Tohjo Falls had not been kind to him.
Not that he had expected it to. The area was infamous for its danger, harsh landscapes and feral pokemon coming together to form a natural barrier between Kanto and Johto. One would have to be either very powerful or very desperate to even consider traversing it.
He was very desperate.
This desperation had carried him far. He stumbled through the mountain and came out alive, his injuries minor, but his companion could not say the same.
Mico was gone.
Which left him with nothing. No family, no home, no pokemon, no help, no chance, no hope. No reason to do anything but lay down and let the Raticate tear him apart. He had tried to run, and he had failed. Not only that, but he had gotten Mico killed. Nothing good had come from his insolence.
His jaw clenched. Insolence. That was his father's word, a poison that had seeped into his subconscious and struck at him, his thoughts. Even now, on the other side of the mountain, he could not run from his father's influence. So what was the point of trying?
Mico's death forced its way into his mind again. They had been so close to making it, so close to the other side, less than a mile from the base of the mountain when the Arbok struck. No warning was given, just a massive snake emerging from the shrubbery faster than the eye could move- but not faster than Mico. The Marowak lept into action instantly, slamming into the poison-type's jaw with his bone. Unfortunately, all this did was enrage Arbok, sending it into a hissing frenzy as it locked into combat with Mico. The battle was quick, and it was ugly, a blur of fangs, clubs, and the steamy drip of acid. In the end, neither pokemon emerged victorious, Arbok pierced through by a desperate Stone Edge and Mico succumbing quickly to the vicious snake's venom.
Mico's death would not go to waste. That was the point in trying. He was so close now, too close to give up. Johto was within his sights.
With newfound determination, he trudged forward. The terrain had lost some of its harshness, its slope flattening and the grass growing shorter. He breathed a sigh of relief as he laid his eyes on a large, crystal clear body of water. New Bark Lake, his last landmark before civilization. He scanned the skies, noting the rising sun low in the sky. That was that, then. He'd camp here for the day, recuperate in the much safer wilds of Route 27, and move into New Bark Town under the cover of darkness.
A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as he leaned against a lone tree, basking in its shade. His shoulder ached, a reminder of the grunt's bullet that had grazed him, but he ignored it. He'd get it checked out once he reached a city, somewhere he'd be less noticeable. As much as he hated to think about it, he was sure his father had eyes out across Indigo looking for him. He'd need to be smart.
He'd need to find a pokemon.
He mulled over the thought for a moment as he ate one of the last of his protein bars. New Bark Town wasn't exactly crawling with pokemon, much less anything worth his time, but it was home to an esteemed Pokemon Professor.
Perhaps he'd be paying Elm's lab a visit.
Plan forming in mind and the dangers of Tohjo Falls well behind him, he drifted into sleep and dreamed of the silver mountains.
