Story Notes:
Uploading here and on ff.net. I think some people migth like the setting and don't browse the ff.As far as i guess, disclaimer goes there, rigth?So, i'll add it there.Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The Scorched Earth
The cave Joshua was in almost collapsed when the bombs hit Jubilife and Oreburgh. The shocks were so strong that it was a miracle that nothing serious happened. Just some dust and some small rocks had fallen from above.
�The roar of the explosion, however, made both him and his pet cyndaquil Kyle deaf. For a moment, anyway, as their senses of hearing slowly regenerated. After a few minutes, Joshua decided it was safe enough to go outside.
Cautiously, Joshua peeked his head outside his temporary shelter. And the first thing he saw was a cloud, left by the bomb. �
The second thing he saw was the reddish glow coming from the city. Although it was the middle of the day, the fiery remains of Jubilife outshone the sun, making the horizon red. �
And not only the horizon. The forest also was set ablaze by the heat wave. �
Speaking of the sight... Everywhere, there was smoke and fire.�
Slowly, his legs trembling, he got outside the cavern and wobbled towards his home. If there was still a place he could call home. He didn't know what to do now. His home... His parents... everything he had... there was only a slight chance it somehow got through, survived...
He was afraid of seeing the state the world was currently in.
�After all, he had witnessed the end of civilization. He was still unsure whether it was the actual end of the world. Maybe some cities had survived; maybe some relief forces were coming there, to sweep the area for any survivors?
"Oh, who am I kidding," he thought. Nobody was going to care about some leveled city in the middle of the nothingness the world had become. �
And as far as the eye could see... There was no hope. For Sinnoh, anyway. �
But then, he thought, what about Orre, Almia! They didn't like each other, true, but it was unlikely for them to kill each other, as their problems were minor compared to our uranitite wars. �
Then, a little glimmer of hope lighted in his heart as he began to think. ��
"I have to contact the outside world! Maybe there is some radio comm still operational?"
"But, wait, I have to see what is going on in Jubilife first!"��
With each word he thought he was stepping more firmly, his pace faster and faster. He had to see if his house still stood, maybe someone had survived, maybe there was someone who needed his help! Sure, his medical skills were still mediocre, as he only knew what he has already read in his books while preparing for the entry exams, but first aid, applying medicaments, etc... The PokeMarts had been ignored lately, as nobody cared to fight for leisure anymore, so maybe there were some burn heals not yet bought or stolen? He had read some scientific papers about application of pokemon medicaments in human treatments, and some proved to be quite useful. Not as useful as those dedicated to the purpose, but for first aid good enough. �
He then tagged his thoughts about helping others as "do it now", and began thinking about radio again. He was almost running by this point. ��
"Our radio station and TV broadcaster were in the middle of the city, so no. But then, some backwater village might have some enthusiastic DJ airing some beats? Maybe the military stations? All of them were nuked into oblivion, but maybe... I have to find some radio and listen for anything not static. But how would I locate the transmitter?"
The squealing of his cyndaquil broke his chain of reasoning.
"Quiiii Quiii QUIII!"�
"Hey there, Kyle, what are you squeaking at?"
"Quiii quii quii quiiiiiii."
"Looking at the forest?" ��
Joshua then looked around, and saw a movement in the already burning woods. He hadn't noticed this before, as he was running on the asphalt road cut through the middle of the forest, so he had no need to look at the surroundings, and also because his focus was on something else, but now he saw that there was a lot of movement in the fiery inferno the woods had become. Many Pokemon were running in the opposite direction of the one he was heading, towards probable but uncertain safety. � They were moving fast enough that he couldn't tell whether they were okay or injured.
And then, he saw a bidoof. A lone bidoof on the hard shoulder of the road. Moving unusually slowly, but his right side looking otherwise okay. Weren't he interrupted, he wouldn't even have noticed this.
As Joshua came to see whether the pokemon was fully all right, he witnessed the most nauseating thing he had ever seen in his life.
Half of that little Pokemon's body was destroyed. His left side was now black, face burned heavily, and his left eye ... just wasn't there, burned out completely. Joshua quickly estimated the burns to be fourth grade, as the skin tissue was nonexistent, and the muscles were charred. Not good. �
Bidoof trembled in pain, a small whimper escaping his mouth, as Joshua took him in his arms, cradled him and cooed quietly "Don't worry, I'm here, I'll help you." Bidoof reacted to this by whimpering and trembling weakly. �
"There's no way you could survive through this." Joshua thought, "Not even with the most extensive skin and tissue grafts applicable." Then he said something so quietly that only this little guy could hear.
"Forgive me."
He put the bidoof on the ground. Kneeling, his left hand gripped the torso and his right caught the poor Pokemon's head. Joshua gathered all his mental and physical strength to do what he thought he would never have to do.
With a swift twist, he broke the bidoof's neck. The sound of the cervical spine breaking would have made him vomit if he had anything in his stomach in the first place. �One last breath, and the bidoof's soul left the mortal shell. �
This was the most merciful way he could release him from that vale of tears the world was now.
Joshua was afraid to turn his gaze to Kyle, afraid of what his friend was thinking about him now. But some time, he would have to do it, so let it be now. �
The Cyndaquil looked back at him. To Joshua's surprise his eyes showed no fear, no disgust. �
Only one thing showed: complete understanding.
"Sorry, but I had to do this." These words were spoken both to Kyle and the dead Bidoof. "I'll come here later, and I will bury you. Now, I have to help the others."
And bound by that promise he ran to the city.
Along the way, he pondered why exactly he had done this. There were more dying pokemon in the woods that were suffering. One more wouldn't change the situation. But then he reminded himself of something he heard a long time ago, that a human is counted by every small deed he has done in his life. This was certainly worth it.
One minute of sprinting later, as Joshua was gasping from exhaustion and because of the deoxygenized air, he spoke to himself. ��
"Okay, I'm almost there, just near, just a few more meters!"��
But then he saw the sight he had feared the most.
He saw nothing. Not even a single home standing. Nothing but big piles of debris, each completely unrecognizable from each other.
***************************
It took about twenty minutes to navigate through the remains of what would have been called a "road" a few hours ago. And he found the place where his home was. There was nothing. Not even a single stone stood there, gone with the blast wave. �
This was too much. Since he entered Jubilife, he saw not even a single living person. Not even a single dead body. The place was completely devoid of anything that could have ever lived. �And now, his family was gone. He had no place to call his own. ��This was too much for him to handle. He fell on his knees and broke down. Tears flowing freely, voicing quiet cries, mind blank. �This mental breakdown only lasted a few moments, as Kyle tried to get his attention by squeaking loudly.
"QUUIIIIIIIIII!"�
Through his sobs, Joshua asked, "What are you trying to say?"� He then turned his eyes in the direction cyndaquil was looking. ��Everything looked the same, smoke, soot, dust, and fire everywhere. But something was moving in the distance. A lone, humanoid figure.
Standing up so quickly that floaters and blurs appeared in his vision from the sudden change of position, he began to walk slowly in that direction. Seeing that somebody had survived the end of the world, he stopped sobbing, remembering about his resolve to help anybody that was still alive. After a few meters he saw that it was a definitely a human. He couldn't have made that assumption before, as the smoke was everywhere, obscuring the sight. � After a few more meters he saw it was a middle aged blonde male in an expensive graphite-coloured suit. A few more meters, and the man saw him.
And laughed. His voice was hoarse, the sound he made was like that of a madmen scheming and plotting for the world dominance.
"You okay, sir?" asked Joshua in curious and cautious tone. ��There was no verbal response. Only that demonic laughter. �And then, out of a sudden, that person lunged at him.
This unexpected attack cached Joshua off-guard. �The man was crazy, a madness visible in his eyes, in his facial expression, in every movement of his body. His sanity was gone completely, and all that was left was a strong body with no mind. �Strong enough to quickly knock him down on the ground, pin him and strangle with his hands. Joshua began to suffocate as he heard Kyle squeaking angrily. Knowing that the longer the struggle lasted, the less energy he would have, Joshua used all his strength to kick the man off. �It was successful. A sudden kick in the crotch, and then in the chest, and he could breathe again, and he also he was free to move. He again heard his pet's screams. This time they were definitely aggressive.
Guessing what the cyndaquil was up to, he jumped to standing position and got some distance from the attacker. �He felt a rush of hotness as Kyle breathed fire at the madmen's head. Soon after he turned his head to see what was remaining: legs, torso, hands and a totally charred, black head that looked like a lump of coal.
The smell of burnt flesh was so strong that the world began to spin before his very own eyes. Trying to maintain his posture, he began searching the remains for anything that would identify the man. He found no wallet, no ID, no "Hello, I'm INSERT NAME HERE" label. �But he got his hands on something that would prove useful in the foreseeable future.
A gun.
Joshua knew nothing about guns, so he couldn't identify the model, the ammo it used, or how to unlock it and shoot. Not even how to remove the magazine to check whether it had any ammo left. The only thing he got right was the name of manufacturer, Glock. After all, it was etched on the both sides of the pistol's lock. The rest of writings were only numbers that said nothing to him.
"You know what Kyle? I'm glad he was out of his mind. Or else I would be REALLY dead."��He felt no regret that his pokemon had killed the assailant. He came here to look for sane survivors, not the insane kind. And also, that person tried to kill him. It was nothing but self-defense. And now, he felt only some regret playing 'grave robber'. He checked his suit for anything that he could take, but only thing that was of any use except the gun was its holster. Armed, but not dangerous, he left the body lying on the ground, as he looked at his recent acquisition.
"I'll have to learn how to operate that device. As soon as possible." Kyle nodded in agreement. No matter what, his fire wouldn't stand a chance against everybody every time there was a need for sudden defense. �This one was simple. Too simple. The next encounter wouldn't necessarily go in his favor.
"The simple life has ended. Gotta train," Kyle thought to himself.
***************************
There was a PokeMart near his now non-existent home. Although the building had partially collapsed, it was still accessible and safe enough to consider getting inside. Luckily, it wasn't on fire or else it would mean that he would have no reason to enter.
Upon entering, it was visible that this place hadn't been looted. Many medicaments were still there. �While packing as many Potions, Burn Heals and Full Restores as possible to the canvas bag that was lying at the counter, Joshua had a flashback of the people flooding the market. How stupid. These things he was taking now were really far more valuable than some washing powder or newspapers. Such a treasury, that PokeMart. For sure, he would return there for supplies when in need.
Another thing that got his attention was the broken fire hydrant outside. A small trickle was spurting from it. �He thought about radiation. It was there everywhere, but then, the underground water probably still wasn't irradiated enough to cause any long-term effects. Heck, standing there was far more dangerous than drinking it! He got some bottles in the shop, emptied them, rinsed and filled with the most precious resource available, the life-giving H2O...
***************************
Although being in haste, as he wanted to help as many possible survivors as possible while spending as little time as possible there to avoid being irradiated, Joshua made sure to check any place that didn't look like a complete train wreck. �However, it was to no avail. He didn't find anybody alive; only a few dead bodies of man and Pokemon. �Trying to maintain his sanity in the wake of destruction, he reminded himself that at least all of them died quickly, only feeling pain for a brief second. But after combing the area he came to conclusion that his efforts were in vain. Maybe there were people buried under the rubble. But there was nothing he could do for them. Without excavators, bulldozers and other heavy-duty machinery he could do nothing. That feeling of helplessness was the worst mental burden he had ever experienced.
While searching for anybody alive, he also scoured the place for anything he could find useful. There wasn't much, however. Just some jewelry taken off the dead or found in the drawers if he needed to barter with somebody in the future, some basic medicaments for people and pokemon, canned foods, bottled beverages, a small traveler's gas stove and a nice, capacious backpack. He felt a little guilty to be robbing the dead, but then, somebody needed to stay alive. They needed these things more. He couldn't play saint these harsh times. Help others; sure, but also gather everything he could use at all costs.
He was about to retreat, not daring to come closer to the center of the city. There was no possibility anybody could be alive there, and also the radiation could kill or sterilize him. But then, he saw something in the distance. Something moving. �Knowing that he couldn't trust anybody now, not after that madman accident, he grabbed his gun and aimed. And waited. He didn't know how to shoot, but he counted that the looks were enough. After a minute, the figures came close enough for Joshua to begin recognizing what was going on. There were three people coming closer to him.
When he was sure that they could hear him he shouted at the top of his lungs. ��"STOP, NOW!"��His pet added something to strengthen the effect. ��"QUIIII!"��The figures stopped in their tracks. �Still aiming his Glock, he slowly walked closer and closer to them. ��Soon after, he recognized that this time it was quite stupid. ��Two men, one woman and a zigzagoon. All of them appeared mostly harmless. One man also appeared injured, as he was being hold in upward position by the other two. ��They were saying something to him. He heard one sentence. �"Please, don't kill us! We'll give you anything you want."��This was enough for him to realize the mistake.
Holstering the gun, he walked slowly, trying not to provoke them. To further assure them he wasn't up to something evil, Joshua said loudly, �"Sorry, forgive me, I didn't... I didn't... Aw, fuck it." �Now, standing near them, he asked, "You all okay?"
One man then spoke. ��"I'm okay, my wife too, My Ziggy also, but this guy has his left arm burned as you can see, but not heavily. I guess. I'm not a doctor."
"That's okay, I have some burn heals." He inspected the injured skin tissue. Second degree. Painful, but not dangerous to his life. Then, he got out his backpack two bottles of spray, as one wasn't enough for this job.
The woman was quick to notice it wasn't a concoction for humans. �"Hey, what are you doing, that's pokemon medicine!"
"Trust me, I'm a doctor. Or rather, I would be a doctor weren't it for this goddamn war." And then, he spoke to the patient itself. �"Set your teeth, it's going to be painful. Very painful." �Not waiting for any response, he sprayed the burned skin. ��The sudden yell of pain shocked him somewhat, but he was prepared. The sprayed liquid covered the injury, hissing as the chemicals reacted, forming white foam. Soon after his arm was covered in sickly-yellow foam, as the exudate mixed with the medicament.
Then, the man spoke in weak, tired voice - �"T-that hurt."
"I know. This was supposed to hurt like hell."
"B-but, t-thanks."
"You will feel that pain tomorrow again," Joshua said as he gave the woman another two sprays, asking her to apply only one spray per 24 hours.
The healthy-looking man now asked something that was on his mind: �"Hey, these burn heals are supposed to be painless, so why he was in pain while applying this shit, and why is he still in pain?"
Joshua then remembered what he had read while reading some medical papers. �"You see, the anesthesia used for some pokemon don't work for humans or all other pokemon. The painkillers in these sprays are only for some pokemon, even. See? There's additional text at the back. 'TYPE A-M'. That means this spray is only for some pokemon, in this case it means for the so called 'normal body type' ones, and for some others it won't work. The base of the medicine is strong antiseptics and Aloe Vera. And that, of course, works for everybody, even humans, but the additional things, like painkillers won't do shit.
"But enough talk. How the fuck did you survive?"
"To tell the truth, I and my husband were in the basement when it happened. And this guy is our neighbor. We were able to pull him out the rubble. His family, however... And you?"
"I was near the Oreburgh gate."
"Explains why your clothing is still in one piece." Joshua hadn't noticed it until now, but the group's clothes were very dirty and tattered. Unlike his garments, although dirty, they weren't torn in any way.
Then another question. This one was the 'not easy to answer' one.
"How did you get the gun? I thought minors weren't allowed to have those?"
"I, I just... Found it. Yes, found it." That wasn't convincing. Trying to drop the topic, Joshua asked them something he should have asked them in the first place. ��"Okay, have you seen anybody else here?"
"Yes, but only a few. All of them were trying to get the hell outta here. As we are doing also. But hey, why did you come here?"
"To see whether there was still anybody alive."
"Trust me, if somebody's not on their feet now, they'll die. We tried to find anybody alive, but this is pointless. The only thing left is to get as far away as possible and find something that wasn't destroyed. Oh, and I haven't caught your name. I'm Peter, my wife's name is Suzann. My neighbor's name is William, and this is Ziggy."
"Ziggy zig!" Zigzagoon hopped happily when he heard his name.
"Nice to know that something is still looking normal here. I'm Joshua and this is Kyle," he pointed at the small fur ball that was now on his shoulder.
"So, where are you going?"
"Dunno. But I think I'll go to Oreburgh. I'll see if there is still anybody there to help them."
"You can forget about that. Mountainous area, focused the blast, etc... Nothing should stand there now."
"The mines. Maybe there is still somebody in the mines!"
"Heh, as you wish. It's stupid and stubborn, boyo, but I'll wish you luck. We are going to Sandgem anyway."
"So, okay, see ya. Oh, one more thing!"�
"What is it?"
"The radio. Any of you have any radio?"��The woman then spoke to him in response, not her husband, who was rather talkative recently. Their neighbor still said practically nothing useful.
"Why?"
"I'll try to broadcast some SOS signal. Maybe there is somebody out there?"
"But what would you need my radio for then? It's a receiver anyway."
"To find a working transmitter."
"Heh, that's insane. I have a small pocket radio with headphones, maybe it'll be of some use."
Joshua began to think how to talk so that he could get the radio and not lose any valuables as a barter. To his surprise, however, Suzann spoke something he couldn't ever imagine. ��"I've no use for this now. Catch!" And she threw it. A small AAA-batteries radio with cheap headphones. Enough for what he was up to now.
"Okay, it seems I'll be off to Oreburgh. Thanks for the radio."
"For what you've done this is enough, I think. Thank you, and goodbye," William spoke quietly. ��Then, both parties took different ways. One went south to Sandgem, and Joshua to the east. To Oreburgh, to find if he would be of any use there.
***************************
He found the body in the place he had left it. Luckily, nobody had tried to touch the carcass. �He dug up a small makeshift grave, put the bidoof in it and covered him with dry soil. �He put a small marker stone to indicate where the grave was.
"Well, Kyle..."
"Quiiii?"
"I've never had to speak any eulogy. So there's one for that poke. Not good, my imagination's off now."��And with that, he turned his head up, to look at the sky, almost completely clouded with smoke by now. And spoke as if there was a crowd, and it was happening in an auditorium.
�World Sucks"
�The roar of the explosion, however, made both him and his pet cyndaquil Kyle deaf. For a moment, anyway, as their senses of hearing slowly regenerated. After a few minutes, Joshua decided it was safe enough to go outside.
Cautiously, Joshua peeked his head outside his temporary shelter. And the first thing he saw was a cloud, left by the bomb. �
The second thing he saw was the reddish glow coming from the city. Although it was the middle of the day, the fiery remains of Jubilife outshone the sun, making the horizon red. �
And not only the horizon. The forest also was set ablaze by the heat wave. �
Speaking of the sight... Everywhere, there was smoke and fire.�
Slowly, his legs trembling, he got outside the cavern and wobbled towards his home. If there was still a place he could call home. He didn't know what to do now. His home... His parents... everything he had... there was only a slight chance it somehow got through, survived...
He was afraid of seeing the state the world was currently in.
�After all, he had witnessed the end of civilization. He was still unsure whether it was the actual end of the world. Maybe some cities had survived; maybe some relief forces were coming there, to sweep the area for any survivors?
"Oh, who am I kidding," he thought. Nobody was going to care about some leveled city in the middle of the nothingness the world had become. �
And as far as the eye could see... There was no hope. For Sinnoh, anyway. �
But then, he thought, what about Orre, Almia! They didn't like each other, true, but it was unlikely for them to kill each other, as their problems were minor compared to our uranitite wars. �
Then, a little glimmer of hope lighted in his heart as he began to think. ��
"I have to contact the outside world! Maybe there is some radio comm still operational?"
"But, wait, I have to see what is going on in Jubilife first!"��
With each word he thought he was stepping more firmly, his pace faster and faster. He had to see if his house still stood, maybe someone had survived, maybe there was someone who needed his help! Sure, his medical skills were still mediocre, as he only knew what he has already read in his books while preparing for the entry exams, but first aid, applying medicaments, etc... The PokeMarts had been ignored lately, as nobody cared to fight for leisure anymore, so maybe there were some burn heals not yet bought or stolen? He had read some scientific papers about application of pokemon medicaments in human treatments, and some proved to be quite useful. Not as useful as those dedicated to the purpose, but for first aid good enough. �
He then tagged his thoughts about helping others as "do it now", and began thinking about radio again. He was almost running by this point. ��
"Our radio station and TV broadcaster were in the middle of the city, so no. But then, some backwater village might have some enthusiastic DJ airing some beats? Maybe the military stations? All of them were nuked into oblivion, but maybe... I have to find some radio and listen for anything not static. But how would I locate the transmitter?"
The squealing of his cyndaquil broke his chain of reasoning.
"Quiiii Quiii QUIII!"�
"Hey there, Kyle, what are you squeaking at?"
"Quiii quii quii quiiiiiii."
"Looking at the forest?" ��
Joshua then looked around, and saw a movement in the already burning woods. He hadn't noticed this before, as he was running on the asphalt road cut through the middle of the forest, so he had no need to look at the surroundings, and also because his focus was on something else, but now he saw that there was a lot of movement in the fiery inferno the woods had become. Many Pokemon were running in the opposite direction of the one he was heading, towards probable but uncertain safety. � They were moving fast enough that he couldn't tell whether they were okay or injured.
And then, he saw a bidoof. A lone bidoof on the hard shoulder of the road. Moving unusually slowly, but his right side looking otherwise okay. Weren't he interrupted, he wouldn't even have noticed this.
As Joshua came to see whether the pokemon was fully all right, he witnessed the most nauseating thing he had ever seen in his life.
Half of that little Pokemon's body was destroyed. His left side was now black, face burned heavily, and his left eye ... just wasn't there, burned out completely. Joshua quickly estimated the burns to be fourth grade, as the skin tissue was nonexistent, and the muscles were charred. Not good. �
Bidoof trembled in pain, a small whimper escaping his mouth, as Joshua took him in his arms, cradled him and cooed quietly "Don't worry, I'm here, I'll help you." Bidoof reacted to this by whimpering and trembling weakly. �
"There's no way you could survive through this." Joshua thought, "Not even with the most extensive skin and tissue grafts applicable." Then he said something so quietly that only this little guy could hear.
"Forgive me."
He put the bidoof on the ground. Kneeling, his left hand gripped the torso and his right caught the poor Pokemon's head. Joshua gathered all his mental and physical strength to do what he thought he would never have to do.
With a swift twist, he broke the bidoof's neck. The sound of the cervical spine breaking would have made him vomit if he had anything in his stomach in the first place. �One last breath, and the bidoof's soul left the mortal shell. �
This was the most merciful way he could release him from that vale of tears the world was now.
Joshua was afraid to turn his gaze to Kyle, afraid of what his friend was thinking about him now. But some time, he would have to do it, so let it be now. �
The Cyndaquil looked back at him. To Joshua's surprise his eyes showed no fear, no disgust. �
Only one thing showed: complete understanding.
"Sorry, but I had to do this." These words were spoken both to Kyle and the dead Bidoof. "I'll come here later, and I will bury you. Now, I have to help the others."
And bound by that promise he ran to the city.
Along the way, he pondered why exactly he had done this. There were more dying pokemon in the woods that were suffering. One more wouldn't change the situation. But then he reminded himself of something he heard a long time ago, that a human is counted by every small deed he has done in his life. This was certainly worth it.
One minute of sprinting later, as Joshua was gasping from exhaustion and because of the deoxygenized air, he spoke to himself. ��
"Okay, I'm almost there, just near, just a few more meters!"��
But then he saw the sight he had feared the most.
He saw nothing. Not even a single home standing. Nothing but big piles of debris, each completely unrecognizable from each other.
***************************
It took about twenty minutes to navigate through the remains of what would have been called a "road" a few hours ago. And he found the place where his home was. There was nothing. Not even a single stone stood there, gone with the blast wave. �
This was too much. Since he entered Jubilife, he saw not even a single living person. Not even a single dead body. The place was completely devoid of anything that could have ever lived. �And now, his family was gone. He had no place to call his own. ��This was too much for him to handle. He fell on his knees and broke down. Tears flowing freely, voicing quiet cries, mind blank. �This mental breakdown only lasted a few moments, as Kyle tried to get his attention by squeaking loudly.
"QUUIIIIIIIIII!"�
Through his sobs, Joshua asked, "What are you trying to say?"� He then turned his eyes in the direction cyndaquil was looking. ��Everything looked the same, smoke, soot, dust, and fire everywhere. But something was moving in the distance. A lone, humanoid figure.
Standing up so quickly that floaters and blurs appeared in his vision from the sudden change of position, he began to walk slowly in that direction. Seeing that somebody had survived the end of the world, he stopped sobbing, remembering about his resolve to help anybody that was still alive. After a few meters he saw that it was a definitely a human. He couldn't have made that assumption before, as the smoke was everywhere, obscuring the sight. � After a few more meters he saw it was a middle aged blonde male in an expensive graphite-coloured suit. A few more meters, and the man saw him.
And laughed. His voice was hoarse, the sound he made was like that of a madmen scheming and plotting for the world dominance.
"You okay, sir?" asked Joshua in curious and cautious tone. ��There was no verbal response. Only that demonic laughter. �And then, out of a sudden, that person lunged at him.
This unexpected attack cached Joshua off-guard. �The man was crazy, a madness visible in his eyes, in his facial expression, in every movement of his body. His sanity was gone completely, and all that was left was a strong body with no mind. �Strong enough to quickly knock him down on the ground, pin him and strangle with his hands. Joshua began to suffocate as he heard Kyle squeaking angrily. Knowing that the longer the struggle lasted, the less energy he would have, Joshua used all his strength to kick the man off. �It was successful. A sudden kick in the crotch, and then in the chest, and he could breathe again, and he also he was free to move. He again heard his pet's screams. This time they were definitely aggressive.
Guessing what the cyndaquil was up to, he jumped to standing position and got some distance from the attacker. �He felt a rush of hotness as Kyle breathed fire at the madmen's head. Soon after he turned his head to see what was remaining: legs, torso, hands and a totally charred, black head that looked like a lump of coal.
The smell of burnt flesh was so strong that the world began to spin before his very own eyes. Trying to maintain his posture, he began searching the remains for anything that would identify the man. He found no wallet, no ID, no "Hello, I'm INSERT NAME HERE" label. �But he got his hands on something that would prove useful in the foreseeable future.
A gun.
Joshua knew nothing about guns, so he couldn't identify the model, the ammo it used, or how to unlock it and shoot. Not even how to remove the magazine to check whether it had any ammo left. The only thing he got right was the name of manufacturer, Glock. After all, it was etched on the both sides of the pistol's lock. The rest of writings were only numbers that said nothing to him.
"You know what Kyle? I'm glad he was out of his mind. Or else I would be REALLY dead."��He felt no regret that his pokemon had killed the assailant. He came here to look for sane survivors, not the insane kind. And also, that person tried to kill him. It was nothing but self-defense. And now, he felt only some regret playing 'grave robber'. He checked his suit for anything that he could take, but only thing that was of any use except the gun was its holster. Armed, but not dangerous, he left the body lying on the ground, as he looked at his recent acquisition.
"I'll have to learn how to operate that device. As soon as possible." Kyle nodded in agreement. No matter what, his fire wouldn't stand a chance against everybody every time there was a need for sudden defense. �This one was simple. Too simple. The next encounter wouldn't necessarily go in his favor.
"The simple life has ended. Gotta train," Kyle thought to himself.
***************************
There was a PokeMart near his now non-existent home. Although the building had partially collapsed, it was still accessible and safe enough to consider getting inside. Luckily, it wasn't on fire or else it would mean that he would have no reason to enter.
Upon entering, it was visible that this place hadn't been looted. Many medicaments were still there. �While packing as many Potions, Burn Heals and Full Restores as possible to the canvas bag that was lying at the counter, Joshua had a flashback of the people flooding the market. How stupid. These things he was taking now were really far more valuable than some washing powder or newspapers. Such a treasury, that PokeMart. For sure, he would return there for supplies when in need.
Another thing that got his attention was the broken fire hydrant outside. A small trickle was spurting from it. �He thought about radiation. It was there everywhere, but then, the underground water probably still wasn't irradiated enough to cause any long-term effects. Heck, standing there was far more dangerous than drinking it! He got some bottles in the shop, emptied them, rinsed and filled with the most precious resource available, the life-giving H2O...
***************************
Although being in haste, as he wanted to help as many possible survivors as possible while spending as little time as possible there to avoid being irradiated, Joshua made sure to check any place that didn't look like a complete train wreck. �However, it was to no avail. He didn't find anybody alive; only a few dead bodies of man and Pokemon. �Trying to maintain his sanity in the wake of destruction, he reminded himself that at least all of them died quickly, only feeling pain for a brief second. But after combing the area he came to conclusion that his efforts were in vain. Maybe there were people buried under the rubble. But there was nothing he could do for them. Without excavators, bulldozers and other heavy-duty machinery he could do nothing. That feeling of helplessness was the worst mental burden he had ever experienced.
While searching for anybody alive, he also scoured the place for anything he could find useful. There wasn't much, however. Just some jewelry taken off the dead or found in the drawers if he needed to barter with somebody in the future, some basic medicaments for people and pokemon, canned foods, bottled beverages, a small traveler's gas stove and a nice, capacious backpack. He felt a little guilty to be robbing the dead, but then, somebody needed to stay alive. They needed these things more. He couldn't play saint these harsh times. Help others; sure, but also gather everything he could use at all costs.
He was about to retreat, not daring to come closer to the center of the city. There was no possibility anybody could be alive there, and also the radiation could kill or sterilize him. But then, he saw something in the distance. Something moving. �Knowing that he couldn't trust anybody now, not after that madman accident, he grabbed his gun and aimed. And waited. He didn't know how to shoot, but he counted that the looks were enough. After a minute, the figures came close enough for Joshua to begin recognizing what was going on. There were three people coming closer to him.
When he was sure that they could hear him he shouted at the top of his lungs. ��"STOP, NOW!"��His pet added something to strengthen the effect. ��"QUIIII!"��The figures stopped in their tracks. �Still aiming his Glock, he slowly walked closer and closer to them. ��Soon after, he recognized that this time it was quite stupid. ��Two men, one woman and a zigzagoon. All of them appeared mostly harmless. One man also appeared injured, as he was being hold in upward position by the other two. ��They were saying something to him. He heard one sentence. �"Please, don't kill us! We'll give you anything you want."��This was enough for him to realize the mistake.
Holstering the gun, he walked slowly, trying not to provoke them. To further assure them he wasn't up to something evil, Joshua said loudly, �"Sorry, forgive me, I didn't... I didn't... Aw, fuck it." �Now, standing near them, he asked, "You all okay?"
One man then spoke. ��"I'm okay, my wife too, My Ziggy also, but this guy has his left arm burned as you can see, but not heavily. I guess. I'm not a doctor."
"That's okay, I have some burn heals." He inspected the injured skin tissue. Second degree. Painful, but not dangerous to his life. Then, he got out his backpack two bottles of spray, as one wasn't enough for this job.
The woman was quick to notice it wasn't a concoction for humans. �"Hey, what are you doing, that's pokemon medicine!"
"Trust me, I'm a doctor. Or rather, I would be a doctor weren't it for this goddamn war." And then, he spoke to the patient itself. �"Set your teeth, it's going to be painful. Very painful." �Not waiting for any response, he sprayed the burned skin. ��The sudden yell of pain shocked him somewhat, but he was prepared. The sprayed liquid covered the injury, hissing as the chemicals reacted, forming white foam. Soon after his arm was covered in sickly-yellow foam, as the exudate mixed with the medicament.
Then, the man spoke in weak, tired voice - �"T-that hurt."
"I know. This was supposed to hurt like hell."
"B-but, t-thanks."
"You will feel that pain tomorrow again," Joshua said as he gave the woman another two sprays, asking her to apply only one spray per 24 hours.
The healthy-looking man now asked something that was on his mind: �"Hey, these burn heals are supposed to be painless, so why he was in pain while applying this shit, and why is he still in pain?"
Joshua then remembered what he had read while reading some medical papers. �"You see, the anesthesia used for some pokemon don't work for humans or all other pokemon. The painkillers in these sprays are only for some pokemon, even. See? There's additional text at the back. 'TYPE A-M'. That means this spray is only for some pokemon, in this case it means for the so called 'normal body type' ones, and for some others it won't work. The base of the medicine is strong antiseptics and Aloe Vera. And that, of course, works for everybody, even humans, but the additional things, like painkillers won't do shit.
"But enough talk. How the fuck did you survive?"
"To tell the truth, I and my husband were in the basement when it happened. And this guy is our neighbor. We were able to pull him out the rubble. His family, however... And you?"
"I was near the Oreburgh gate."
"Explains why your clothing is still in one piece." Joshua hadn't noticed it until now, but the group's clothes were very dirty and tattered. Unlike his garments, although dirty, they weren't torn in any way.
Then another question. This one was the 'not easy to answer' one.
"How did you get the gun? I thought minors weren't allowed to have those?"
"I, I just... Found it. Yes, found it." That wasn't convincing. Trying to drop the topic, Joshua asked them something he should have asked them in the first place. ��"Okay, have you seen anybody else here?"
"Yes, but only a few. All of them were trying to get the hell outta here. As we are doing also. But hey, why did you come here?"
"To see whether there was still anybody alive."
"Trust me, if somebody's not on their feet now, they'll die. We tried to find anybody alive, but this is pointless. The only thing left is to get as far away as possible and find something that wasn't destroyed. Oh, and I haven't caught your name. I'm Peter, my wife's name is Suzann. My neighbor's name is William, and this is Ziggy."
"Ziggy zig!" Zigzagoon hopped happily when he heard his name.
"Nice to know that something is still looking normal here. I'm Joshua and this is Kyle," he pointed at the small fur ball that was now on his shoulder.
"So, where are you going?"
"Dunno. But I think I'll go to Oreburgh. I'll see if there is still anybody there to help them."
"You can forget about that. Mountainous area, focused the blast, etc... Nothing should stand there now."
"The mines. Maybe there is still somebody in the mines!"
"Heh, as you wish. It's stupid and stubborn, boyo, but I'll wish you luck. We are going to Sandgem anyway."
"So, okay, see ya. Oh, one more thing!"�
"What is it?"
"The radio. Any of you have any radio?"��The woman then spoke to him in response, not her husband, who was rather talkative recently. Their neighbor still said practically nothing useful.
"Why?"
"I'll try to broadcast some SOS signal. Maybe there is somebody out there?"
"But what would you need my radio for then? It's a receiver anyway."
"To find a working transmitter."
"Heh, that's insane. I have a small pocket radio with headphones, maybe it'll be of some use."
Joshua began to think how to talk so that he could get the radio and not lose any valuables as a barter. To his surprise, however, Suzann spoke something he couldn't ever imagine. ��"I've no use for this now. Catch!" And she threw it. A small AAA-batteries radio with cheap headphones. Enough for what he was up to now.
"Okay, it seems I'll be off to Oreburgh. Thanks for the radio."
"For what you've done this is enough, I think. Thank you, and goodbye," William spoke quietly. ��Then, both parties took different ways. One went south to Sandgem, and Joshua to the east. To Oreburgh, to find if he would be of any use there.
***************************
He found the body in the place he had left it. Luckily, nobody had tried to touch the carcass. �He dug up a small makeshift grave, put the bidoof in it and covered him with dry soil. �He put a small marker stone to indicate where the grave was.
"Well, Kyle..."
"Quiiii?"
"I've never had to speak any eulogy. So there's one for that poke. Not good, my imagination's off now."��And with that, he turned his head up, to look at the sky, almost completely clouded with smoke by now. And spoke as if there was a crowd, and it was happening in an auditorium.
�World Sucks"