HOUSE AND YOU WENT STRAIGHT TOWARDS THIS TEAM ROCKET! ARE YOU STUPID? DO WE NEED TO LOCK YOU SOMEWHERE?"
"Mrs. Himura! That really shouldn't be necessary."
"YOU FLEW...he flew...Dr. Ankh, he flew into the sky towards a terrorist attack and nearly got himself killed. Isn't that the definition of suicidal?"
"Ma'am, please!"
"MOM! Come on now. I'm not crazy."
"Easy everyone! Try to take a few deep breaths while I check on our boy here. Please, let me take a look at you Red."
Mom shoots me an intimidating glare then steps back as the doctor crosses in front of her to talk to me. Daisy scoots out of the way and joins my mother's side. Just as Dr. Ankh takes a seat next to me, I see Mom hug Daisy like a bear and start crying. I really worried them both.
"So…" Dr. Ankh starts as he flicks a light at my eyes. "Your pupils are responding to light and movement. Good, good. You seem to be responding to sound and sight just fine. Can you feel anything?"
"Yes, my whole my body feels sore!"
"Ah, well the good news is that you ARE feeling then. Excellent!"
"Dr…"
"...Ankh."
"OK, Dr. Ankh… I…"
"Do you remember what happened before you came to the hospital young man?"
"I'm trying to remember. There was...a message from Yellow...things were happening on the news...It was Team Rocket! They were everywhere!"
"Yes! Go on!"
"I was worried about Green. I...I had been trying to Fly all day and then I flew! I Flew straight to Silph Co. and fought alongside some of the Gym Leaders and Yellow, too. Giovanni was there! He...he...attacked her...OH NO! What...what happened to Green? Please…"
"Easy now! Red, hold on just a moment," Ankh says putting a hand to my chest as I try to sit up in the bed. "Your memory appears to be well intact; however, you don't need to be getting very excited or moving around much right now. You…"
"I DON'T CARE! WHERE IS GREEN? DAISY? MOM?"
I frantically look around the room, but no one wants to say anything. They won't even look me in the eye.
"Oh no! Is she...is she dead?"
Mom covers her mouth and turns around as if she can't look at me at all. Daisy rubs her back slowly and gently without looking up from the floor. It's Dr. Ankh that finally speaks. Sighing as he sits down in a chair, he simply shakes his head and gives me a half smile.
"No, my boy she isn't dead. She's alive…"
"Oh good!"
"...but she isn't well. Red...she sustained similar but more severe injuries than you."
"What does that mean?"
"Green took severe trauma to her head, arms, and abdomen. She has internal bruising, broken bones, and burn marks all over her body. The trauma was so overwhelming for her that she couldn't function with it normally and it shut down. We believe that with time and prayer she will heal physically but her mind, well we don't know."
"What are you saying?"
"Red!" Daisy says looking up at me, a tear on her face. "Green is in a coma. We don't know if she will be able to come back."
"Come back? Oh, no...oh, no…."
This can't be real! But as I hear the news, I see Green at Silph Co. in my mind, lying on the floor by Giovanni's feet. Like a bug he stomped on, my Green, just lying there. She lived! I should be happy that she lived, but I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want this to happen, not to anyone, but especially not my Green.
"I'm sorry to bring such bad news but try to focus on your own recovery right now," Dr. Ankh says as he gets up. "I'm going to go check on something and come back. If you're up to it, I'd try to eat something. The nurse will be back soon."
Food? Yeah, I want some food. I want to eat everything they have to eat in this place! I know it won't help, but I'll eat all right. Ugh! Maybe not. I kind of want to just go back to sleep. Let this all be some terrible nightmare. Let me wake up from this.
I wave to the doctor as he walks out the door, and once the door closes, Daisy and Mom come by my side still wiping away tears.
"Red, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."
"I know Mom. I'm sorry for making you worry. I...want to see her."
"Oh honey...you can't. It's not a good idea."
"Mom!"
"No, please Red! Eat something and get well. You have a hole in your side and bruises from head to toe. You're in no condition to argue with me let alone go anywhere. Just listen to me right now," she softens as she cups my face with her hands and kisses me on the forehead. "We'll go see her, I promise, but for now, you just take care of yourself."
Daisy quietly shakes her head in agreement. I'm not going anywhere with these two watching me. I don't think I could get that far anyway. I lay my head back down and do my best to relax my body. The heaviness in my eyes hasn't left so maybe I should give into it for now. Food will have to wait. I close my eyes and turn my head over on the pillow to fall back asleep.
"I'm going to try and eat later if that's OK. Just please...let me for right now...go back to sleep."
25
That day and then consequentially that night as well are a blur of pain, nausea, restless, and irritability. When I finally get a few hours of sleep, it's maybe for three hours all together. When I open my eyes the next morning for the final time, I spot some familiar faces in my room. To the left are Mom and Daisy once more only this time with Yellow holding his arm in a cast. With his good arm, he gives me a friendly wave and smile. Next to Yellow is his father Surge, and despite the fact that Yellow is in all black and Surge in is a tank top with blue jeans on, the two have such similar facial features they could be brothers. Of course Surge is much brawnier than his son and Yellow is perhaps a little bit leaner and maybe an inch taller.
How crazy it is that the two of them are here right now in the same room! When I first made it to Vermillion City, I learned that they didn't see one another, ever, all because of the grief and blame they ascribed to one another after Yellow's mother died. But then they were present at the Saffron City attack, and now here they are together again. Perhaps this tragedy has at least one silver lining.
Turning my gaze to the other side of the bed, I see Sabrina, this time in a white skirt and pink sweater, a bit unusual for what her usual all black and somber kind of wardrobe and standing by her side, with his hand dangling very close to hers is Koga, the Gym Leader from Fuchsia City. Not including the time I saw him on TV, this is now the second time I've run into him after seeing him at Silph Co. I can't help but notice his hand draw near to hers only for her to swat it away. Koga clears his throat and steps forward to speak.
"Hello, Red. Do you know who we are?"
"Yes…" I say before letting out a few coughs and make myself sit up in the bed. "You are Koga, and...well I know the rest of you already." I say looking around the room.
"See?" Sabrina says shoving in elbow in Koga's side. "I told you his mind is in good condition."
"Yes, you were right Sabrina. Well either way then, it's good to officially meet you Red!" Kogs say ignoring her as she rolls her eyes at him.
"Koga! Sabrina! Please everyone! You have to tell me what's going on. I...I remember you telling me that Green was in a coma. Is that true?" I ask looking towards Mom.
Everyone quietly nods together. It's true! Green isn't well. Ah, then this is all real and not just some bad dream after all.
"I have to see her!"
Leaning forward I put my weight onto my hands and tuck my feet back under my knees then turn to slide off the bed. I grit my teeth involuntarily as a pain in my side punishes the movement, and before I can actually get up, Yellow and Surge step forward and hold me in place.
"Don't get up Red! You have to heal. You have a serious wound on your side there. It could get infected if you tear it back open!"
"I DON'T CARE! GET ME A POTION OR SOME TAPE! IT'S ALL THE SAME TO ME! I WANT TO SEE HER! PLEASE!"
But as intent as I am on getting out of bed, they don't let me budge an inch. Taking a few deep breaths, I finally lay back down on my good side, the one that doesn't have dark red bandages and stitches all over it and close my eyes as tears try to form in them. I open them just once more to see Mom step up and pull the blanket over my shoulders and tuck me in before stepping out of the way for the others to come up to me and place a hand on me before leaving.
"Don't rush it. We'll be back when you're ready to start walking," Sabrin.
a says.
"Relax, you will go back to training. I promise!" I hear Yellow say.
"You stay out of trouble Red. You're still alive. Let's keep it that way!" Daisy insists.
Each one has something to say out loud to encourage me, but Koga comes up last and whispers in my ear his tip in my ear.
"When you're ready, Yellow will bring you to Fuchsia City. I could use your help there."
I look at Koga as he turns to walk out the door, but he doesn't look back. What does he need me to help HIM with? In my condition, I'm totally useless. Like a broken toy, all I'm good for is getting thrown out in the trash. Sure I want to heal and go back to training, but what's the point? I just got my fifth belt and learned how to Fly, only to watch Team Rocket erupt all over Kanto. I was feeling high and powerful, but I couldn't do anything to help. There were just too many of them and even with a bunch of well trained fighters at my side, Team Rocket did so much damage. Giovanni struck down my girlfriend and me like we were flies, pests.
"Red…"
Looking up from the bed, I realize that not everyone left the room. Mom stayed behind.
"Hi Mom."
"Hi honey," Mom says as she comes and sits down on the edge of my bed. "You must feel awful."
"Horrible!"
"I hear you. Look, I know you are not a boy anymore. You're an adult now, a young man, and you have to do life as you see fit. I won't try to tell you what to do. Just remember that you still have me, your mother."
"I know, Mom."
"Do you? Is that why you yelled at everyone just now and tried to spill yourself like soup all over the floor?"
"Uh...it's not like that."
"No? Red, you act like you are in this all alone. Yellow told me he asked you to stay with Daisy, but you flew straight into the line of action and nearly got yourself killed!"
"It's because of Green, Mom. She was in danger! Is that so hard to believe?"
"No, but why act so recklessly? What were you thinking?"
"THINKING? I WAS THINKING I LOVE HER!"
That shut her up. For a long minute, my mother doesn't make a peep and just quietly stares at me. What is she thinking? Is she going to tell me I can't be in love at my age? Maybe she'll say I haven't known Green long enough. Have I known her long enough? What does it matter to her?
"WHAT? WHAT IS IT?"
"You love her?"
"I...yes. Yes, I do Mom."
"I thought so."
"Wait what?"
"I was wondering if you'd ever tell me or if it was just in my head."
"Huh?"
Mom knew, and she didn't say anything to me? Mom has always been my voice of reason, the one to get me up and going to school. She has helped me figure out how to dress and eat and how to talk to people with respect. Mom is proper and responsible. Mom is caring and always right, but she isn't one for talking about my love interests.
The last time we talked about girls was back in high school. I was attracted to many girls including Green come to think of it, but I was completely obsessed with Daisy. Oh, how I wanted to be with Daisy!But Mom called me out on it one day and with a "You're not ready for love" or "You have school to worry about" kind of speech she would derail me instantly from that point on. I never talked about girls around her again. What does she mean then by saying "I knew it!?"
"I have suspected it for some time, but I didn't want to bring it up. It was kind of hard,you know, thinking you might have another girl in your life than old Mom."
"Ha!" I laugh feeling uneasy, "I mean...How did you know?"
"Well lets face it, Red. You've always been a been attached to my hip. I mean you spent time doing things with your father and me evenly when you were younger but once he passed you kind of imploded a little."
"Imploded?"
"Yes, if you weren't at school or with Blue you were home with me."
"You always needed help around the house. I didn't want you to be alone!"
"I know. I know. I was never without your help, and I was never alone. I have to be honest though, it was unfair of me to keep you all to myself. All those years after your father died, I just never wanted to move on. I didn't want to make friends, and when you didn't branch out more, I was delighted. We sort of limped on together. When Oak told me about your journey and the opportunity it offered you, I realized just how much I had depended on you. I had to let you loose! You have so much to offer Kanto, and it would have been wrong of me to be selfish and keep you home your whole life."
"I...wow...Mom I would have got out of the house."
"No, I don't think you would. Even Blue would have left you behind sooner or later and then what? You'd probably still be pining over Daisy and watching Pokémon shows."
"Hey! Whatever! You know what? That doesn't answer my question! How did you know that I love Green?"
"He he. I knew because you DIDN'T tell me."
"Huh?"
"Red, when you're around someone long enough and especially if they are your only child, you learn everything about them. It can be so wonderful, but if you're not careful you'll expect them to never change. When you left Pallet Town, you got serious about training. You stayed up late and fended for yourself. I couldn't understand if at first, and I was so jealous that something else got your attention."
"I know. I should have called you more."
"Shhh, let me finish. You know you used to call or text home if things got rough when you went on trips for school or got into a fight with Blue. When you went off to be a Monster Trainer, you started to talk to me at first, but then you changed."
"I'm…"
"And! And I'm glad you didn't! It forced me to make friends with Green's mother Emma and with Daisy, people that had wanted to be my friend from the beginning. People that needed a friend when they lost loved ones just like we did. But anyway, I noticed several terrible and scary things happened because of these Rocket types. They were stealing and blowing things up all around you and you didn't tell me about it. You didn't come to me. Then I saw you on TV with her, with Green in Vermillion City, and it hit me."
"You aren't disappointed? You aren't going to try and talk me out of it?"
"Oh now why would I do that? I know you Red. You're just like your father! If you have your heart set on something, nothing will ever change that for you. I knew you were obsessed with Daisy, but you never seemed confident in the relationship you had with her. You always just talked about her like a fairy tale. Did you think you two would be ever actually be together?"
"No, I...I guess I didn't. With Daisy and with any other girl, I just felt attraction but also uncertainty. I never really felt serious about anything before this trip, but then I do really feel a purpose when I fight. I feel like, like my Dad is with me, when I stop and listen. I hear him like he's right by my side."
"Oh Red...he is. Your father will never let you go!"
"I know. I know…"
"But you met Green, too. You met a girl and kept how you felt about her from me. That's how I know you cared about her differently than you did Blue's sister."
"I didn't mean to hide something from you. I guess I just feel something different with her. Green and I share a true purpose and connection. And the things we've been through, the things we've seen together...it's like nothing I've ever experienced! We started talking to each other back in Viridian City and then...well we were messing around in the forest and she got hurt, and I had to carry her to the Focus. I was afraid that she was going to die from Poison!"
"WHAT? Oh my goodness! That's right! Emma told me."
Emma or Mrs. Hayashi I remind myself. I never use our parents first names so it's here to keep the name straight on my head.
"Right, well anyway, I carried her to the Focus and things started changing. I mean I still had feelings for Daisy, and I thought that Green was into Blue. She even said it! I sort of thought she was weird and annoying up until that point, but after that day, I think a seed was planted in me that never went away."
Mom starts laughing and covers her mouth when I roll my eyes at her.
"What is it? What's so funny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Red. It's just..it's just well, have I ever told you about how I met your father?"
"Before you went into crafting and nursing you used to run the restaurant on the edge of town with grandfather before he died. Dad used to come there for breakfast and coffee, and he asked you out one day because he thought you 'were the prettiest woman he had ever seen in his life!'"
"Ha ha. Well that IS part of it! Yes, I used to run the counter and bring out the food for Delia's."
"That was grandmother's name right?"
"Yes! You never met her, but she was great. Oh, the both of them were! Anyway, I would help Dad with the front while he cooked and did inventory in the back. We were a real duo of sorts. That is until one day this man came for breakfast.
Satoshi came in by himself and at first I didn't really notice him. He wasn't loud or wearing fancy clothing. Your father came in with his button down shirt and jeans and his tool belt, always brown and blue. He always wore that hat you like to wear, but he'd take it off when he came in the door.
Satoshi would sit down and read the paper while I brought him his coffee. He was quiet and polite compared to some other customers that came, especially the ones that hit on me from the gas company in south Pallet. Ugh! They were so obnoxious. To be honest, I saw your Dad come in for several days before we ever really talked to one another, and I took that as a good thing at the time. Less drama."
"And?"
"And! Ha, so one day I went over to him and started to refill his coffee and he set the paper down and gave me the biggest smile and said to me, 'Oh thank you Hana! Can I ask you something?'"
"'Sure,' I said. Now I didn't tell him this at the time, but I had never really looked at Satoshi in detail. He had such big shoulders and this angled jaw line. The features of his whole body were like carved marble. He sometimes came in with these rough looking gloves on, but that day he had them off, and underneath the gloves he had the softest yet toughest looking hands I've seen. His dark eyes were…"
"MOM!"
"OH! I'm sorry, where was I?"
"You were just telling me that you went to check on Dad, and he was asking you something."
"Oh, right! Sorry! So anyway he goes, 'Is Hana short for something?'"
"I laughed and told him that 'Hana' is short 'Hana to Yume' or as my family calls me
'Hanayume.'"
"'OH!' he says, 'Doesn't that mean bride? Are you married?'"
Mom stopped for a second and covered a grin on her face. This sort of confusion about words is unfortunately common in Kanto. The country has a blended culture of Japanese, English and French languages and backgrounds. Mom's family was familiar with writing in Kanji where as Dad had little knowledge of that. His family actually moved to Kanto during his teen years from America, and he actually taught me and Mom how to read books in English and some in French though only children's books really. But this is beside the point. Why is Mom making that goofy smile?
"Go on! What are you smiling about?" I insist.
"OK, so it was at that moment he said 'bride' that I panicked and overflowed Satoshi's mug and spilled hot coffee all over my hand and on both of his! 'What!? NO! I…OH NO!' I said to him. Oh I burned him, a customer that was trying to make small talk with me! It even dripped down onto his shoes and feet! I set the kettle down and started trying to pull out a rag for him, but my hands were shaking too much. Oh I made such a mess! ! felt so terrible. I thought for sure he'd hit me or curse me. I thought maybe he'd just leave and never come back but you know what he did?"
"What?"
"He grabbed my hands in his and he said to me 'It's OK Hana. Let me see your hands.' And he looked them over in his own and told me they looked OK then he took the tag from me and wiped up the coffee from the table. I tried to run off and gethin some paper towels for his feet, but he held onto my hand and said, 'Please, it's OK. Finish telling me about your name.' So I explained to him that my name is is Hanayume and that means dreams and flowers."
"What did he say back?"
"He squeezed my hand and let it go and said, "Dreams and flowers? What a pretty name for a pretty girl.'"
"Of course I hadn't expected him to say something like that, so I just stood there and turned a few shades of pink or he so he told me later. I asked him, 'So you aren't mad? I do most humbly apologize for this. I have to say I don't usually do this...I mean spill drinks on people...I hope you won't want spread a bad report or...'"
"And he said to me, 'Hanayume, I'm not here to condemn this place. I love it here! I couldn't imagine a better place to come eat in the morning. Please if you really want to make it up to me, maybe you can get me dinner? I'm easy I like fish, any kind.'"
"So I pulled out my notepad and pen and asked him very stupidly for his order, 'OK, well we only have a few options, on the last page. I...wait!' And just like that, he asked me out. I was so dumbfounded at the timing, the unlikelihood of this well mannered man whom I just spilled burning hot coffee on and barely knew. He actually wanted to go out with me! We went out that night and from that point on, the chemistry just soared between us. I think we lasted maybe a month of dating."
"Lasted a month?"
"Before we got married! Ha ha, oh, my father was so delighted. And your father's parents, too. You see, he saw me at a time I was not my best, in fact possibly my worst, but he saw the real me, and for whatever reason that was the person he fell in love with. Then he ended up calling me his bride after all. Oh, I was such a mess, but your father, he had a way of making me feel whole and unblemished. I never wanted with him around, and I never doubted anything because of him."
"A month! Wow! I never knew that about you and Dad. You really just hit it off."
"Well your old mom doesn't tell you everything growing up you know, but I just had this feeling when I realized that you were dating Green. I heard from her mother that you two talked about marriage even. Is that true?"
"Um, no, well sort, I think. Yes."
"Ha ha. That sounds like a story! Why don't you tell me about your journey from the beginning?"
And so I did. I spent the next several minutes telling Mom the story so far. How I jumped into training for the first time in Viridian Forest. How Green and I realized just what danger we were getting into when she got poisoned. I told her about how I got on a cruise and got very sick and nearly ruined everything with Green from the beginning because I was still trying to make sense of my feelings for Daisy. I told her about the rest of my adventure, the battles and the long hours of training, the setbacks and victories. I told her about seeing the different cities and how the Gym Leaders have helped me. I told her about Team Rocket and Giovanni. How he seemed to know my father and hates me for some reason. It was hard, but I told her everything I knew.
Mom did her best to comfort me and be supportive for the next few days. Instead of giving advice or telling me what to do, she listened to me and tried to help me eat and get in and out of bed. My first meal was half a bowl of potato soup and my first journey from the bed was to the bathroom and back.
Not much to talk about really, but in a few days, I was up to eating full meals and walking down the length of the halls and even sneaking off to try to steps when I felt brave. I didn't have to sneak off from Mom, but the hospital staff. Mom actually wanted to take me upstairs to see Green or downstairs to the courtyard and have me get outside, but the staff were pretty insistent that I stay on my floor and not leave for all of three days. I could make it to the steps at the end of the hall but not up them, and I couldn't get on the elevator without people noticing as they were placed right next to the nurse's station. On day four though things finally changed.
"Your recovery is quite exceptional!"
"Thanks Dr. Ankh."
"I'm serious Red! Between your Skillfinder or your genes, I'm not sure, but somehow you have recovered faster than most people I've treated in this hospital! You have use of all of your body and the cuts on your abdomen are almost back together from the way you lumber down the hall ways. You should be able to take that bandage off and maybe train in a week or two if you take it easy."
A week or two? Is this guy joking? Yellow is coming to pick me up and take me to Fuchsia City today! But he is right to a degree, I won't be at full capacity just yet.
"I know you want to get back out there with Blue and fight, but take it slow please. I know you've been anxious to see Green, and I don't want you to get discouraged so go and see her now if you'd like. You just keep your head up young man."
"Right, that's what I have to do!"
"Good! I'm glad to hear that. OK, sign this!" he says handing me the discharge paperwork. "Good luck out there!"
Mom is already waiting for me by the elevator, so I pass the nurse station, staff staring at me as I walk by and hit the up button. I check my clothes to make sure everything's in order. Except for some bandages on my hand and a bump on my side under my shirt, you wouldn't be able to tell that I was injured. Even my gait is back in order. I'm lucky that Giovanni struck me where he did and nowhere else. I bled a lot and my side still hurts, but now I'm just waiting for the skin to heal, nothing internal. With my jeans and red hat back on my head, I feel like myself once more.
We get in the elevator and go up to the seventh floor. Stepping out on tile, I notice a few more nurses staring at me, but they don't say anything to me. I keep my head down and walk by without conflict. When we make it to Green's room, I notice the overhead light is off and the only light in the room comes from a tiny lamp in the corner that's almost hidden by a sea of flowers.
"They are all from fans from across the country," Mom whispers to me. "You won't believe how many they had to turn away! And they keep coming, but Yellow has made a point of taking them all to the Hayashi home back in Pallet. Well...go on then," she says giving me a push into the room.
Sitting in a chair to the right is Mrs. Hayashi reading a book. To the left, under a small canopy of white sheets and bandage lies her daughter. I can barely see Green under all the coverings, but it looks like she is just sleeping like nothing is wrong. When Mrs. Hayashi sees us, she jumps to her feet, but Mom shakes her head gets her to sit back down.
As Mom walks over to the wall to hug Mrs. Hayashi, I make my way around the bed to Green's right side and squat down to look at her face. I've never seen a person in a coma before. Heard of them on TV shows, but not something I hoped to see in real life.
Green is lying on her side facing me. Her body is in a gown and bandages cover most of her lower arms and a big place on her right cheek. I take a seat in the chair next to her and carefully grab her hands with mine. One of her fingers has clamp on it to measure her heart beat and an IV attached to the back of her hand. I lay her hand back down and gently run my hands through her brown hair. It looks uncharacteristically dirty and feels a touch dry, but somehow the feel of her hair is comforting and familiar to me that I don't mind.
I'm right here with her, but it feels like we are in different worlds. If only she would open her eyes and acknowledge me. Hit me in the shoulder and give me a hard time, Green. But she is still and quiet. Watching ever so closely, I find one reassurance of her health, the slight indentation of her chest and flare of her nostrils as she breathes. She may be in bad shape, but she is alive. That will be enough of a joy for me today.
"Red?"
I look back to Mrs. Hayashi.
"I'm glad you came up here to see her, and that you're doing better."
"I feel much better actually, but I feel so bad for what happened to your daughter. I was with her and then I left her…"
"To go and learn how to Fly! Yes, I know. And I'm glad you left and showed up when you did otherwise you and Green may have both...well, we may not be as fortunate as we are right now."
"Fortunate! I'm sorry Mrs. Hayashi, but what do you mean by that?"
"Red, you are up and talking to me, and I'm happy for that. Truly I am. But know this, if you had been there with Green, that man would have attacked and killed you both before blinking an eye."
"Well he nearly did with Green!" I say raising my voice.
Mom sits up straight and furrows her eyebrows at me. That might have been too much I think. Mrs. Hayashi swallows and looks away for a second before looking back at me. I can see the pain in her eyes. This may be a girl that I truly care for, but she has been Mrs. Hayashi's daughter her whole life.
"I'm sorry...I can only imagine how hard this is for you. I just feel responsible."
"I know, but you really mustn't. Let me explain."
"OK."
"When Team Rocket appeared, this man...Giovanni...I can barely say it. He arrived to get some item from Ron Silph, CEO of Silph Co."
"The Master Ball! He mentioned it to me before...before I blacked out."
"Oh, I don't know what he wants a ball for. I've never heard of that."
Mrs. Hayashi looks to me and Mom, but both us shake our heads back.
"I don't either."
"Anyway, he got the item I heard, even though Silph had decided to back out of the deal once he realized that the person requesting this item online was from Team Rocket. It must have been something dangerous, because Mr. Silph looked very concerned when he told me about it though not what it's for. But then Giovanni demanded the object anyway and wouldn't take no for an answer. He showed up and started attacking his staff! Security and the International Police tried to fight him, but there were too many...bad men I guess….outside. They couldn't reach Mr. Silph in time."
"Except for Green!"
"Right! I heard from Mr. Silph himself that she fought bravely and got in a few good strikes before the fight turned around. He seriously injured Green...he would have killed her, but Sabrina the Gym Leader showed up. She and some other people, though I can remember them all, came to help. They all wounded him a little bit, but he was just too strong. He defeated them in the end and was planning to turn back and kill Green and then all of them for good."
"Then I showed up?"
"Then you showed up! Oh what a blessing!"
Mrs. Hayashi got to her feet and engulfed me in a hug. The sensation is both overwhelming but also reassuring. I can't help but notice that Mrs. Hayashi has on a familiar pine perfume. Now I know where that style came from.
"Red...you fought him, and I regret that you got so injured, but you hurt him, and sent him packing! You saved Green, but you also prevented that man from killing anyone else."
"Else?"
"I'm afraid that a man did die in Saffron City, they gave me his code name only. I think it was Seeker?"
"Looker?"
"Oh, that's the one!"
"Oh no! I met him. He was a good man."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he was."
"But what were you talking about? You see, I tried to hit Giovanni, and he easily beat the tar out of me."
"Sabrina told me that she saw him strike you down, but then you stood back up. You looked in a daze of some sort, but you fought back!"
I looked to Mom who simply shrugged and smiled.
"I don't understand what kind of Struggle you were in, maybe a side effect of being knocked out but you have that fancy Skillfinder. Maybe that's what allowed you fight? I don't know, but you hit him hard! Then the others ganged up on him, and he fled. He stole something and hurt both of you, but he had to run away before he could kill either of you. I know he had something planned, but Kanto stood strong that day. Team Rocket hasn't been seen since that day. Oh what a miracle!"
"I'm just not following. You're saying I attacked him after I was knocked out? Too crazy!"
"It's true!"
Who's here? Turning to the door, we all see the familiar blonde haired man from the IP. His grey coat just barely off the surface of the floor.
"Yellow!"
"That's me. I heard you were discharged from the hospital and figured you would come straight here. Guess I was right. If a man loves something enough, he will devote all of himself to it."
"I...yes. Ha ha, are you ready then to take me to Fuchsia City?"
"Yes, I am. Whenever you're ready."
"What? But Red, you're just now starting to heal. Please stay with Green and me and relax."
"I'm sorry Mrs. Hayashi, but I can't. Giovanni and Team Rocket may not be on the news, but they're out there. I have to keep training. I have to get stronger."
"He sures does, and if he can be a team player he just might join me on the IP. If he can try to be a little bit careful that is."
"I'm sorry, I never did apologize to you for not listening."
"Ah, no worries. Let's go though, I have to drop you off and go check out something happening down by Cinnabar Island. I've heard about these strange icebergs forming. There have been shipwrecks and people getting trapped down there."
"OK, then...I guess this is goodbye then. Ummm, Mrs. Hayashi, I forgot to thank you in person, but thanks for getting me that Big's outfit, and for your pep talk...and for…"
"For Green? Ah, you're welcome! You be careful and come back here each day you
can, I know we three girls could use the company!"
"It's true Red, don't be a stranger!"
I go and hug Mom and then Mrs. Hayashi and lastly go to Green's side and kiss her on the forehead.
"OK, Yellow, let's go!"
26
When we make it to Fuchsia City, the first thing I notice is how much smaller and calmer the town is than Saffron. The buildings are short and brown and white and often times hidden between bamboo trees, something I don't get to see everyday. Small ponds break up the streets, and the south side of town is connected to the sea in a way similar to Vermillion City is though the coastline here is less rocky and more of what most people think of when they say the word beach, sandy. I actually think I'd really like it here! Though three times the size of Pallet Town, this place kind of reminds me of home with the added bonus of tall trees and a little more business in town. It's just homey.
The first place we visit is a small shack in the north east corner of town. Sitting on the porch in a rocking chair with his hands folded over his stomach sits an elderly man with a greying beard. Yellow walks up to him as if he knows him, and I follow close behind. It turns out that "Bob's" family has owned the land now being used for the Safari Zone for generations. It's his desire that the attraction be restored to its former glory as soon as possible, but there simply aren't enough willing men in town to help.
"What do you think, Red? You were badly injured only four days ago. Should you wait a few more?"
But I don't say a word back and give him a smile. Yellow knew all along I would do this. That's why he brought me here, to feel useful again. To get out of my bed and start doing something with hands once more.
"You're here!"
Turning around I see Koga standing walking down the street toward us.
"I'm glad, and look, you met Bob. Ready to get to work?"
"I am!"
For the next two weeks, Koga, Bob, and I fell into a nice routine. We grabbed a few men on the way into the SZ and rolled some tools in on carts. Each of us would pick a section of wood, take a few steps out from the last man, then begin cutting up fallen trees and loading them onto the carts. We'd move the lumber all to burn piles and eat fried fish at the end of the day over a the end of the day, Yellow would show up by Bob's house and Fly me back to the hospital in Saffron City.
At least he did that the first two times, but I soon felt well enough to Fly on my own and relieved him of this task. I noticed that Yellow never protested about taking me though. What a good guy!
Once we got a majority of the wood cleared, I began clearing the land of dead animals or rather I focused more on that than before. We actually did both from the beginning but cleaning up carcasses in the fallen brush was quite tricky and something that was so nauseating and upsetting that I did my best to avoid it.
Making your hand like a blade to Cut a log then load it on a cart makes you feel like a strong and youthful man. Grabbing an oozy and bloody corpse just reminds me of death and weakness. I guess the reality of death can be humbling in the weirdest of ways.
According to Bob the Safari Zone was a place for tourists and trainers alike. Tours could come through the SZ in tall vans, something you don't see a lot of in Kanto anywhere since most people rely on Skills to get around, and we have such a small country and fuel is very hard to come by and expensive here. This makes vehicles in Kanto sort of obsolete.
Little kids come and see the Pokemon at the Safari Zone on field trips from school though I remember I missed the trip my school took because I slept in that day. How disappointing!
According to Bob, trainers apparently can come into the park and train in different sectors. The first sector is more of a commons area where people can go to eat from vendors, use the bathroom, and buy merchandise. This is also where the vans are stationed. Past the entrance is what I'll call Sector A has terrain that is mostly flat and forested. North of that is Sector B, the biggest sector of all and home to large ponds. In the last sector lies more hilly ground as well as a building surrounded by water. I'm told that is the Treasure House.
"Each sector has different Pokemon in it, though the attack has caused many of them to get confused and now they're all mixed up."
"Koga, is there any significance to the design of the sectors?"
"Yes, actually. You see every week Bob hosts events here for trainers to compete against one another. The big competition is called the Treasure Trek. Trainers have a limited amount of time to run through the forest, swim through the ponds, and move past large stones in order to get to the Treasure House."
"What do you get if you win?"
"Well there are different prizes every time, but the first place winner gets to choose from money to gift cards to personal lesson with the Warden himself. You know before I showed up, he was the Fuchsia City Gym Leader."
"What? Wait, who is this Warden anyway?"
"You met him already. His name is Bob!"
"No, I mean. He's just some old man. How does he train people?"
"Ah, but looks can be deceiving. He was the one that taught me how to Strength. He could teach you how to do that and also how to Surf."
"I'm sorry, how to what?"
"I'll ask Bob to come over today and show you."
So Koga sent Bob a message and not much later, he showed up. Bob took me over to Sector B where all the ponds were and pointed to a small mound in the middle of a pond. He then got in the water, no hesitation at all, and kicked off the ground.
I'm not sure what's happening, but now I'm watching his body project forward like a cannon in the water! I guess that would be more like a torpedo than a cannon actually. This is not just swimming fast. Something special is happening here! Anyway he makes it to the center of the pond in mere seconds and steps up on top of the mound with his arms raised high.
"SEE?"
"YES!"
Bob then gets back in the water and springs his body back towards me. He asks me to try this time, and jumping in the water, I try to visualize the necessary Skill being done by Gyrados which happens to part Water. How fitting because I actually get several feet out into the water on the first try! With a few minutes of practice, I'm not expert but definitely impressed with my ability.
"Nice work! I wonder though if you can Strength?"
But Koga doesn't leave this thought to mystery and asks me to leave Bob behind and head to the last sector with him. Getting out of the water, Koga takes me down the path towards Sector C with big hills, a small moat, and the Treasure House in the middle.
At first it seems like all we have to do is hike up a large hill, and we'll get there no trouble, but as we start going up, I notice that several boulders are strewn about everywhere. We navigate our way around several of them, but at last we come to a sort of dead end with a small wall of rock in our faces.
"OK, watch this."
Koga steps forward and puts his hands against a single boulder. I watch closely and see his hands tremble slightly before he plants them on the stone, almost like brute vibrating from electricity coursing through them. Then as if he were pushing a shopping cart down an aisle, Koga pushes the big rock back and to the side!
"Whoa! How did you do that?"
"It's called Strengthing! You send your energy into an object as you move it allowing it to respond to you kinetic energy and move with you. It's a technique that can help any man move larger than normal objects, even elderly men like Bob the Warden. But like Fly or Surf, you must have a Skill of a Pokemon that could actually move those things in real life. This is why I can show you how to Strength, but I'm unable to show you how to Fly or Surf. Bob has the Skill of Dragonair, a big blue and white serpent. Yellow, your old pal that flies you around everywhere has a Skill from a Fearow that allows him to Fly. My Poison Pokémon can't do either or at least I can't without switching out my Skillfinder, but I can Strength. Why don't you try it with me?"
So I try to think of what Pokemon could move boulders and accept that many are quite big and strong, but in order to stay focused, I concentrate on my Charizard Skill. Imagining a big red dragon knocking a boulder out of the way, I step up to one and proceed to push it. No luck!
"Ah man, what's wrong? Charizard Skill should work right? What are you using?"
"I'm using a Muk Skill and yes, that should be fine. Give it another go."
Muk? Isn't that the creature that Team Rocket used to attack people with? Why would Koga want to use a Skill from a monster like that? Whatever! Red, you have to focus. But try as I might, I simply can't get this Skill down. The boulder starts to move then slides right back into place. If anything the boulder is pushing me back down the hill.
"Hey, it's OK. Why don't you take a break today and enjoy yourself in the Safari Zone. You don't want to work the whole time you're here and miss the beauty of nature."
Reluctantly I agree to take his advice and head back to Sector B. At least I know how to Surf. I mean how cool is that! I'm so glad that I got that dumb Magikarp Skill forever ago because now that I have Gyarados abilities Surfing is easy.
Swimming around in the ponds, I can see all sorts of wild Pokemon including some I'm not as familiar with such as Krabby, Kingler, Psyduck, and Golduck. The first two are just what most people call crabs; however, Kingler has one really big claw and one small one and a body that is roughly ten times as big and heavy as a Krabby.
Psyduck looks like your average yellow duck but has some strong Water and Psychic moves I've heard making it an animal you don't want to mess with. Golduck is a blue, humanoid looking bird that when standing on ground is almost as big as grown man. The one in front of me looks to be maybe a foot shorter than me but watching it swim like a person through the pond, I can't help but think he's more of a man than a bird. After taking a nice swim in the pond, I decide it would be best to head back into Sector A and see what Pokemon are running around in the forest.
At first I don't see much of anything so I stop myself and squat quietly waiting for them to stir. Each day I've come to the forest I've seen a wide range of Pokemon here. The first day I saw most of the Nidoran Lines including the purple rhino Nidoran male and Nidorino, Skills I have, as well as their blue female counterparts Nidoran and Nidorina.
The next day I saw Paras, the strange bug creature with mushrooms on its back and Parasect, the evolved form of Paras which has one big mushroom on its back and faded white eyes like its dead inside. Gross! I remember seeing the Paras back at Mount Moon when I chased after Team Rocket from Pewter City weeks back.
The day after that, I saw Venonat which Sabrina has the Skill of, a purple fuzzy bug as well as Scyther and Pinsir which I saw pictures of at Giovanni's Game Room. Seeing Scyther and Pinsir use their appendages to battle and chop bamboo down in nature though is much cooler than looking at pictures of them in a building! I'm glad I got the Scyther Skill there before Team Rocket revealed itself and the building came down. I'll have to come back here some time and observe Scyther close up.
I've also seen some stranger Pokemon here. There are the pouch Pokemon or that's what I'll call them, Chansey and Kangaskhan. Chansey is pink and looks like an egg with a face and hands and feet with a pouch on it's belly holding yet another smaller egg. Weird!
Kangaskhan is a big brown lizard looking creature with hardened plates and spikes on its body. It usually carries a baby in its frontal pouch which is different from most Pokémon that seem to simply evolve from something smaller to something bigger. I've heard in other countries there is a similar creature called a kangaroo although I think Kangaskhan is much bigger and more intimidating than a kangaroo from what people have told me.
As I make my way across a small pond, I can see a handful of Dratini swimming on the surface of the water. These are unevolved form of Dragonair, the Skill that the Warden uses to Surf everywhere. Dratini are blue and white like Dragonair but they are only about five feet long where as I've heard Dragonair are closer to thirteen feet long!
By the edge of the water are Tangela which I can only describe as a blue bush that has feet and walks. More specifically I guess the body of the animal is more like tangled vines than branches from a tree hence the name. I think Erika from Celadon City used this Skill for battle, and that's cool, but I think they look kind of weird. As I pass by, one of them turns toward me, and I see two glowing eyes glare at me under the coils. Yikes!
Getting out of the water, I cross into the trees without running into anymore Pokemon. I'm almost surprised at this, but the truth is that wild animals are usually kind of skittish. The first day I came to move logs from this section I saw Exeggcute and Rhyhorn, two very different animals. Exeggcute looks like a half dozen of eggs with faces that hop around together like they are attached somehow by a spring. I even think they can mimic language as I've heard them "say" things to each other that the workers were saying like "log" or "push" or "move it!" I found them pretty annoying actually.
And the Rhyhorn are big rock covered beasts that charge things with their bony outgrowths then turn and run. Actually both of these guys were annoying. I'm glad to be leaving this place and these Pokemon for awhile.
When I cross back into town, Koga is standing by the gate waiting for me with a crowd of young trainers. How the heck does he always beat me here? He is so sneaky fast! I guess there is a reason he wears that ninja costume after all. Who are these people?
"Red! Long time no see!"
"Ha ha, yeah right! So what's up?"
"Well I know you have been conditioning your body for the rough terrain of the Safari Zone and doing us a public service for the past several days. I can't thank you enough for that!"
"Ah, I'm happy to. Thanks for getting me out of that hospital!"
"Well I'm glad you feel that way. So then, you noticed some trainers are here no doubt? I took the liberty of getting some of my media friends to let trainers of Kanto know they need to pitch in where they can either by donating money or helping out putting their towns back together. Some of them have offered a lot of their resources in fact. I was quite impressed."
"Wow, that's so cool! But…"
"But why are these guys here? Well some of them truly believe that they can't help Kanto by fighting for their homeland and getting stronger. These individuals with me today have all agreed to help train the person they believe could be the next Monster Training Champion, the Hero of Kanto."
"You mean...Blue? Yellow?"
"No, not him son. You! We all agree that one youth has stepped up to bat more times than any other and stole our hearts. You will lead Kanto into the new era."
"Wait really? You can't be serious. I fought Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket, and I lost!"
"You did, yes, but not with him making him bleed first. I think Team Rocket expected us to roll over and play dead as they took over our country, and though we've had our losers you have not allow the spirit of Kanto itself to give up. Not by a long shot! I didn't tell you this, but there is reason I've encouraged Yellow to Fly you here instead of letting you walk. A reason why I keep you here until dark. It isn't just because I want you to be with your family."
"You mean the crowds of people outside Fuchsia City? I DO watch TV!"
"Ha! Yes, your fans have been barricaded from entering Fuchsia City until now. This is the first round of people I've let into the city since you left the hospital that didn't already live here. I've made following you in my city a lawful offense if you can believe it, but that comes with the promise that now, after so much waiting, the people can see their hero and help him. Kanto can help their Champion get back on his feet and get stronger than ever before."
At this statement I'm truly lost for words. I've never felt more valuable as a person than I do right now. At the instruction of Koga, the crowd forms a line to meet with me. Some of them want autographs or selfies with me while others want to fight and train against me. I get everyone that wants to train to stick around after I get through the others first and promise to fight them on the beach at the south side of town.
There are trainers that are really weak and don't put up much of a fight, but I do my best to encourage them and find a way to compliment them. The stronger trainers are less common, but I'm thankful to spar with them. I feel my spirits rise as I fight and get my Skill Levels up, but even more rewarding is the idea that the people of Kanto have chosen me to get them all a little tougher than before. No one wants to be under the thumb of Team Rocket anymore.
The crowd eventually disperses that night, and as routine I return back to Saffron to see Green and our mothers in the hospital then sleep at the Focus. Still no sign of her waking from the coma, but she appears to be at peace which is news I'll take any day.
When I come back the next day, a new crowd is waiting for me to train. I take them on and a new rhythm develops. Each new day is met with journeys into the SZ, rough physical conditioning as well as exploration in nature, communion with friends and strangers, and the rush of intense battle.
In what feels like no time at all, three weeks have passed since I left the hospital. I'm feeling like a new man, confident and strong. My Levels have all risen to 51, and I can feel a little bit more definition and slight bulk added to my arms and legs. Sweet! My endurance and longevity have increased threefold and Flying and Surfing has started to feel like second nature to me. Using Strength to move objects is still confusing to me, but I can at least move a single boulder if not really slowly a few feet at a time. I'm not dismayed but optimistic about the journey ahead.
"Red, are you ready to take on Koga today?"
"I believe so, Yellow. Wish me luck!"
"Do you believe in luck?"
"Ha, not really. It's just a saying I guess. I believe my father wanted me to serve Kanto and do whatever it takes to protect her from evil. I've committed myself to that idea with all I am, and today I truly believe that I can face Koga and win."
I've done my best to get in shape like Koga by Strengthing, running, and fighting in battle for long periods of time without break. For a guy nearly twice my age, he's quite light on his feet and hard to keep up with, but I know I'm getting better. We haven't actually fought each other yet, but I've seen him in battle and know his learnset, mostly Poison Pokemon Skills. He won't be a pushover, but I can take him.
"Well I'm glad to hear that. I hope you're OK with fighting on Plum Street? This will be a first for the MTC!"
"Yeah, it will be fun I think?"
Despite our success in repairing much of the SZ, we were not able to spend much time repairing buildings that were damaged during the last Team Rocket attack which included the Fuchsia City Gym at the corner of Plum and Apple Streets.
At Koga's suggestion, we agreed to fight today on a blocked street in front of the building's construction. People will be standing all around dividers with cameras and probably vendors in their faces. It's not traditional, but that's OK. I just need to get this Belt and catch up with Blue. Last I heard he was leaving Cinnabar Island and heading back to Viridian City for his last one.
Yellow walks with me like an armed escort down the packed streets of Fuchsia as we near plum Street. There waiting on the sidewalk in his black outfit and gold scarf is Koga. Like many times before, he stands with a smile on his face but a determination in his eyes like a predator ready to pounce on its prey, but that won't be me. I have to win. All of Kanto is watching, and I don't want them to lose hope in me. After this battle, I'm going to get lunch with Mom and check on Green, but I'll have to think about later. Now I have to fight.