I was covered in mud, silt, and blood (both mine and a Masquerain's). I was holding in my hands an unknown fang that could actually kill pokemon. My starter had fainted, and Tyson's backpack held all of the revives, so I was left without any pokemon to defend myself. I'm perfectly fine.

At least the rain had stopped, and for the first time that day, I was happy the sun was beating down on me. It was drying all of the grime on me, which was now caking on my skin and clothes. I only had four set of clothing, meant to last two days each, but I had soiled my first set within only a few hours.

Being the indecisive kid I was, I spent many minutes contemplating what I should do. Without my Poipole, I couldn't travel; if a wild pokemon decided to attack me, I would be dead.

I decided to go backwards, because I wasn't that far from Oldale Town. Even though I would be arriving at Petalburg City late, it was my only option for survival. So I retraced my steps after returning my Poipole and pocketing the fang, wearily remembering which paths I had taken.

As I was slowly lumbering across the path, I saw a trainer walking along, wearing a straw hat atop his messy black hair. Probably a new trainer like me.

I quickened my pace and the trainer noticed me. If it wasn't for my pitiable condition, I would've laughed at his expression. He completely paled, then his eyes bulged, then he rubbed his eyes, then his eyes bulged some more, then he threw up in the grass.

I didn't pay him much attention as I shuffled by him. He just stared at me the entire time, his mouth wide open. At least I didn't have an ego.

I got tired pretty quickly, but I managed to grit my teeth and push onwards. My life flashed before my eyes on my slow way back to Oldale Town. I thought I would die several times from blood loss, even though I knew all of the blood around my wounds had already clotted. Plus, the wounds weren't that deep.

It was around an hour after the Masquerain battle that it sank in how fast I had ran, and how far I had gotten. I was probably only a third of the way back.

I decided to just rest and eat one of the snacks I had packed. I took out some cup noodles and started slowly eating.

That was a bad idea.

Immediately, a Poochyena appeared out of the grass, sniffing the air. It then fixed its dark red eyes on my cup noodles. I realized my cup noodles were giving off a faint scent, and I sighed, remembering being taught of the dangers of food eating while in the wild from trainer school. I had been too tired and hungry to remember that before.

There was a way to escape the situation, however. It would mean sacrificing my cup noodles. I threw my snack in one direction, and quickly started limping in the opposite direction, towards Oldale Town.

The Poochyena didn't follow the cup noodles, however. It followed me. I was definitely not in a condition to outpace it, so I gave up and fell back down on the ground.

"Poochyena!" It barked in a deep voice, and started sniffing the blood on me. Which meant all over my body.

I started crying, and I felt like giving up on being a trainer. I couldn't even reach Petalburg City. What a weakling I was. The Poochyena then stuck its muzzle up my backpack, and I heard a clinking noise. An idea came to my mind.

I tensed my muscles, and my arms sprang towards my back pack. I gritted my teeth against the pain and unzipped the largest pocket. The Poochyena was barking loudly, and seemed like it was about to try biting my arms.

Before it could, however, I took out an empty pokeball and threw it at the Poochyena in desperation.

With a yelp, the pokemon was sucked inside, and I watched as the ball shook once. Then it shook twice. Then the pokemon broke free, my pokeball breaking into pieces. The Poochyena was now furious, and it bared its fangs.

I fished around in my bag and threw another pokeball. I got up and started running with my torn legs while the ball shook. I didn't care about catching it; if I could delay it by using up the four pokeballs in my bag, I might've been able to get away.

As my second pokeball broke into pieces, the Poochyena, glaring daggers, bounded towards me. I threw another pokeball and continued running like my life depended on it. Oh yeah, it did depend on it.

I reached another fork in the road, and after remembering which one I had come from, continued running. The Poochyena wasn't chasing after me. What if, maybe, I could get enough of a headstart for it to not know which path I had taken? I smiled, then winced from the pain of shifting the crusts of grime and blood on my face.

As I slowed down, feeling too tired, hungry, and pained to continue, I was sure the Poochyena had lost interest in me. I decided to sit down again and take a sip of water.

I realized I had left my backpack behind. I reasoned that there was a high chance the Poochyena wasn't there anymore. I could probably return there, get a drink, and continue. I decided that was the best course of action and returned to where I had been before. It took a long time, but I made it, and I got my water bottle and drank a bit from it.

I looked around to see if the Poochyena was still nearby. I instead saw a Pokeball lying on the ground, still intact. I raised an eyebrow. It took a few seconds before realization dawned on me. I crawled over and picked it up. I threw it.

Out came a confused Poochyena. I laughed. "Hello. Looks like you're my second pokemon!"

The Poochyena glared at me. "POOCHYENA!"

"I hate you too. So. I want to give you a nickname, you trashy little garbage can of worms. How about Grime?" I said, feeling like I had lost some marbles. But I didn't really care. I had caught a pokemon, but I didn't really care. In all honesty, there were only two things I wanted to do at that point; vent out my frustration, and reach Oldale Town.

"Pooch!" The Poochyena barked.

"Well, I guess I'll just return you now," I said, returning the Poochyena to its pokeball, which I decided to keep in my left hand. It was for in case another wild pokemon would come out and attack me. I took out another one of my cup noodles and started eating it, a little happy that I had a form of protection now. I did plan to release it after I returned to Oldale Town, however. A pokemon I hated, and a pokemon that hated me... why keep it?

I finally reached the outskirts of Oldale Town a few hours later. I had finished my water supply, gone through half of my cup noodles, and thought of giving up more time than Ray had daydreamed about being champion. And that was saying something.

My face brightened as I saw a woman walking towards me, her face full of concern.

"Ohmygoshwhathappenedtoyou!" The woman screamed, and she called someone.

The next couple hours were a blur. I was taken in by two burly men who carried me to the town's makeshift hospital (it was actually someone's house), I was cleaned off and my two occupied pokeballs were taken, presumably to the pokemon center. The doctors told me my wounds weren't deep, just numerous, and that it would take only a few days for them to completely heal. He also took a lot of stuff from my backpack and told me they were compensation for his efforts. I didn't really care that much.

That night, I was put in a warm bed, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Arice collected her pokemon from the pokemon center and thanked the nurse. It was the Oldale Town pokemon center. She had decided that with the resources split among the four people in the group, she couldn't have made it to Petalburg City. On the way back to Oldale Town, though, she had actually caught her second pokemon. A Gothita.

As Arice walked out the pokemon center, with her two pokemon at her belt, she smiled. I guess I can get back on the road the next morning. I need money though...

Arice decided to wander around Oldale Town and see if there was some quick cash she could make. She noticed an old woman who had fallen on the ground, a walking stick a meter away.

Arice forgot her quest for money and she ran over to pick up the old woman and give her the walking stick.

"Thank you, dear child," The old woman said.

"You're welcome! Another great deed by Arice the amazing!" Arice was about to skip off, but she noticed the old woman's outstretched hands. There was quite a lot of money in them.

"Keep that safe with you! Someone might try stealing that!" Arice exclaimed.

"No dear. Keep it with you. The world needs more helpful people. Young kids these days never respect us older people..." The old woman said.

Arice realized she had never seen the woman before. For a fellow Oldale resident, that was unheard of. "Thanks... but, I have to ask: who are you?"

The old woman smiled. "My grandson came here for a job or sorts. When I met him in the pokemon center, he just pretended like he didn't know me. So rude..."

Arice laughed. "It's fine! And I would normally refuse such a large quantity of money, but I'm in need." Arice took the cash. "Really, I want to thank you. Can you tell me the name of your grandson? I want to see if I can do something for you."

The old woman smiled. "Beaufort. He's actually an ace trainer of the Pokemon League. And he's only 14; the youngest one. It went to his head, I suppose.

"I see... well thanks for the money! I'll be sure to get him to care more about you!" Arice chriped, and waving goodbye, left to Oldale Town's pokemart.

I woke up the next morning feeling much better. My mind was now un-traumatized, I was clean, and I hurted less from my wounds. I got up from the bed, and looked through my backpack. I still had by two occupied pokeballs (which I pocketed), and I had only a few of the things I used to have. Most notably, all of my cup noodles were missing. It was obviously the doctor. But, he did save my life... kind of...

I felt like a weirdo because of how I had acted the day before. Of course, I had faced near death at the hands of three different pokemon in one day, so I guess that warranted a little bit of insanity.

I walked out of the bedroom and and I thanked the doctor.

"You are welcome. Those cup noodles were great by the way. Definitely enough compensation for your treatment. You may leave."

I exited the house and immediately remembered my second pokemon. A Poochyena.

I decided to release my starter alongside Grime, as I couldn't be sure Grime still wanted to kill me.

Grime still wanted to kill me.

I yelped as Grime jumped at me, and my Poipole used Peck on it, sending Grime flying sideways.

"Poi!"

"Poochyena!"

I looked at Grime, and saw pain in its eyes. My expression softened. "Hey Grime!"

Grime looked at me and bared its teeth.

"I want to keep you!" I yelled. "Even though you're one of the most common species of pokemon in Hoenn! I will train you to become stronger than anything you've imagined! Together, we will explore the world and empower each other!" I yelled, raw feelings coursing through me. I was probably still insane.

That seemed to calm Grime down. "Poochyena?"

I sighed, wishing I had a pokemon translator. Having one would make bonding with pokemon so much easier.

"Hey! What are you doing here!" Arice exclaimed.

I jolted in shock and turned around to see Arice, with a Gothita and Mudkip next to her.

"I... I nearly died a lot, so I returned..."

Arice laughed. "And that's why I love you! Anyways, I got a lot of money, so I bought a lot of stuff."

I raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Arice shook her head. "Ignore the first part. But yes, I have a lot of things I bought for all of us! And I caught a Gothita!"

"I'm still not... okay, you got a lot of money, no need to ask how... you said you love me, you were probably joking... you caught a Gothita... a psychic type pokemon rare in the Hoenn region... you bought a lot of stuff..."

Arice laughed again. "Focus! Look, I have a pokemon translator for you!" She procured a shiny, black earpiece.

I salivated. "Those are so expensive!" I grabbed it. "Arice, how'd you get the money!"

"I helped some rich old lady. Ah, isn't life fun and simple!" Arice said, a dreamy expression on her face.

I looked at her in disgust. "If only you had known what I went through yesterday."

AN: I've been churning out chapters like crazy. It's super fun writing! I haven't been getting very many reviews though, which is kind of sad.

Disclaimer-ish notice: If you think it was plot armor or something to give Arice so much money, just know it was supposed to add to her perspective of viewing life as fun and games; she is super lucky. I intend to change that (evil laugh erupts from the corner of the room you are in) to make her character get an epiphany and be interesting and all that.

And yes, the Poochyena will be known as Grime for the rest of the story. I hope it will remind you of the fun experience the viewpoint character had this chapter each time you read 'Grime'.

Chapter 7 MC/age/pokemon changes:

Viewpoint Character: catches a Poochyena (nicknamed Grime)

Arice: catches a Gothita