Chapter 2
A New Friend
I slowly open my eyes feeling a little groggy and leaned up looking around rubbing my right eye. I stood up slowly to not wake the still sleeping Pokemon and stretched, hearing a few pops of joints while doing it. I sluggishly walk over to the bathroom and washed my face, I walked out and put on a fresh shirt and pants so I don't smell like sweat from the other day, I looked in the mirror seeing me in a green shirt and black jeans. I thought back on all the training I tried to do and smiled thinking I didn't do too bad, I looked over to my bed to see a slowly waking up, Rose and smiled slowly.
When me and my Pokemon got ready, I returned Fang and opened the door and exited the room. Walking near the lobby of the Pokemon Center I heard a loud growl of my stomach and a slight feel of nausea, 'I need something to eat, so do my Pokemon,' I thought looking over at Rose and heard a tiny growl making me chuckle a little. I walked in front of the Pokemon Center and started walking around the town looking for a Pokemart, when I found it I walked in and bought simply refrigerated sandwich and simple Pokemon food with the money I had left from all the potions I bought.
After leaving Pokemart, I released Fang and gave him and Rose some Pokemon food which they happily ate and I ate the sandwich before standing up returning Fang and started walking around trying to find the Pokemon Gym. After a little searching I found it and was blocked, "You can't go in the Gym, the gym leader does not want to be bothered," A man said emotionless. I was a little pissed as I train Rose to get a little stronger and to fight the gym leader, I sighed not wanting to protest, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to ask why.
"Why?" I was slightly irritated and wanted to get this gym over with.
The man smirked, "Because he doesn't want to deal with little twerps like you, now scram," OK now I'm pissed wanted to punch him in the face so hard but I held the overwhelming urge to. I gave him a little death stare and walked away, "Bulbasaur?" Rose said tilting her head to the left while looking at me.
"Don't worry, just that dude got to me. I don't like being treated that way," I said sighing rubbing my temples. 'I'm not going to let my dad down, I'm going to the next gym and fighting that one instead,' I thought determined to at least get one.
I started walking down the path until I heard a girl, "Hey you wait up," I turn around to see a running girl with blonde hair that curled upwards at the end, she had blue eyes and she was wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue pants while wearing running shoes and she was with a Lucario? "Hey, are you heading to the second gym?" She asked eying me curiously I simply nodded look at her instead of Lucario, "Good can I tag along," I thought for a second.
"Sure I have to anyways because a..." I stopped myself for a second, "Because someone stopped me from fighting the first one," I said trying not to sound mad but failed.
"I know what you're talking about I got stopped as well," She said dolefully.
"Don't worry where on the same boat then," I tried cheer her up which worked a little, "So anyways whats with the Lucario?" I asked looking at the Lucario which was fixed in a semi-serious look on its face, she perked up at the mention.
"Oh, I was in the Unova Region and caught this guy when he was a Riolu when I was in Challenger's Cave," She replied in bliss looking at him.
"So you were in Unova?" She nodded, "Hm, well, anyways let's start heading to Pewter City and fight that gym leader," I turned and started walking with her tagging along. I started humming a little melody which caught Rose's ears and she moved her head slowly and closed her eyes listening to it, but I did it only quiet enough for Rose to hear only. Soon after Rose was sleeping on my shoulder, "Hey I forgot to ask what's your name?" I didn't bother to ask before so why not now?
"Oh, my name is Etsuko, you?" She looked at me.
"Uh, Takumi," I replied feeling a sudden urge to program. 'That's going to bother me forever,' I thought as the urge got bigger.
"Cool name," She said chuckling which made me a little uncomfortable, but I got that urge to calm a little. I suddenly stop and looked at the entrance to some place I looked up and saw it was called Viridian Forest, I walked inside to see a tree in front of me and noticed a Caterpie. Etsuko and I walk over to it, "Are you going to catch it?" I nodded. I looked at Rose who heard it waking up and nodded and jump in front of me in a battle stance making the Caterpie notice and quiver in fear.
"Hang on," Rose look at me confused and watch me walk over to it, "It's OK buddy I don't mean to scare you," It calmed down a little bit and looked at me, I lifted my hand and it slowly sniffed it before allowing me to pet it. I didn't notice Rose, Etsuko, and even Lucario a little shocked by my action, it didn't take long before it crawled on the left side of my shoulder, I chuckled as he crawled, it tickled.
"Wow, never have I seen a wild Pokemon be like that towards a trainer," Etsuko commented on the scene.
I chuckled, "Well I saw it was scared and decided to take a different approach," I blushed as it started nuzzling me causing Etsuko to be surprised, "Uh, it likes me," looking at the Caterpie, "Caterpie, want to join the team," I motioned my hand at Rose, Etsuko, and Lucario. It nodded, so I grabbed a Pokeball and tapped him lightly with it and a red light surrounded it and soon the Pokeball close and shook once before clicking. "Lucario Luc Rio," Lucario said dumbfounded at how I did that. I scanned Caterpie's Pokeball with the Pokedex curiously to see if it would work, "Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls," The Pokedex said. I was in a short state of shock before I look at the moves and gender, figured out it was male.
I let the Caterpie out and it crawled on my shoulder so did Rose, "Hey Caterpie is it fine if I call you, Green?" It nodded, "Caterpie!" Green said in bliss with the name.
"OK, THAT'S AWESOME!" Etsuko shouted excited by what I did. Lucario nodded agreeing with its trainer.
After fixing my hearing, "How is that awesome exactly?" I was confused.
"Trainers can't do that with wild Pokemon normally you have to battle them, but you, you calmed it down and became friends with it! That's rare to come by!" She looked ecstatic by what I did.
"Really?" She nodded so hard her head nearly flew, "Well, let's get through this forest before it gets dark," I switched the subject as I felt uncomfortable about being a 'Rare' find. She nodded again but not as hard. I walked and found a path that lead deeper, as I started walking, but a kid came up which stopped me going any further.
"Hey you let's battle and remember this name, Bug Catcher Rick when I beat you!" Out of nowhere he threw a Weedle and forced me to battle, I was going to send Rose, but Green jumped in already in a battle stance, "Weedle use String Shot," He said and quickly Weedle shot sting out heading straight for Green.
"Quick dodge and use Tackle!" Green dodge and I saw the string hit a tree, quickly Green used Tackle.
"Dodge! Quickly use Poison Sting!" He yelled back, but the Weedle was too slow and got hit causing it to groan in pain. Green landed in front of me still in battle stance and ready to fight on my command. "Poison Sting!" He commanded again and the Weedle shot a needle at fast speed and heading straight for Green.
"Dodge!" I yelled and Green did but instead of it hitting him it hit me in the leg. The force of the hit caused me to fall forward and hit a rock that was near me, knocking me out but before it did I heard a gasp and footsteps running towards me and I felt a nuzzled on my cheek.
"Lucario pick him up we have to get to a Pokemon Center!" The muffled sounds of Etsuko was all I heard before darkness surrounded me. I slowly opened my eyes and look around to notice I was in a bed, I looked to my left and saw Etsuko sleeping in a chair with Rose on her lap and saw Lucario sleeping against a wall, then notice Green sleeping next to me. I slowly tried to get up and struggled because of the pain in my leg but after finally getting up I limped to the bathroom a washed my face like I normally do, I looked in the mirror and saw I looked the exact same as yesterday besides a bandage on my head. 'OK so I was probably in here for one night considering no change in clothes,' I walk back in the room and look out of a window that was on my left and stared outside.
"Uh, where's Master?" An unfamiliar child-like voice questioned I then heard some shuffling.
"Hm? Hey, Takumi you need to lay down," A more Mature voice said. I turned around and saw Lucario and Green looking at me, Lucario walked up to and put a paw on my back leading me back to the back bed and made me lay down.
"Uh, did you just talk?" I whispered to not wake up the others.
I looked into the Lucario's eyes, "Yes but you don't understand me," My eyes widened when I heard the voice of Lucario sounding like the mature voice I heard. I leaned up and looked at Green, putting the puzzle pieces together, I could understand Pokemon.
"Green, how are you doing?" I wanted to test again to make sure.
"I'm doing fine but you need sleep Master," Green said walking on my chest making me lean down. 'I think I'm going insane... I'm better than that come on, this is real I actually understand Pokemon?' I thought arguing to myself for a little bit.
"It's nice to hear your doing fine," I said making the stare confused at my oddly close answer to what he said. Even Lucario looked at me curiously.
"Master how are you doing?" Now it wanted to test.
"I'm doing fine, would like a sandwich though," Both Lucario and Green were dumbfounded at what I said. I closed my eyes to sleep hoping they wouldn't try to interrogate me until morning, I quickly fell asleep. I slowly opened my eyes and groggily lean up and looked to see everyone looking at me, "What? Got something on my face," Before anyone could answer Rose pounced me.
"I was so worried Master," The Bulbasaur nuzzled me like I was a pillow making me blush intensely in embarrassment not being use to Rose overly affectionate actions yet.
"It's OK Rose just calm done, I'm not going to walk to the light are anything," I said trying to calm Rose down, at least it stop the nuzzles of death.
"You were knocked out and bleeding from the wound on your leg and on your head, of course, we thought you were going to die," Etsuko said in a very serious tone.
"It takes more than blunt force trauma and a poison injected knee to kill this guy," I jokingly said, but her expression didn't change, "OK yes I know I could have died but I couldn't change that, but I survived and that's the good thing so we leave it in the past and continue on," I was more serious tone, "I don't live knowing one day I could have died because theirs more things in life than sulking around thinking about the past," She seemed to become a little relaxed and rubbed her temples a little bit.
"At least your OK," She looked at me smiling.
"Yep and I can understand Pokemon still," Just like that everyone even Rose who was resting on my chest looked surprised.
"I think I should get the Nurse Joy again," Etsuko said looking at me.
"No don't I mean it was last night I went to the bathroom and washed my face and exited looking out the window, then Green was wondering where I was and Lucario woke up and directed me to the bed and I even talked to them and everything, am I right," I explained looking at Green and Lucario and they both nodded.
"Wha- I don't understand how," She tried to make sense of it all.
"That I do not know," I replied then remembered something, "OH! I almost forgot," I grabbed Rose and put her down I looked to my right and saw my backpack and opened it taking out the laptop and opened the laptop signing in.
"What does a laptop have to do with what you doing," She asked leaning a little to see what I'm doing so did Green, Rose and even Lucario nosed their way in looking at every move I made on the computer.
"Well I never told you but I'm a programmer I try and make games and game engine, it's a passion I have been in love with since I was 11 and never stop," I replied explaining what I was going to do in the future.
"OK, so what have you been working on now?" She looked at the screen seeing the lines of code pop up in front of her.
"Well I have been working on a 2D game engine called LucEngine," I smirked at the name.
"It's sound like a part of Lucario's name is in that," That cached Lucario's attention and Etsuko looked at me curiously.
"Correct I called it LucEngine because I picture Lucario as a ninja in a way able to move fast and smoothly and that how I want this engine to run, fast and smooth, no coughs what so ever," Lucario seemed pleased by the response I gave so did Etsuko, "Want to play the game I made with it? It took a while to make," She nodded and I started the game and let her play. About two hours later she gave it back, "I guess you like it?" She nodded with a huge smile.
"Yes that was an amazing game and it ran like butter too," I chuckled before closing the laptop put it back in the backpack. Rose resumed sitting on my chest nuzzling my cheek again making me blushed.
"I had to get the overly affectionate one," I said making Lucario laugh and Etsuko and soon I, Rose and Green joined in.
"I guess you have a charm Pokemon like," Etsuko jokingly said making me chuckle.
"My dad said I did too," I smiled thinking about the story he told me about. I grabbed Rose and put her beside me and tried to lean up after I did I stretch releasing load pop of joints that were locked. I slowly walk to the bathroom and washed my face, I turned and saw a shower to my right I walked out and headed towards my backpack and grabbed clothes. "If you excuse I'm going to take a shower," I said walking to the bathroom then locking the door. After the shower, I walked out the bathroom a little embarrassed by me being shirtless and grabbed deodorant and a toothbrush with toothpaste and walk back in the bathroom doing everything else I had to do.
I looked in the mirror and saw myself wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans, walking out of the bathroom I was now ready to go out and adventure again and get through the one gym. That reminds me, "Where are we?" I asked eyeing Etsuko and the others.
"Where in Pewter City," I only nodded and notice Green and Rose climbed on both my shoulder and both did the nuzzle of death happy I was back and ready, "you're walking on that leg pretty good," She commented.
"Yeah, it not that bad to walk on now," I said looking at my leg, "Anyways let's go and fight the gym leader... After I eat a sandwich," Everyone chuckled at my last comment. We walked out of the room and headed to the counter.
"Oh, you're all better!" The girl behind the counter smiled. Etsuko paid her the coverage for me and we headed out towards the Pokemon Gym.
