Pikamaster
Active Member
Hey guys, some of you remember my entry to the last round of the fan fic contest, Orange, don't you? Well, it was always supposed to be longer than just one chapter, and I've recently started writing it again! (Sorry Transmutation, but Orange has been waiting longer...) So I've gotten the second chapter done, and hopefully it'll have two more chapters after that. So Read and Review please, and enjoy. (Yes, I'm posting both the first and second chapters. If you've read the first, just hit Ctrl+F and type in "Gray", it'll bring you to the beginning of the second chapter.)
I sit here on this bench outside of the maze of trees people call Viridian Forest, on the Pewter City side, holding a small bunch of multi-colored Peonies, waiting for my friend. She’s late, but that isn’t unusual, it’s just who she is. I remember how we first met; it has been more than five years now. When I saved her from an enraged Dratini in Viridian Forest, she was just an eight year old girl, but an adorable one. Her long, yellow hair was tied in a pony-tail, but it left her bushy bangs to puff out over her forehead. She wore a long, orange dress and a long-sleeved black shirt underneath that. She had long black pants on too. After saving her, I found out that she didn’t have any Pokémon of her own, and that’s when I helped her catch a wild Rattata that she nicknamed “Ratty”. Little did I know that same girl was going to have such an important role in events yet to come and in my life.
A short time later, I beat Giovonni in an intense and nearly deadly battle for the Earth Badge, but blacked out afterward. When I awoke, the girl I saved from Dratini was caring for me, soon asking me to become the Gym Leader of Viridian City. I declined, but said that I’d be back later to do it, and then went on to win the Pokémon League; I never found out her name.
A few years later, I was trapped by the Elite Four while battling one of their members- Bruno, who had sent me a challenge letter- and encased in ice. My Pikachu and one of my oldest partners, Pika, was my only Pokémon to escape. He got all the way to Professor Oak’s laboratory before collapsing, but he was soon temporarily taken under the care of a young boy who always wore a straw hat, rode a Doduo nick-named Dody and called himself “Amarillo del Bosque Verde”, or “Yellow of the Viridian Forest”.
This eleven year old boy was more than he appeared. He had the ability to read the minds of Pokémon, and even heal them among other things, although using his abilities drained his energy and made him sleep after doing it too much; he also had an intense disliking for hurting Pokémon unless it was absolutely necessary. I met up with him a while after Pika joined him on his search for me. I was freed from the ice by a mysterious man and saved Bill, a Pokémon Collector, and Lt. Surge, a former Gym Leader and ex-admin of Team Rocket, from Bruno and finished my battle with him. I met up with Blue and Green later and helped this boy who I had never vanquish the leader of the Elite Four, Lance, and his attempt to eradicate humanity. Yellow fell unconscious after defeating the villain and I had to carry him off of the island. At the time, I didn’t know that he was really that innocent little girl I had saved in the forest, only in disguise. I didn’t find out who Yellow really was until a few years later when she had to remove her hat in my presence and reveal her true gender a year later to retrieve the Silver and Rainbow feathers that were on it to save the Legendary Pokémon, Celebi.
After all of this was over, there was peace for a year. We still communicated regularly and met up for fishing for the day, or a picnic, and sometimes other friends came along, but that was it. We were both too young for any real interest in each other, but a few days before Yellow’s fourteenth birthday, it became apparent, to me, at least, that I was falling for her. But just as I was discovering these new feelings, the unthinkable happened. A strange new Pokémon named “Deoxys” started attacking me and the other two Poké Dex holders from Pallet town: a girl named Blue and a boy named Green. The next few days were a tangle of tragedies and hardships that are too complicated for me even to remember. But because of the events that happened during these days, I was forced to miss celebrating Yellow’s birthday with her. And then, the day after her birthday, Yellow, Blue, Green, a Pokédex holder from Johto named Silver and I were hit by a strange beam of energy and turned to stone while protecting a fleeing, and now-understood, Deoxys.
Two months passed in an instant for us, and seemingly the second after we were petrified, we were freed from the stone because of the wish a boy made on the legendary wish-granting Pokémon, Jirachi. After quickly defeating the current enemy, a man from Hoenn who had been the leader of yet another team that was bent on ruling the world, all of us Pokédex holders went back to our lives. It has been almost two years since then and it is now March third, Yellow’s sixteenth birthday. I invited her to go on a picnic with me at the base of Mount Moon, and I plan to ask her to officially be my girlfriend.
“Where do you think that she is, Pika?” I asked my little yellow buddy. He too was waiting for Yellow with me, but more importantly, he was waiting for Yellow’s Pikachu, Chuchu. The two Pikachu had fallen in love at first sight, and later produced an Egg that hatched into a new Pokémon that Yellow named “Pichu”; Pichu was with Gold, a Poké Dex holder from Johto who had a special skill for breeding Pokémon.
“Pika Pi, Pika Pikachu Pi.”
“Pika,” I sighed. “You know I don’t have Yellow’s ability, I can’t understand you. Why don’t you act it out?”
Pika just shrugged. Apparently what he had said wasn’t important enough for him to want to play a game of charades with me so that I could understand him. This didn’t really matter since I could guess what he was probably thinking. After six years of traveling and training together, the bond that we shared was strong enough to overcome most communication difficulties.
“You’re probably right, Pika. Knowing Yellow, she’ll have stopped to look at those wild Daffodils she told me that she had seen a couple days ago. Either that or she went way out of her way to save something like a Weedle. If one was in trouble, that’s what I would do.”
Coming to a decision, I stood up and stretched, sitting on a bench for an hour had made me stiff. I motioned for Pika to follow, grabbed the picnic basket at my feet, and then headed into Viridian Forest.
The forest was, as always, a gloomy knot of trees, bushes and vines. The temperature was always much cooler than outside of the forest, and moss was abundant in the everlasting shade, crawling over trees and rocks. Bright bursts of wildflowers sprang up from wherever possible, attracting all kinds of Pokémon. Bug enthusiasts were scattered throughout the area trying to find that one bug Pokémon that appealed to them. With Pika happily walking along by my side, I headed straight for the heart of the forest. If Yellow was in here it was inevitable that she would have been sidetracked there.
After a few minutes walking, I heard the sound of an intense battle going on, and it seemed to be several trainers fighting as a group against one. Normally this would not have bothered me as I would take on as many as four trainers on at a time for practice, but Pika wasn’t relaxed anymore, and the fur at the back of his neck was rising. I learned to trust my Pokémon and their instincts a long time ago, and if Pika or any of my partners thought that there was something wrong, then there probably was.
Pika suddenly took off as a shrill cry of pain emerged from the center of the forest, and I knew why. It was the sound of a Pikachu being hurt beyond the normal pain of training battles. Since Pika was already ahead of me, I tossed the picnic basket and the flowers onto the ground and ran for the last few yards and burst through the line of trees that circled the clearing in the center of Viridian Forest.
The normally peaceful and relaxing place had been torn apart by battle, and the river that flowed through it had been blocked by a fallen tree; the water was tainted pink. Deep furrows in the ground that had shredded most of the wildflowers that splashed within the clearing, but it was hardly visible in the dense smoke that was slowly drifting downwind from me. Four members of Team Rocket had cornered the fallen form of a trainer who I couldn’t quite make out, obviously ready to make the finishing blow after they were done with their taunts and insults. I knew in my heart that the beaten trainer was Yellow. Only she would have been here, and only she and her Pokémon, whose levels soared into the eighties when needed, would have been brave enough to take on four opponents at the same time. And if she had been beaten, then she would be extremely weak from healing her Pokémon.
Disregarding all forms of personal safety, I cried out to Pika, urging him to attack before Yellow was hurt any further.
“Pika! Use Megavolt!”
Pika could only use Megavolt when properly motivated, and motivation like that didn’t come often, but that wasn’t the case this time. Yellow was on the ground, and that meant that Chuchu was injured. Jumping in the air and landing a few yards front of Yellow, Pika sighted and released. This was the second time that I had seen my Pikachu use Megavolt, but the first time had been at a long distance. Pika exploded with electricity, raising the temperature of the area by thirty degrees. The attack instantly vaporized the Rockets, and even managed to knock-out their Rhydon before stopping as quickly as it had started.
I quickly recalled Pika, who had collapsed in a pile of newly-formed ash, and sent out Aero, my Aerodactyl at the same time. As I grabbed Yellow, I noticed that all of her Pokémon were back in their balls and in a pile under her, so I had to waste precious time to attach them to my belt. She had obviously run out of energy to heal them and had been protecting them with her body before she had collapsed, and she would not want them to be left behind. I put Yellow onto Aero’s back before jumping up myself and asking him to take us to Viridian City’s hospital before I checked to see how badly she had been injured.
Her hair was askew, covering up a set of scabbing claw marks that ran down her cheek, a cheek that had been smooth and soft when I had stroked it just the day before when she had fallen asleep in my lap. Her clothing was torn and had holes everywhere, revealing various burns, bruises and bite marks, and one arm was hanging at an unnatural angle. Thankfully, nothing else seemed to be broken, but her pulse was faint and erratic.
“Hold on. Just hold on until we get you in the hospital. Please, just hold on.” I pleaded as tears started rolling down my face. It was a race against time, and I didn’t know if I was going to win this time.
* * *
Aero landed in front of the hospital a couple minutes later and crouched to let Yellow and me off. I didn’t waste time re-calling Aero back into his Pokéball as he would wait outside and he was more than a match for anyone who may try to steal him. My heart was racing as I ran inside with my injured friend in my arms. Recognition as a Pokédex holder allowed me to bypass any questions for the moment, but they would come later. I wanted to go back with Yellow as she was carried on a stretcher to the emergency room, but I was denied access with the excuse that I would only be in the way. A nurse politely, but firmly, asked me to wait inside of the building until the doctor who would be in charge of Yellow got the chance to talk to me.
Everyone in Viridian City knew and loved Yellow, so I knew that news of her injuries would spread like wildfire. Her naivety and happy-go-lucky attitude made her easy to like, and her supreme kindness towards Pokémon only helped her become the most popular girl in town. Almost every boy in Viridian had asked her out for the past two years, but she turned every one of them down. I hope that this indicated that she liked me as much as I like her, but I can only wish for this.
I put Yellow’s Pokémon into the hospitals restoration machine and let it do its work, and then I sat down on a couch. Anxiety gnawed a hole in my stomach as I waited for an hour. Two hours. Three. Until finally a tall doctor stepped out of the swinging double-doors that lead to the operation room and headed towards me. Nervously, I stood. The look on the doctor’s face was grim. That could mean anything! I tried to convince myself. There was a moment of silence when he reached me, and then he spoke.
“Red of Pallet Town, I’ve heard of you, I’ve seen you with Yellow a lot too.” he said, his voice deep and confident. Then he continued, almost apologetically. “Because of how you brought her in, I’m going to have to ask you how this happened”
But I couldn’t wait to answer any questions.
“Is she alright?” I blurted out, almost afraid to know the answer.
“She’ll be fine, she just needs some rest.” he said, the ghost of a smile playing across his face. “She’s pretty banged up, and her right arm was broken, but it’s a clean break and it should heal quickly. Luckily, there shouldn’t be any scarring, but there will be faint marks where some of the bigger injuries were for a while. She’s awake now,” I started to ask a question, but he held up a hand to cut me off. “She’s awake, but you can’t see her until you answer my questions. When a patient asks what happened to her Pokémon and how she got into the hospital, we like to be able to enlighten them.”
Somewhat abashed, I quickly told my side of the story, eager to see Yellow.
“Well either you’re a very good liar, or you’re telling the truth. This doesn’t seem like it was an accident, but I doubt that a Pokédex holder and the Pokémon League Champion would do this, and then bring her here. I guess you can go back now. She’s in room 303.”
I was gone as soon as the room number left his mouth. I had been in this hospital before, I knew where the rooms where, and Yellow’s room was on the third floor. Dodging cart-pushing nurses on the way and racing up the stairs, I soon skidded to a halt on the white linoleum in front of room 303. Taking a deep breath, I hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Just a minute!” A slightly panicked voice called. I smiled, Yellow was sure to be doing something that the doctors hadn’t told her not to do, but wouldn’t want her to do if they knew about it. I waited at the door until she called again, saying that I could come in. Turning the doorknob, I braced myself for the squeal of delight that I knew would come.
I wasn’t disappointed when I walked into the room; the squeal was the shrill mix of excitement and happiness that I had heard many times before. The room itself wasn’t too attractive, with a Weedle and a Caterpie Pokédoll being the only furnishing aside from the medical equipment, the bed that Yellow lay in, and a single chair that was right next to the bed. The floor was the same linoleum that was in the hallways, but the walls were painted a soft gold. An open double window provided a view of the lush, green tree-tops of Viridian Forest.
“Red! What are you doing here? Well I know what you’re doing here, but how did you get here so quickly? I mean, how did you find out? I guess someone told you. Have you been waiting for a long time? Don’t worry, I don’t feel as bad as I look.”
I smiled as I sat down in the chair. Yellow was as cheerful and talkative as ever, despite her multiple injuries. Before she asked anymore questions, I explained what had happened. My heart sped up when I saw Yellow’s eyes glow with affection when I described how I carried her here.
“So you brought me here, kind of like how you carried me after I fainted from battling Lance, my right arm was broken then too.”
“Yes, kind of like that.” I murmured, realizing that there was something not quite right about the room. “And as I remember, your arm had a cast made out of Caterpie silk, like that one you have on now. That isn’t something the doctors normally use as cast material. And I can’t remember any of the rooms ever having Pokédolls before. What, did you use the Weedle’s spike to remove the cast that they gave you and have the Caterpie give you a new one?”
“You caught me!” Yellow exclaimed, her eyes alight with mischief. “It’s ok; you two can stop pretending now.”
The last part had been directed at the “Pokédolls”, who were still lying innocently on the floor. The Caterpie and the Weedle suddenly came to life, crawling up to the windowsill from the floor where they had been lying. The turned and gave a small cry of farewell, and then they left. Yellow gazed after them for a moment, a tear forming in her eye.
“They came as soon as the nurse left. Last week I saved them both from a flock of Pidgey, and they now have thanked me in their own way. Just like how I’m going to thank you in my own way, Red. Come over here and close your eyes.”
I had a pretty good idea of what Yellow was going to do, so I got up and leaned towards her, turning my head so that my cheek faced her as I went. Surprise is not a strong enough word to describe what happened next. Using her un-broken arm, the injured trainer turned my head to face her, and then she kissed me on my lips. It only lasted a few seconds, but it left my entire body tingling and I knew that I would feel that soft touch for the rest of my life. I didn’t have to ask her the question that I was going to earlier; she had just shown how she felt about me. Pulling her into a gentle embrace, I whispered three words to her.
“Happy birthday, Yellow.”
Gray
It’s been three weeks since Yellow was attacked. Three weeks since we started going out together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Two simple self-given titles, but the way people talk about us has drastically changed. Pokémon, of course, don’t mind, and maybe that’s why Yellow prefers to associate with them more than with humans, but their trainers whisper things behind their hands when they think that I don’t see them. Mostly they’re jealous trainers, trying to spread rumors about me so that Yellow will break up with me and they can try to take her for themselves. But I’ve been able to stop them before Yellow hears them, then I find the source and hint at terrible destruction if more rumors come from whichever trainer that it happens to be. Not that Yellow would believe such things, that I secretly hurt my Pokémon, that I’m just using her for fame. No, she knows me well enough. I just don’t want her to get upset; I can’t stand to see her crying.
We still haven’t really kissed, just the occasional brush of our lips, but that doesn’t concern me. Every time we go somewhere, whether it’s out to dinner or a picnic in the forest, I’m in total bliss. Words flow out of her mouth, sweet as honey, and I could listen to her all day. Pika is enjoying the extra visits to Chuchu, too. Sometimes they would disappear for hours on end together, but they always came back just before Yellow and I said goodbye.
“Come on, Pika.” I called to my little yellow friend. “Let’s pay Yellow a surprise visit. We can stop by the store on the way and pick up something for lunch, just let me grab my hat and we can get going.”
Pika came running from wherever he had been, probably napping, with my hat in his mouth. I laughed as he jumped onto my shoulder from the floor in a single leap and placed my hat somewhat awkwardly onto my head. I took a second to ruffle his fur and straighten my hat, and then I headed towards Route Two.
It was early afternoon by the time I got to Viridian City. The sun was shining and the air was cool, too perfect a day to hurry, even if it meant arriving at Yellow’s house a little later. The Viridian City Pokémart had all of its windows open, and the door was propped open with a large rock. They were obviously trying to take advantage of the pleasant weather before it melted in the heat of June. It gave me only a slight amount of satisfaction to see the latest rumor-spreader catch sight of me and shrink away, but I didn’t really care. I had made my threats and he had stopped, even going as far as to try to retract the rumor. I don’t know if I would ever make good on my threats of having Aero pick any gossipers up in his claws and fly as fast as he could to Cerise Island and back, but they didn’t know that. I quickly grabbed a pack of Moo Moo burgers from the freezer isle as Pika grabbed an Apple for Chuchu, paid for the food, and then headed towards Yellow’s house.
The streets were filled with people and their Pokémon from all over, but it was easy to spot the ones who weren’t from close by, they were the ones who stopped and stared at me as I walked past. Obviously stories of the things that I did in my first six years as a trainer were still being spread around, probably being exaggerated every time it was retold. But I was used to the staring, just as the inhabitants of Viridian and Pewter City have grown used to seeing me around. A breeze stirred the cool air, making several people shiver. Those were the ones who didn’t know what true cold was like. They were the lucky ones. They hadn’t been encased in ice. This thought almost brought a sour mood into my day, but then I spotted Yellow’s house in the distance.
Her two-story home was just outside of Viridian Forest, pale yellow siding with a red roof and huge gardens everywhere. Remembering her eagerness to change to color from blue to red brings a smile to my face and the memory of her proud, paint-splattered expression when she showed me the change made it grow larger. Her uncle had been a little surprised when he had returned to see the color of his roof had changed, for it was really his house, even though he called it Yellow’s house with the rest of us, but he just smiled. He knew that something was going to happen between us before we knew it.
I ran the last quarter-mile, even though the food in my bag threatened to break some of my Items. I stopped dead, and so did my heart, when I saw that her front door was ajar, and a sense of dread filled my entire being. It was the same instinct that let me predict my opponents’ moves just before they called them, and it had earned me the nickname of “The Battler” among the Pokédex holders. It hadn’t let me down yet, and I doubt that it was going to now. Had something happened to Yellow? Nervously, I put my right hand on the Pokéball that contained Saur. With my left hand I pushed the door open the rest of the way, steeling myself for what I might find.
Nothing. Everything was as it should be, but the sense of impending doom didn’t leave my gut. It wasn’t like Yellow to leave the door open, no matter what the weather, especially since I had asked her to keep it closed and locked. Softly calling her name, I crept into her kitchen, and then her living room, and then the bathroom. Still nothing. Maybe I had overreacted, but I still felt that something was wrong. I headed towards the stairs, whispering my plea to Saur for him to be quiet when I opened his Pokéball when I got there. I let him out in a flash of light and asked him to guard the bottom of the stairs. He nodded his agreement, so Pika and I started climbing to the second floor.
The stairs were made out of sturdy Oak, but that didn’t stop them from creaking when I stepped on them. I flinched every time they did, sure that an army of Rockets was going to appear at the top of the stairs. Not that I couldn’t beat them if they did, my Pokémons’ power level was much higher than any of theirs. No, it would mean that something had happened to Yellow. I would kill them all if they had so much as been in the same room as her. I reached the top without incident, not having to commit a murder that I may have enjoyed, despite the long line of detectives that would have to question me later. Nobody really cared if a Rocket died, but there were still steps that the police had to take if a trainer did kill one, if only to put up the appearance that they did care about if a trainer killed a Rocket.
Then I saw something that made my blood run cold. A picture of me and Yellow was sitting in the remains of an orange floral vase that I had given her. The glass had been cracked by a Pokémon’s attack, that much I knew, although which one it was is beyond me. The vase was what concerned me though. Yellow loved it and would never have let it smash into pieces, not intentionally. And she never would have just left it there either. No, my instinct was right. Something had happened here, something bad. I could almost smell the stench of Rocket filth as I softly, ever so softly, walked towards the closed door to Yellow’s room. Quietly, I brought out Poli, my Poliwrath and oldest partner, and Vee, my Espeon. Vee could’ve told me how many creatures were inside of the room, but I didn’t want to know. With a yell, I kicked open the door, only to find a startled and half-naked Yellow pulling on her boots. She screamed, reaching a pitch that I didn’t know she could, making Pika flinch. She was still screaming after I closed the door, but that wasn’t surprising, I had just walked in on her while she was getting dressed, even though it was late in the day to be doing so.
The screaming stopped as my face began to live up to my name, and it didn’t start turning back to normal until after I recalled Poli to his Pokéball. I was just turning to Pika when the door opened again and Yellow walked out, now fully dressed.
“Hi, Red, I didn’t know that you were coming today.” she said. Something about the way that she said it doesn’t seem right, but I dismissed that as a result of being seen half-naked.
“Hey Yellow. Um… Sorry about walking in on you… I saw the front door open, and then the vase and our picture and I assumed the worst.” I replied sheepishly. Holding up the Moo Moo burgers rather awkwardly, I asked her if she wanted to have lunch.
“What do you think, you stupid idiot? Do you really think that I want to be anywhere near you? You must be insane. Leave me alone, or we’re through!”
I backed off, and so did Pika. Neither of us had ever seen Yellow get this upset before, much less yell and insult anyone. We both literally turned and ran, not wanting to look back. I had faced death several times and had periods of my life where I was encased in something solid, but none of that was as scary as what just happened. I jumped over Saur on the way down, calling him back into his Pokéball without any sort of explanation. I would have to do that later. But for now, running out the front door was my first priority, and it was Pika’s too. Fortunately there was nobody around when we burst out the door, answering questions was the last thing on my mind. Calling out Aero, I jumped onto his back and, after waiting for Pika to climb on, asked him to take us back to Pallet Town.
Conflicting emotions swirled inside of me on the entire ride back, and then they stayed with me until I finally fell asleep that night. Did I really upset Yellow that much, or was there something else going on? Did she really love me anymore? Pain. Anguish. Even a hint of betrayal. They all raced around inside of me, tormenting me with their implications. But most of all there was fear. If Yellow did break up with me, would we be able to go back to what we had before? The answer was no, and that was enough to keep me tossing and turning until slumber finally blessed me with her sweet unconsciousness.
Orange
I sit here on this bench outside of the maze of trees people call Viridian Forest, on the Pewter City side, holding a small bunch of multi-colored Peonies, waiting for my friend. She’s late, but that isn’t unusual, it’s just who she is. I remember how we first met; it has been more than five years now. When I saved her from an enraged Dratini in Viridian Forest, she was just an eight year old girl, but an adorable one. Her long, yellow hair was tied in a pony-tail, but it left her bushy bangs to puff out over her forehead. She wore a long, orange dress and a long-sleeved black shirt underneath that. She had long black pants on too. After saving her, I found out that she didn’t have any Pokémon of her own, and that’s when I helped her catch a wild Rattata that she nicknamed “Ratty”. Little did I know that same girl was going to have such an important role in events yet to come and in my life.
A short time later, I beat Giovonni in an intense and nearly deadly battle for the Earth Badge, but blacked out afterward. When I awoke, the girl I saved from Dratini was caring for me, soon asking me to become the Gym Leader of Viridian City. I declined, but said that I’d be back later to do it, and then went on to win the Pokémon League; I never found out her name.
A few years later, I was trapped by the Elite Four while battling one of their members- Bruno, who had sent me a challenge letter- and encased in ice. My Pikachu and one of my oldest partners, Pika, was my only Pokémon to escape. He got all the way to Professor Oak’s laboratory before collapsing, but he was soon temporarily taken under the care of a young boy who always wore a straw hat, rode a Doduo nick-named Dody and called himself “Amarillo del Bosque Verde”, or “Yellow of the Viridian Forest”.
This eleven year old boy was more than he appeared. He had the ability to read the minds of Pokémon, and even heal them among other things, although using his abilities drained his energy and made him sleep after doing it too much; he also had an intense disliking for hurting Pokémon unless it was absolutely necessary. I met up with him a while after Pika joined him on his search for me. I was freed from the ice by a mysterious man and saved Bill, a Pokémon Collector, and Lt. Surge, a former Gym Leader and ex-admin of Team Rocket, from Bruno and finished my battle with him. I met up with Blue and Green later and helped this boy who I had never vanquish the leader of the Elite Four, Lance, and his attempt to eradicate humanity. Yellow fell unconscious after defeating the villain and I had to carry him off of the island. At the time, I didn’t know that he was really that innocent little girl I had saved in the forest, only in disguise. I didn’t find out who Yellow really was until a few years later when she had to remove her hat in my presence and reveal her true gender a year later to retrieve the Silver and Rainbow feathers that were on it to save the Legendary Pokémon, Celebi.
After all of this was over, there was peace for a year. We still communicated regularly and met up for fishing for the day, or a picnic, and sometimes other friends came along, but that was it. We were both too young for any real interest in each other, but a few days before Yellow’s fourteenth birthday, it became apparent, to me, at least, that I was falling for her. But just as I was discovering these new feelings, the unthinkable happened. A strange new Pokémon named “Deoxys” started attacking me and the other two Poké Dex holders from Pallet town: a girl named Blue and a boy named Green. The next few days were a tangle of tragedies and hardships that are too complicated for me even to remember. But because of the events that happened during these days, I was forced to miss celebrating Yellow’s birthday with her. And then, the day after her birthday, Yellow, Blue, Green, a Pokédex holder from Johto named Silver and I were hit by a strange beam of energy and turned to stone while protecting a fleeing, and now-understood, Deoxys.
Two months passed in an instant for us, and seemingly the second after we were petrified, we were freed from the stone because of the wish a boy made on the legendary wish-granting Pokémon, Jirachi. After quickly defeating the current enemy, a man from Hoenn who had been the leader of yet another team that was bent on ruling the world, all of us Pokédex holders went back to our lives. It has been almost two years since then and it is now March third, Yellow’s sixteenth birthday. I invited her to go on a picnic with me at the base of Mount Moon, and I plan to ask her to officially be my girlfriend.
“Where do you think that she is, Pika?” I asked my little yellow buddy. He too was waiting for Yellow with me, but more importantly, he was waiting for Yellow’s Pikachu, Chuchu. The two Pikachu had fallen in love at first sight, and later produced an Egg that hatched into a new Pokémon that Yellow named “Pichu”; Pichu was with Gold, a Poké Dex holder from Johto who had a special skill for breeding Pokémon.
“Pika Pi, Pika Pikachu Pi.”
“Pika,” I sighed. “You know I don’t have Yellow’s ability, I can’t understand you. Why don’t you act it out?”
Pika just shrugged. Apparently what he had said wasn’t important enough for him to want to play a game of charades with me so that I could understand him. This didn’t really matter since I could guess what he was probably thinking. After six years of traveling and training together, the bond that we shared was strong enough to overcome most communication difficulties.
“You’re probably right, Pika. Knowing Yellow, she’ll have stopped to look at those wild Daffodils she told me that she had seen a couple days ago. Either that or she went way out of her way to save something like a Weedle. If one was in trouble, that’s what I would do.”
Coming to a decision, I stood up and stretched, sitting on a bench for an hour had made me stiff. I motioned for Pika to follow, grabbed the picnic basket at my feet, and then headed into Viridian Forest.
* * *
The forest was, as always, a gloomy knot of trees, bushes and vines. The temperature was always much cooler than outside of the forest, and moss was abundant in the everlasting shade, crawling over trees and rocks. Bright bursts of wildflowers sprang up from wherever possible, attracting all kinds of Pokémon. Bug enthusiasts were scattered throughout the area trying to find that one bug Pokémon that appealed to them. With Pika happily walking along by my side, I headed straight for the heart of the forest. If Yellow was in here it was inevitable that she would have been sidetracked there.
After a few minutes walking, I heard the sound of an intense battle going on, and it seemed to be several trainers fighting as a group against one. Normally this would not have bothered me as I would take on as many as four trainers on at a time for practice, but Pika wasn’t relaxed anymore, and the fur at the back of his neck was rising. I learned to trust my Pokémon and their instincts a long time ago, and if Pika or any of my partners thought that there was something wrong, then there probably was.
Pika suddenly took off as a shrill cry of pain emerged from the center of the forest, and I knew why. It was the sound of a Pikachu being hurt beyond the normal pain of training battles. Since Pika was already ahead of me, I tossed the picnic basket and the flowers onto the ground and ran for the last few yards and burst through the line of trees that circled the clearing in the center of Viridian Forest.
The normally peaceful and relaxing place had been torn apart by battle, and the river that flowed through it had been blocked by a fallen tree; the water was tainted pink. Deep furrows in the ground that had shredded most of the wildflowers that splashed within the clearing, but it was hardly visible in the dense smoke that was slowly drifting downwind from me. Four members of Team Rocket had cornered the fallen form of a trainer who I couldn’t quite make out, obviously ready to make the finishing blow after they were done with their taunts and insults. I knew in my heart that the beaten trainer was Yellow. Only she would have been here, and only she and her Pokémon, whose levels soared into the eighties when needed, would have been brave enough to take on four opponents at the same time. And if she had been beaten, then she would be extremely weak from healing her Pokémon.
Disregarding all forms of personal safety, I cried out to Pika, urging him to attack before Yellow was hurt any further.
“Pika! Use Megavolt!”
Pika could only use Megavolt when properly motivated, and motivation like that didn’t come often, but that wasn’t the case this time. Yellow was on the ground, and that meant that Chuchu was injured. Jumping in the air and landing a few yards front of Yellow, Pika sighted and released. This was the second time that I had seen my Pikachu use Megavolt, but the first time had been at a long distance. Pika exploded with electricity, raising the temperature of the area by thirty degrees. The attack instantly vaporized the Rockets, and even managed to knock-out their Rhydon before stopping as quickly as it had started.
I quickly recalled Pika, who had collapsed in a pile of newly-formed ash, and sent out Aero, my Aerodactyl at the same time. As I grabbed Yellow, I noticed that all of her Pokémon were back in their balls and in a pile under her, so I had to waste precious time to attach them to my belt. She had obviously run out of energy to heal them and had been protecting them with her body before she had collapsed, and she would not want them to be left behind. I put Yellow onto Aero’s back before jumping up myself and asking him to take us to Viridian City’s hospital before I checked to see how badly she had been injured.
Her hair was askew, covering up a set of scabbing claw marks that ran down her cheek, a cheek that had been smooth and soft when I had stroked it just the day before when she had fallen asleep in my lap. Her clothing was torn and had holes everywhere, revealing various burns, bruises and bite marks, and one arm was hanging at an unnatural angle. Thankfully, nothing else seemed to be broken, but her pulse was faint and erratic.
“Hold on. Just hold on until we get you in the hospital. Please, just hold on.” I pleaded as tears started rolling down my face. It was a race against time, and I didn’t know if I was going to win this time.
* * *
Aero landed in front of the hospital a couple minutes later and crouched to let Yellow and me off. I didn’t waste time re-calling Aero back into his Pokéball as he would wait outside and he was more than a match for anyone who may try to steal him. My heart was racing as I ran inside with my injured friend in my arms. Recognition as a Pokédex holder allowed me to bypass any questions for the moment, but they would come later. I wanted to go back with Yellow as she was carried on a stretcher to the emergency room, but I was denied access with the excuse that I would only be in the way. A nurse politely, but firmly, asked me to wait inside of the building until the doctor who would be in charge of Yellow got the chance to talk to me.
Everyone in Viridian City knew and loved Yellow, so I knew that news of her injuries would spread like wildfire. Her naivety and happy-go-lucky attitude made her easy to like, and her supreme kindness towards Pokémon only helped her become the most popular girl in town. Almost every boy in Viridian had asked her out for the past two years, but she turned every one of them down. I hope that this indicated that she liked me as much as I like her, but I can only wish for this.
I put Yellow’s Pokémon into the hospitals restoration machine and let it do its work, and then I sat down on a couch. Anxiety gnawed a hole in my stomach as I waited for an hour. Two hours. Three. Until finally a tall doctor stepped out of the swinging double-doors that lead to the operation room and headed towards me. Nervously, I stood. The look on the doctor’s face was grim. That could mean anything! I tried to convince myself. There was a moment of silence when he reached me, and then he spoke.
“Red of Pallet Town, I’ve heard of you, I’ve seen you with Yellow a lot too.” he said, his voice deep and confident. Then he continued, almost apologetically. “Because of how you brought her in, I’m going to have to ask you how this happened”
But I couldn’t wait to answer any questions.
“Is she alright?” I blurted out, almost afraid to know the answer.
“She’ll be fine, she just needs some rest.” he said, the ghost of a smile playing across his face. “She’s pretty banged up, and her right arm was broken, but it’s a clean break and it should heal quickly. Luckily, there shouldn’t be any scarring, but there will be faint marks where some of the bigger injuries were for a while. She’s awake now,” I started to ask a question, but he held up a hand to cut me off. “She’s awake, but you can’t see her until you answer my questions. When a patient asks what happened to her Pokémon and how she got into the hospital, we like to be able to enlighten them.”
Somewhat abashed, I quickly told my side of the story, eager to see Yellow.
“Well either you’re a very good liar, or you’re telling the truth. This doesn’t seem like it was an accident, but I doubt that a Pokédex holder and the Pokémon League Champion would do this, and then bring her here. I guess you can go back now. She’s in room 303.”
I was gone as soon as the room number left his mouth. I had been in this hospital before, I knew where the rooms where, and Yellow’s room was on the third floor. Dodging cart-pushing nurses on the way and racing up the stairs, I soon skidded to a halt on the white linoleum in front of room 303. Taking a deep breath, I hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Just a minute!” A slightly panicked voice called. I smiled, Yellow was sure to be doing something that the doctors hadn’t told her not to do, but wouldn’t want her to do if they knew about it. I waited at the door until she called again, saying that I could come in. Turning the doorknob, I braced myself for the squeal of delight that I knew would come.
I wasn’t disappointed when I walked into the room; the squeal was the shrill mix of excitement and happiness that I had heard many times before. The room itself wasn’t too attractive, with a Weedle and a Caterpie Pokédoll being the only furnishing aside from the medical equipment, the bed that Yellow lay in, and a single chair that was right next to the bed. The floor was the same linoleum that was in the hallways, but the walls were painted a soft gold. An open double window provided a view of the lush, green tree-tops of Viridian Forest.
“Red! What are you doing here? Well I know what you’re doing here, but how did you get here so quickly? I mean, how did you find out? I guess someone told you. Have you been waiting for a long time? Don’t worry, I don’t feel as bad as I look.”
I smiled as I sat down in the chair. Yellow was as cheerful and talkative as ever, despite her multiple injuries. Before she asked anymore questions, I explained what had happened. My heart sped up when I saw Yellow’s eyes glow with affection when I described how I carried her here.
“So you brought me here, kind of like how you carried me after I fainted from battling Lance, my right arm was broken then too.”
“Yes, kind of like that.” I murmured, realizing that there was something not quite right about the room. “And as I remember, your arm had a cast made out of Caterpie silk, like that one you have on now. That isn’t something the doctors normally use as cast material. And I can’t remember any of the rooms ever having Pokédolls before. What, did you use the Weedle’s spike to remove the cast that they gave you and have the Caterpie give you a new one?”
“You caught me!” Yellow exclaimed, her eyes alight with mischief. “It’s ok; you two can stop pretending now.”
The last part had been directed at the “Pokédolls”, who were still lying innocently on the floor. The Caterpie and the Weedle suddenly came to life, crawling up to the windowsill from the floor where they had been lying. The turned and gave a small cry of farewell, and then they left. Yellow gazed after them for a moment, a tear forming in her eye.
“They came as soon as the nurse left. Last week I saved them both from a flock of Pidgey, and they now have thanked me in their own way. Just like how I’m going to thank you in my own way, Red. Come over here and close your eyes.”
I had a pretty good idea of what Yellow was going to do, so I got up and leaned towards her, turning my head so that my cheek faced her as I went. Surprise is not a strong enough word to describe what happened next. Using her un-broken arm, the injured trainer turned my head to face her, and then she kissed me on my lips. It only lasted a few seconds, but it left my entire body tingling and I knew that I would feel that soft touch for the rest of my life. I didn’t have to ask her the question that I was going to earlier; she had just shown how she felt about me. Pulling her into a gentle embrace, I whispered three words to her.
“Happy birthday, Yellow.”
Gray
It’s been three weeks since Yellow was attacked. Three weeks since we started going out together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Two simple self-given titles, but the way people talk about us has drastically changed. Pokémon, of course, don’t mind, and maybe that’s why Yellow prefers to associate with them more than with humans, but their trainers whisper things behind their hands when they think that I don’t see them. Mostly they’re jealous trainers, trying to spread rumors about me so that Yellow will break up with me and they can try to take her for themselves. But I’ve been able to stop them before Yellow hears them, then I find the source and hint at terrible destruction if more rumors come from whichever trainer that it happens to be. Not that Yellow would believe such things, that I secretly hurt my Pokémon, that I’m just using her for fame. No, she knows me well enough. I just don’t want her to get upset; I can’t stand to see her crying.
We still haven’t really kissed, just the occasional brush of our lips, but that doesn’t concern me. Every time we go somewhere, whether it’s out to dinner or a picnic in the forest, I’m in total bliss. Words flow out of her mouth, sweet as honey, and I could listen to her all day. Pika is enjoying the extra visits to Chuchu, too. Sometimes they would disappear for hours on end together, but they always came back just before Yellow and I said goodbye.
“Come on, Pika.” I called to my little yellow friend. “Let’s pay Yellow a surprise visit. We can stop by the store on the way and pick up something for lunch, just let me grab my hat and we can get going.”
Pika came running from wherever he had been, probably napping, with my hat in his mouth. I laughed as he jumped onto my shoulder from the floor in a single leap and placed my hat somewhat awkwardly onto my head. I took a second to ruffle his fur and straighten my hat, and then I headed towards Route Two.
* * *
It was early afternoon by the time I got to Viridian City. The sun was shining and the air was cool, too perfect a day to hurry, even if it meant arriving at Yellow’s house a little later. The Viridian City Pokémart had all of its windows open, and the door was propped open with a large rock. They were obviously trying to take advantage of the pleasant weather before it melted in the heat of June. It gave me only a slight amount of satisfaction to see the latest rumor-spreader catch sight of me and shrink away, but I didn’t really care. I had made my threats and he had stopped, even going as far as to try to retract the rumor. I don’t know if I would ever make good on my threats of having Aero pick any gossipers up in his claws and fly as fast as he could to Cerise Island and back, but they didn’t know that. I quickly grabbed a pack of Moo Moo burgers from the freezer isle as Pika grabbed an Apple for Chuchu, paid for the food, and then headed towards Yellow’s house.
The streets were filled with people and their Pokémon from all over, but it was easy to spot the ones who weren’t from close by, they were the ones who stopped and stared at me as I walked past. Obviously stories of the things that I did in my first six years as a trainer were still being spread around, probably being exaggerated every time it was retold. But I was used to the staring, just as the inhabitants of Viridian and Pewter City have grown used to seeing me around. A breeze stirred the cool air, making several people shiver. Those were the ones who didn’t know what true cold was like. They were the lucky ones. They hadn’t been encased in ice. This thought almost brought a sour mood into my day, but then I spotted Yellow’s house in the distance.
Her two-story home was just outside of Viridian Forest, pale yellow siding with a red roof and huge gardens everywhere. Remembering her eagerness to change to color from blue to red brings a smile to my face and the memory of her proud, paint-splattered expression when she showed me the change made it grow larger. Her uncle had been a little surprised when he had returned to see the color of his roof had changed, for it was really his house, even though he called it Yellow’s house with the rest of us, but he just smiled. He knew that something was going to happen between us before we knew it.
I ran the last quarter-mile, even though the food in my bag threatened to break some of my Items. I stopped dead, and so did my heart, when I saw that her front door was ajar, and a sense of dread filled my entire being. It was the same instinct that let me predict my opponents’ moves just before they called them, and it had earned me the nickname of “The Battler” among the Pokédex holders. It hadn’t let me down yet, and I doubt that it was going to now. Had something happened to Yellow? Nervously, I put my right hand on the Pokéball that contained Saur. With my left hand I pushed the door open the rest of the way, steeling myself for what I might find.
Nothing. Everything was as it should be, but the sense of impending doom didn’t leave my gut. It wasn’t like Yellow to leave the door open, no matter what the weather, especially since I had asked her to keep it closed and locked. Softly calling her name, I crept into her kitchen, and then her living room, and then the bathroom. Still nothing. Maybe I had overreacted, but I still felt that something was wrong. I headed towards the stairs, whispering my plea to Saur for him to be quiet when I opened his Pokéball when I got there. I let him out in a flash of light and asked him to guard the bottom of the stairs. He nodded his agreement, so Pika and I started climbing to the second floor.
The stairs were made out of sturdy Oak, but that didn’t stop them from creaking when I stepped on them. I flinched every time they did, sure that an army of Rockets was going to appear at the top of the stairs. Not that I couldn’t beat them if they did, my Pokémons’ power level was much higher than any of theirs. No, it would mean that something had happened to Yellow. I would kill them all if they had so much as been in the same room as her. I reached the top without incident, not having to commit a murder that I may have enjoyed, despite the long line of detectives that would have to question me later. Nobody really cared if a Rocket died, but there were still steps that the police had to take if a trainer did kill one, if only to put up the appearance that they did care about if a trainer killed a Rocket.
Then I saw something that made my blood run cold. A picture of me and Yellow was sitting in the remains of an orange floral vase that I had given her. The glass had been cracked by a Pokémon’s attack, that much I knew, although which one it was is beyond me. The vase was what concerned me though. Yellow loved it and would never have let it smash into pieces, not intentionally. And she never would have just left it there either. No, my instinct was right. Something had happened here, something bad. I could almost smell the stench of Rocket filth as I softly, ever so softly, walked towards the closed door to Yellow’s room. Quietly, I brought out Poli, my Poliwrath and oldest partner, and Vee, my Espeon. Vee could’ve told me how many creatures were inside of the room, but I didn’t want to know. With a yell, I kicked open the door, only to find a startled and half-naked Yellow pulling on her boots. She screamed, reaching a pitch that I didn’t know she could, making Pika flinch. She was still screaming after I closed the door, but that wasn’t surprising, I had just walked in on her while she was getting dressed, even though it was late in the day to be doing so.
The screaming stopped as my face began to live up to my name, and it didn’t start turning back to normal until after I recalled Poli to his Pokéball. I was just turning to Pika when the door opened again and Yellow walked out, now fully dressed.
“Hi, Red, I didn’t know that you were coming today.” she said. Something about the way that she said it doesn’t seem right, but I dismissed that as a result of being seen half-naked.
“Hey Yellow. Um… Sorry about walking in on you… I saw the front door open, and then the vase and our picture and I assumed the worst.” I replied sheepishly. Holding up the Moo Moo burgers rather awkwardly, I asked her if she wanted to have lunch.
“What do you think, you stupid idiot? Do you really think that I want to be anywhere near you? You must be insane. Leave me alone, or we’re through!”
I backed off, and so did Pika. Neither of us had ever seen Yellow get this upset before, much less yell and insult anyone. We both literally turned and ran, not wanting to look back. I had faced death several times and had periods of my life where I was encased in something solid, but none of that was as scary as what just happened. I jumped over Saur on the way down, calling him back into his Pokéball without any sort of explanation. I would have to do that later. But for now, running out the front door was my first priority, and it was Pika’s too. Fortunately there was nobody around when we burst out the door, answering questions was the last thing on my mind. Calling out Aero, I jumped onto his back and, after waiting for Pika to climb on, asked him to take us back to Pallet Town.
Conflicting emotions swirled inside of me on the entire ride back, and then they stayed with me until I finally fell asleep that night. Did I really upset Yellow that much, or was there something else going on? Did she really love me anymore? Pain. Anguish. Even a hint of betrayal. They all raced around inside of me, tormenting me with their implications. But most of all there was fear. If Yellow did break up with me, would we be able to go back to what we had before? The answer was no, and that was enough to keep me tossing and turning until slumber finally blessed me with her sweet unconsciousness.
