AN: The initial italic block in the beginning is one of Mikoto's memories. Long hiatus gone, hopefully forever. Sorry for the wait.
0000
Chapter 3 – Wounded
0000
"Hey, Onii-chan. Your Eevee is really warm." Young Mikoto giggled as she hugged the fuzzy Pokemon.
"And I think she likes you, too." Max said with a soft laugh. "I'm hoping for her to evolve into an Espeon sometime soon."
"Really?" Mikoto asked. "Eevee's going to change?" she asked to the Pokemon.
"Eevee?" the fuzzy one replied back, slightly puzzled.
"Yes, she changes. She can change into seven different Pokemon." Max explained.
"Seven!" Mikoto almost yelled, making the Pokemon jump back to its owner's lap.
"Yes, but it depends on the kind of rock you use or how much she likes you. And she only changes once. If you make the wrong call, then you'll have a problem." Max petted the Pokemon before looking back at his sister. "Eevee is a very good Pokemon just for itself, but most people don't see it that way and only think of evolving it into something much stronger. Sure, that's useful in battle, but you have to consider their feelings as well."
"Their feelings?" Mikoto asked.
"Yes. Your Eevee might not want to turn into a Jolteon or a Vaporeon." Max replied. "I've already asked Eevee here and she told me she wants to become an Espeon." He said as he petted his Pokemon again.
"How do you know that?" Mikoto asked, curious.
"Well, it's a little hard to explain, really. If you are ever able to get an Eevee, then you'll know." Max replied.
"Do you think I'll be able to catch as many Pokemon as you, Onii-chan?"
"Of course you will. I'm sure of it. You just have to trust yourself."
"Thank you, Onii-chan! You're the best!" the young girl gave her brother a tight hug.
"... Hm.." a figure shifted under a white sheet. The girl seemed to be troubled about something. Some of her uneven pink hair poked from under the sheets.
As she tried to struggle out of her restless dreams, she did not sense someone else opening the door and peering inside the room she was currently lying in. This new figure had long pink hair and there was also a pink Pokemon by her side. The two seemed troubled about the girl as they looked at each other.
"I think we should wake her. Don't you agree?" the taller figure asked with a concerned tone of voice.
"Chan.." the pink Pokemon replied, as if it was saying yes.
"... Hm... Onii-chan..." the figure under the sheets moaned again.
"Miss? Wake up, Miss." A voice called.
"Onii-chan…"
"Miss!"
"Ah!" Mikoto snapped her eyes open and sat up. "Wha- Where am I? Who are you?" as unawareness clouded her mind, she did not yet realize she was in a Pokecenter.
"Miss, calm down. You are safe now." The nurse tried to calm the girl. After a few moments, she succeeded. "You are at Viridian City's Pokecenter. You were brought here after you were attacked." She explained.
"Attacked?" Mikoto instantly went for her stomach and in the same moment, she felt a sharp pain. As she looked down, Mikoto saw the bandages wrapped around her. "That's right. I was attacked by that Scyther before." As her senses returned to her, she looked up at the Nurse Joy standing by her side. "But who brought me back?" she asked.
"It was another trainer." The nurse replied. "From what he's told me, he saw you getting attacked and then brought you here for medical treatment."
"Another trainer? Who?" Mikoto asked herself. It took her a moment to remember the final moments, before she blanked out. There was someone holding her. It was most likely the same person. "Nurse Joy, is he still here?" she asked, knowing it would be a long shot. Maybe the person was already miles away after doing the good deed. Still, she had to ask.
"Oh, yes, he is. He insisted in staying until you'd wake up." The nurse smiled. "He's at the Lobby."
"I see." Mikoto gave herself a mental sigh. So, he was still here. Like that, she would be able to properly thank him. "Am I cleared to go?" she asked.
"Yes, Miss." The nurse helped Mikoto as she got out of the bed. "Your belongings are over there." She pointed to a desk where her bag and Pokeballs were. "I just need to advise you to change the bandages once every three days for the following weeks. I will give you some extra bandages. Oh, it would be easier to do it at a Pokecenter with the help of a Chansey." The nurse explained.
"Alright, got it." Mikoto nodded to the explanations. She would make use of the bandages if she couldn't reach for a Pokecenter in time. "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy." She tried to bow, but her stomach didn't allow her. So, she bowed only her head, but with as much respect as she could.
"I'll walk you back." The nurse said, getting the door open with a smile.
"Thank you." Mikoto bowed her head again.
Once in the Lobby, Mikoto noticed that it was empty. There was only someone at the counter, but it was a young child, so it couldn't have been them. Maybe the trainer was tired of waiting for her to wake up and decided to leave.
"Look, Miss, he's over there at the phones." The nurse told her wrong and indicated her to the trainer. "I need to go attend to that child. I assume you will be fine now?" she asked politely and always smiling.
"Yes, Nurse Joy. I will be alright." Mikoto noticed the trainer at the phones. She turned to the nurse and bowed her head again. "Once again, thank you very much for tending to my wounds." She thanked.
"You are most welcome. Now if you'll excuse me." The nurse smiled again and turned, to go to the counter.
Alone again, Mikoto looked towards the trainer. He seemed to like green a lot, because his clothes shouted green. It wasn't a fluorescent green, and considering that most trainers used clothes so much weirder, Mikoto paid no attention. As she walked closer to him, she noticed that he seemed to be making a call. Not wanting to bother him just yet, she waited for him to finish. She couldn't help, and she didn't mean to, but Mikoto ended up listening to bits of his conversation.
"I will now engage to phase 2. ... Yes, sir. I will call you once I reach the next city. Farewell." The boy spoke, replied and hung up the phone.
He seemed to take a pause from his call, because he didn't turn around or anything, so Mikoto decided to move forward instead.
"Um, e-excuse me?" she asked as she stepped towards him.
Her voice made him turn, and for a moment, Mikoto couldn't help but freeze. His eyes were just so... blue. It was a dark blue, like a deep part of the ocean. She didn't have a better word for them, but this wasn't the time to stare. Even so, there was something very appealing about them. Probably because Mikoto loved the ocean and everything related to it.
"I see you've awakened, Miss." He cut off her thoughts with his calm, deep, voice. "I'm glad to see you are doing well."
"Ah, um, thank you, sir." Mikoto fumbled a little with her words at first. "Thank you for saving me back in the forest. If it wasn't for you, I might not be alive anymore." She bowed her head.
"Oh, no, no, it was nothing, really." The boy waved his hands in front of the girl. "I was just collecting some information about the area and saw you being attacked. I'm sure anyone would do the same, so it's no big deal." He said.
"It was a big deal to me, because you saved me. If there's any way that I can repay you with, please do tell me." Mikoto looked back up at the boy and spoke with a determined expression.
"Oh, no, it's fine, really." The boy replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't need you to do anything for me, really. It's okay. Just a thank you is fine." He smiled to her.
"... Are you sure?" Mikoto asked, after a moment.
"Yes, I'm sure." The boy continued to smile at her.
"Alright, then." Mikoto relaxed a little and gave him a slight defeated smile back. "If you don't want anything, then there's nothing I can do. Thank you very much for saving me. I'll make sure to follow my map correctly this time and-" as she was speaking, there was a rumble in her bag and a white light shot off it, taking form outside.
"Squir!" the blue turtle seemed troubled.
"Hey, Squirtle." Mikoto tried to crouch down, but her stomach didn't allow her.
"Squir, Squirtle, Squir!" the blue turtle's troubled expression deepened as he looked at the bandages around his trainer's stomach. "Squir..." he looked down. He seemed upset for his absence having caused his trainer's wound.
"Hey, Squirtle, it's alright." Mikoto patted his head gently. Somehow, she understood. "It wasn't your fault, nor anyone's." she smiled brightly. "It was me who didn't follow my map correctly."
"... Squir?" the Pokemon didn't seem convinced. "Squirtle, Squir."
"It's alright, really." Mikoto smiled warmly again towards her Pokemon and held up his Pokeball. "Now, return and don't worry about me, alright?" Mikoto asked, still with her smile.
"Squir..." the blue turtle obeyed, but it was clear that he was still troubled.
"I see you started with a Squirtle." The boy commented.
"Yeah." Mikoto turned to him again and replied. "I always liked water-type Pokemon, so I decided to start with him. It was my brother who helped me out in the beginning."
"Ah, I see. Me, I began with Zippo." The boy said.
"Zippo?" Mikoto tilted her head to the side and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Yeah, he's a Charmeleon." The boy replied with a chuckle. "I give nicknames to my Pokemon, to make them more unique." he explained.
"Oh, I see." Mikoto nodded her head.
"Don't you ever name yours?" he asked.
"No, I never did that. I actually never thought about it." Mikoto replied as she crossed her arms, but as soon as they touched her stomach, she quickly undid the move.
Mikoto looked down at her wounded area, worried to see if she had done anything wrong and opened some stitches. Unaware, she missed the boy's glance over her bandaged area. When she was sure it was fine, Mikoto looked back up at him again, but he was already looking towards something else.
"So, may I ask where are you headed to now?" the boy asked with a casual tone of voice.
"Um, I was trying to get to Pewter city." Mikoto explained. "I'm going to try to defeat the Gym Leader there."
"Oh, that sounds cool. Would you mind if I tagged along?" the boy asked. "I'm actually thinking about heading to the same place."
"Oh, sure, I don't mind at all." Mikoto nodded her head again. "My brother always told me that it's better to travel with someone rather than alone." She commented with a small smile.
"That is true." The boy nodded. "And, where is this brother of yours? You've been talking about him for a while. Is he a trainer as well?"
"He.. He was a trainer, yes..." Mikoto suddenly turned glum and looked to the side. "Until he was... murdered…"
"Ah, I'm sorry!" the boy quickly waved his arms around. "I-I didn't mean to bring you sad memories or anything. I'm really sorry." He held the back of his head.
"Oh, no, it's fine." Mikoto looked back at the boy and shook her head.
"Okay. The, if we're done here, shall we get going?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, but... I don't even know your name yet." She chuckled nervously with a nod. "My name's Mikoto. Sakurazaki Mikoto. I'm from Pallet Town." She introduced herself and smiled.
"Ah, where are my manners? I'm really sorry." The boy chuckled nervously as well as he scratched the back of his neck. "My name's Ritchie. Nice to meet you, Mikoto." He bowed slightly.
"It's very nice to meet you too, Ritchie." Mikoto smiled again.
With that, the two left the Poke center and started off to Viridian Forest.