Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or its affiliates.

The wind was warm and sweet smelling with very little turbulence making it the perfect day to be flying. It was the most relaxed that I had been in a long time and I didn't want it to end. Skarmory was also enjoying the pleasant day and was riding the wind and didn't really have to do much flapping. We had been flying for three days and had very little problems with the weather other than the occasional rain shower. The calm, peaceful environment had given me a lot of time to think about all the questions running through my head. Why was I framed for that crime and who framed me? Who of my friends could I trust? What would Paul and Lily think of me now?

Lily, that was a big question that I had no answer to and it caused many more questions to come to mind. Why had she been so emotional when she came to see me? Why had she kissed me? What had it all meant? "Argh! My head hurts!" I shake my head to help clear it. I can't be doing this right now, I need to focus. I had told Red and Yellow that I would go to Sinnoh but the closer I got, the less I was sure about it. I did want to see Paul and Lily but deep down I was scared. They had supported me when no one else would but would they still accept me after all I had been through and done? Five years was a long time, maybe a little longer wouldn't hurt.

"Skarmory, change course head southeast." Skarmory nodded and changed course accordingly. "That's better, this feels easier." I thought. "Tell me when you see mainland, ok." Skarmory nodded in understanding. With that settled, I laid against Skarmory's back to try and get some sleep. Emphasis on try.

Hoenn was just as warm as I remembered it; as soon as we landed I had to take off the hoodie that Yellow had given me. I returned Skarmory and began walking towards Rustboro City, which I had seen as we were landing. The short walk to Rustboro made me realize how much I had changed in my view of the world. I had been in the wilderness so long with creatures that could rip you to shreds in seconds but here the Pokémon were more scared of me than I was of them. Sure some of the brave ones came up to me, but it was out of curiosity more than wanting to attack. The fact that I could walk down the path and not have to counter attacks from either side was an unfamiliar experience for me. I was broken out of my little comparison by the noise of the city.

I gazed around at the most people that I had seen in five years. It was the middle of the afternoon and everyone was out and about enjoying the beautiful weather. As I began walking through the town, I noticed I was getting odd stares and hushed whispers as I passed people. I let it slide at first till I passed a store with big windows and got a look at my reflection, and then I knew why they were doing all that. I didn't have a hat so my shoulder length mane of black hair was sticking up all over from flying and had some leaves caught in it. My hoodie was fairly new but since I wasn't wearing it you could see my holey, dirty used to be white shirt along with my dirty blue jeans. My boots had seen better days and had the steel toe showing through the leather though you could barely tell with all the dried mud caked to them. All the whispers and looks made sense now; I looked like a hobo or something I smirked at the thought. I guess clothes and a haircut come first so I don't draw too much attention to myself. Luckily, Yellow had given me some money before I left; I figure she probably expected this to happen.

The clothing store and Salon had been interesting experiences to say the least. When I went into the clothing store, the young women behind the counter gave me a look of disgust like I was covered in Tauros shit or something. I ignored her and went and picked out some new leather, a few pairs of blue jeans, four or five plain white t shirts and a black jacket. I thought about a hat but I didn't want to look too much like I used to so I decided against it. I went and paid for all of it and asked the girl if I could change and wear them out. "Sure, just use the dressing room in the back." she said without looking up from her magazine. After getting changed I put my old clothes in the trash and the spare clothes in my backpack, then went to leave and told the girl thank you as I passed. Strangely she was looking at me but she wasn't disgusted, instead she had a small blush on her face. I smirked to myself as I left "That was quite the switch. Dumb broad is too stuck on appearances." I said quietly with a small smirk.

I made my way to a salon nearby but if I had been getting a lot of looks before, that was multiplied now. It seemed that the population liked my change and were openly giggling when I would look at them. It gave my inexperienced male ego a boost which felt pretty good to be honest. As I stepped into the Salon I looked around to see women everywhere. I was able to go to an older woman with a magazine who treated me just like any other customer, which I was very thankful for. That didn't stop the other women from sneaking glances at me and with all the women staring at me I was starting to feel like a freak.

"Do you get many men in here?" I asked the older stylist.

"He he" she chuckled "Yeah a few, but most are just locals. Don't mind the young ones hunny. Their hormones will calm down when they get older and they'll learn not to ogle a real man when they see one."

"Thanks, I think." I said as she continued cutting my hair in silence.

The sun was starting to set as I exited the Salon with my new haircut: shorter on the sides and back with it slightly longer on the top and front. Guess I better set up a camp I thought as I walked to the edge of town and into the trees. When I was out of sight of the town I sat down to eat and let Pichu and Igglybuff out to eat and stretch. After they had their food, I sat against a tree eating my sandwich while looking up through the trees. The stars are just as beautiful here as they were at Red's house. They shined just as brightly and even when the clouds cover them they are still there, shining even if you can't see them. They are little lights in the sea of darkness. The two little Pokémon in front of me are my lights in my world of darkness. They brighten my day with just a smile or a nuzzle on the cheek. They are my family. I must have been star gazing for a while because when I looked at my watch it said ten thirty but I wasn't tired at all. Maybe a walk around town will tire me out, "You two want to go for a walk?" giving Pichu and Igglybuff a glance. Igglybuff shook her head but Pichu jumped up and down in excitement. "Ok let's go look around." I spoke as I returned Igglybuff to her pokeball.

The city was a completely different place with the sun down. The streets were illuminated by old fashioned street lamps but there were no people walking the streets. It was like a ghost town, which was a huge contrast from the hustle and bustle I had walked through earlier. The lack of people did have some advantages though, like not being ogled at like a piece of meat. The main advantage however was with no people; you could look at the scenery undisturbed. I never noticed on my first trip through, the flowers planted near the houses, the different colors of the houses, or the beauty of the city itself. Slowing down and appreciating the little things like this was something that I never did when I was younger and I regret it greatly. Instead of rushing around like an idiot going for badges, I should have slowed down and enjoyed the journey to its fullest.

A clanging noise broke me out of my thoughts and brought my senses on full alert. In seconds I spotted the source of the noise, a young boy near a trash can. The boy looked grubby, like he hadn't had a bath in days; his clothes were torn and thin like they had been worn a lot. He hadn't noticed me and Pichu, so we stood and watched him for a minute or two. He seemed to be about ten or eleven years old, but he didn't have any pokeballs on him which was strange in this day and age. By ten everyone had at least one Pokémon as a companion, even if they didn't battle. Things got stranger as the boy started taking scraps of food out of the can and eating them. All the pieces clicked into place then after that. The boy must be homeless but I thought young kids like this stayed at orphanages or homeless shelters? The old me would have went and done anything to help the boy but times have changed. I had wasted too much time and effort helping people I didn't know and for what. To have my name and honor thrown in the mud, my mother and two of my best friends killed, and cast out of the Five Regions like a piece of trash. Fuck that! I don't care, I may have been courteous to the people that I met today but that's as far as it goes. No more savior, no more protector, no more hero. As I made up my mind and turned to walk away, I felt a small shock from my shoulder.

"Pi pi pichu pic pi." Pichu said in an angry, urgent tone while pointing at the boy.

"What?! It's not our problem." I said in a matter a fact tone. "Pi pichu pi." while crossing its arms.

"Fine but only one." I said defeated. The whole Pichu evolutionary line are stubborn little shits. I dug around in my backpack till I found one of the sandwiches I had left. As I made my way to the boy I noticed he was watching me carefully, so I put up my hands.

"Calm down boy. I just wanted to give you this." as I tossed him the wrapped sandwich. "Enjoy" I spoke as I turned and walked away I heard a Thank you mister.

Why had I done that? Was it Pichu's stubborn resolve to help the boy or had I not changed as much as I thought I had? I had caved so easily too, with barely even an argument or struggle. Maybe the two little ones had more influence over me than I thought, not only showing me kindness but also restoring my ability to show kindness to others. Was that Red and Yellow's plan when they gave them to me, to help me return to my old self? But I didn't want to be like that anymore, did I? NO! NO! NO! I shook my head in frustration. The old me is dead, he died with his family in that fire. I would be stronger than him and protect only those important to me. The world, the league, even the legendaries can take care of themselves. Not my problem anymore.

With my new resolve, I figured I would head back toward my spot in the woods to catch some Z's. Just as we got to the edge of the forest, an ear piercing scream rang out. Definitely not a Pokémon I thought "Oh well" I said and shrugged my shoulders and kept walking. As soon as I did, some weight left my shoulder and I turned to see Pichu running off toward where the scream came from. "Damn it I don't want to get involved!" I said angrily but Pichu needs me so I took off after her. With my aura sight I could follow her easily and hopefully stop her from getting into trouble. But as I rounded the corner and took in the scene before me, I knew there was trouble.

There were three men in a half circle and one in the middle pinning someone to the wall. The three men in the half circle were of average build with leather jackets on while the one in the middle was smaller in stature and wasn't wearing a jacket.

"Please just leave me alone." I heard a women's voice from the figure being pinned to the wall. "I didn't do anything, I was just walking home. Please let me go, you're hurting me!"

"He he bad luck I'm afraid girly." the smaller man chuckled. "You came into our turf so now you have to pay the price. Now usually we take cash but in your case we will take our payment another way." he said as he smirked and tore her shirt to reveal her black lace bra.

That was the last straw for me and Pichu too. She had started to charge electricity but I returned her before she hurt herself. After I put her pokeball away, I focused my aura throughout my body and attacked. Moving at an equivalent to Extreme Speed, I took out the small guy first with a kick to the side of the head which caused him to hit one of the other guys. Without stopping I brought the kick down to a low sweep on the two that were still standing and then finished one of them with a punch to the windpipe. The one who got hit with the small guy's body was starting to stand up until I brought my leg down guillotine style across the back of his neck breaking it. With three of the four neutralized, I reached down and grabbed the fourth one by his throat and lifted him off his feet.

"Who do you work for? Answer me!" I spoke darkly while my eyes flared with a sinister black aura.

"Drop dead asshole." he choked out between breathes.

"Fine have it your way." I said as I turned my wrist. Snap! As I let the body fall to the ground in a heap with the others I calmed my flaming black aura. Then I turned to the girl who was huddled to the wall with her hands to her chest, almost in a fetal position. I walked towards her and offered my hand which made her flinch away from me. With a scowl I spoke "I'm not going to hurt you women. I will take you to the Pokémon Center, its safe there. Now get up." Reluctantly she took my hand and from her touch I could tell she was cold "Here take my jacket to cover yourself up."

"Thank you." she whispered. "Are they..."

"Dead? Yes, they won't be bothering you again now let's go." I urged impatiently.

The walk to the center was quiet just how I liked it until I let Pichu back out. She was happy to see the girl ok and gave me a nuzzle of approval. She didn't need to know what I did to the men and luckily she didn't quiz me. Instead she took it on herself to hop to the girls shoulder to snuggle and comfort her, which both seemed to enjoy. Once Pichu had calmed her a little bit, she began to talk and ask questions. "Thank you for saving me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along. I didn't introduce myself did I? My names Roxanne."

I froze on the spot upon hearing that. "Roxanne the gym leader?" I asked as I began to take a better look at her in the light of the street lamps. I knew it was her before she had time to answer. She had the same brown hair and petite face that I had faced for a badge all those years ago.

"Yes I am. Though I didn't act like one tonight. I couldn't even defend myself." she spoke sadly while petting Pichu softly.

"There were four of them. Anyone would have had trouble with those odds, gym leader or not. Now come on, the center is right there." I said trying to end this conversation as quick as possible. Roxanne wasn't one of the people who denounced me on TV but she was still a gym leader and gym leaders talk to each other. I didn't want anyone to know I was back especially a few of the gym leaders but I was having a hard time being towards her. I don't know if it was because Pichu seemed to like her so much or if it was my male hormones taking over my better judgment. Finally we got to the front doors of the Pokémon Center and I could get out of this uncomfortable situation. "Ok, we are here. Can I have Pichu and my jacket back?" I spoke in a cold voice and emotionless face to mask the turmoil in my head.

Roxanne seemed surprised as turned to finally get a good look at me and began to blush. "Oh here you go." she said while giving me my jacket while Pichu hopped to my shoulder. While using her hands to cover herself up she questioned me again. "Before you go, can you tell me your name? I'd like to repay you somehow but I would like to know the name of my rescuer. Please." she said with a genuine smile on her face.

I turned away from her and thought about what I should tell her. After a moment of thought, I turned my head so I could see her with one eye "I don't have a name anymore. It was tarnished and drug through the mud by ignorant people." I growled in a cold voice that made her shiver. "As for being your rescuer, you're mistaken. I was just punishing that scum for their crimes, saving you was just a side effect. Nothing more got it?"

"Oh, okay well thanks anyway." she spoke quietly with her head down as she turned to walk inside the center.

"Pi pi pichu." Pichu said while looking at me.

"No. They are not our problem I told you that."

"Pichu chu pipi pichu."

"Ok fine but this is the last time got it?"

"Pi." she agreed with a smug grin on her face.

"Roxanne wait." I said reluctantly.

"Yes what is it?" she asked with her head still down.

"If you want to repay me, make sure the homeless children in this town get into a shelter. OK?"

"Uh sure I can do that." she said with a surprised voice.

"Good. Now goodbye." I said and walked away into the night.