Episode 2
"Hey, Grey."
Puce had arrived early the next morning.
"Greeeeeyyyyy!"
Grey rolled over in his sleeping bag. Puce stood over him shaking with excitement.
"Come on, you promised you would start teaching me today!"
Grey stretched his arms out of the bag and blinked at the sunlight shining through the tree-tops.
"You bring the grub?" he asked.
"Yup!" Puce unwrapped a corner of the package in his arms, revealing the end of a baguette loaf.
Grey looked up at Puce.
"Your mom give you that?"
Puce quickly dropped his head. He knew it wasn't the bread Grey was asking about but the black and purple bruise under his eye. He remained frozen while Grey stood up and stretched out his back.
"She doesn't want me hanging around you" Puce said choking back tears.
"Smart woman" Grey responded.
Grey picked up a large stick and began rapping it against the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Roger! Time to get up fuzzball!" He yelled.
The limbs of the tree began to shake furiously, leaves swarmed about, falling in torrents to the ground.
"SKREEEE!" A loud squeal was heard in the top of the tree followed by Roger falling head first onto the ground. Puce couldn't help it, he laughed out loud as the large pig-monkey got up and began to bounce back and forth around the tree squealing indecipherable obscenities.
"GRUUUUMPH!" Roger snorted and punched a hole clean through the tree trunk. "HUFF!" He declared, seeming indeed, very well pleased with himself. He strode over to where Grey was standing in a small clearing.
"Suck it up old man" Grey said, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand into Roger's head. "Let's get started already." They both fell to the ground and began doing push-ups. Puce sat down in the grass. He had watched them do this everyday for a week now. First they stretched, then did push-ups, sit ups, and sprints for five cycles. Then they sparred each other in mock boxing and wrestling matches. Finally they would go for a swim in the far end of the pond, away from where the Feraligatr's assumed lair had been. Afterward they would lay out drying in the grass.
However, in all this time Grey had not told Puce any of his secrets. The routine was becoming too much for the boy as he impatiently watched Grey and Roger begin their boxing round. It made him angry to see Grey smiling as they circled one another. He had brought him the food he asked for everyday and had even gotten caught by his mother on the way out this morning. Tears welled up in his eyes. Before he knew it he was on his feet.
"You lied to me!" Puce screamed. He hated to cry and he hated himself for doing it now. "You promised you would teach me how to train pokemon if I just brought you bread everyday and I did but you haven't taught me anything!"
Grey walked towards Puce, stopping only a few feet away from him.
"You're just like they said you are! Selfish and a liar!" Puce continued, "I should have never trusted you about anything and now I stole from my mom for nothing!"
He sobbed for a few more seconds before looking up at Grey. If sympathy was what he expected, he could not have been more wrong. Grey's face was hard. His lips were tight and his rigid jaw framed his stone set eyes.
"Yea, I played you for a sucker" Grey said, walking towards Puce. "I got you to bring me a week's worth of food for nothing." He pushed Puce back, causing him to stumble. Fear pulsed through Puce with every heartbeat. He crawled backwards as Grey approached. His hands found a tree where he was able to stand up with his back to it. Grey had him cornered, standing inches from his face.
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Grey asked, poking him hard in the chest.
Puce was shaking, his shirt was soaked in sweat.
"Are you gonna stand there and take it or are you gonna hit me?" Grey was shouting.
Puce looked into his eyes. Grey was so close he could feel his breath.
"Answer me! Are you going to run away or are you going to do something?!" Grey slammed his right hand against the tree.
Puce closed his eyes. His thoughts went black. His right hand shot up quickly, making solid contact with Grey's cheek. When he opened his eyes, Grey was already a few steps back rubbing his cheek and laughing. Puce was still breathing hard. He wasn't afraid anymore. He felt lighter than he had in days, weeks, months, years even. Grey took a step towards him. Puce quickly got his hands up as if to throw another punch.
"Yea, thats good! Still on edge!" Grey kept laughing. He walked over to where Puce had dropped the bread and began to help himself to the warm loaf. Tearing it, he threw half to Roger and bit into the other half.
"Put that down" Puce said.
"What's that?" Grey asked, smacking loudly. He put a hand to his ear in an exaggerated lean towards Puce.
"I said put that down" Puce said through gritted teeth. He stomped a few paces closer.
Grey smacked loudly as he took another bite.
"You want it?" He said, his countenance becoming very serious like before, "come take it from me."
Puce didn't hesitate. He charged Grey, making contact with his torso. He wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to bring him to the ground. Almost instantly, Grey's arms where tight around his head. Another second and Grey was behind him, locking a choke hold on his neck. Puce struggled to get free but the more he flailed, the tighter Grey's grip felt. In seconds his vision was blurring, he felt he might pass out. Suddenly, Grey released his grip and Puce fell to the ground gasping for air.
"You wanna try again?" Grey took another bite of the bread.
"Ww…why…are…you..doing…this?" Puce squeezed out.
"Ya aint crying no more." Grey said.
It was true. Even in his pain, Puce wasn't afraid. He looked up at Grey who was smiling and waiting for him to take his hand. Puce coughed and accepted the help.
"You've got some patience Puce" Grey said, pulling him to his feet. "If it was me I would've snapped a long time ago."
He lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Closing his eyes he breathed the smoke out through his nostrils. Puce was still rubbing his neck. Grey turned and offered the smoke to him. Puce shook his head.
After another long puff, Grey looked at Puce.
"You asked me to teach you" He said. "You want to train pokemon and you asked me to show you how. Well here's the thing Puce, you can't train nothing if you can't train yourself. You can't expect anyone to fight for you if you won't fight for yourself. And you can't do nothing at all if you're afraid. Don't ever let anyone make you feel the way I just made you feel ever again. Don't be a victim Puce, always fight. Cause whatever you do, there's always gonna be battles."
Puce stared at his feet in silence, letting Grey's words sink in. After a moment he reached over, motioning for the cigarette. Grey relinquished it. Puce breathed in the sweet tar. He fought to keep the cough stifled, trying to show not even a hint of discomfort.
"I've got something for you." Grey said. He left to retrieve something from his back pack.
When he returned he was carrying a very small object in his hand.
"Here" he said, tossing the mystery item to Puce.
When he opened his hands from the catch, Puce saw that it was a poke ball.
"Tap the button on the front" Grey said, lighting another cigarette.
Puce did as he was told. The ball, initially the size of a walnut, immediately expanded to fill his hand.
"Now throw it on the ground."
Puce obeyed. He tossed the ball about six feet in front of him. Upon contact with the earth it opened in a flash of light and bounced back towards him. Where the ball hand landed now stood a small, brown creature. It's large black eyes looked around, blinking and adjusting to the sunlight. It's body, including the tail, was covered in thick plated scales. It stood on it's hind legs, sniffing the air.
"It's a sandshrew. I caught him a few days ago in a cave about a mile up the river. Put up a mean fight for a little guy."
Puce stared at the pokemon as it began to burrow little holes in the ground.
"He's probably hungry, I haven't fed him today. But hey, that's your problem now."
"What….you mean?" Puce started.
"He's yours Puce" Grey said. "You can't go out trying to be a pokemon trainer without a pokemon to train. You better be serious though, poke balls aint easy to come by. You're lucky I had an extra one."
Puce remained transfixed by the armored rodent. He took a few steps forward. Sandshrew noticed him and quickly rolled into a tight ball.
"He'll get used to you" Grey said picking up the poke ball. He pointed the button towards Sandshrew. A beam of light leapt from the orb and touched Sandshrew. Immediately, the pokemon disappeared into the red stream of light, back into the ball. He handed the ball to Puce.
"Grey…" Puce said, "I'm sorry I said all those things, you know, about you earlier"
"Been called worse by meaner people" Grey responded. "Just be here bright and early tomorrow. I've got about another week before heading to Pewter City. We'll see what we can do about getting the two of you in shape before then. Keep him out of your mom's sight and for god's sake don't let her see that" he said pointing to the cigarette in Puce's hand.
Puce turned to leave. "Grey….thank you, you don't know what this means."
"Tomorrow!" Grey said, walking back to where Roger was waiting. He stopped to watch Puce run out of the woods.
"Reeee!" Roger squealed. He threw his burly paws up and shook them.
"I know, I know" Grey said, "you were winning."