Story Notes:
My proof-reader should be probably promoted to co-author for this story, since I grilled him for a lot of pointers on writing in the first-person point of view... or would it be called Bird's-Eye View in a story like this? (Bad joke, I know.)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.
Chapter 1
---
The Beedrill tore through the air at the wild Pikachu, laughing like a maniac as the yellow rodent dove out of the way. That was Thrust, a long-time companion of mine. Well, not so much a companion as someone I put up with... and not so much long-time as the longest freaking month of my life. When he first joined up, he was a reckless little Weedle. Now he was, in his words, "The Tri-Stinging Bringer of Doom." I just called him a lunatic. The guy was far too violent. Unfortunately, our trainer mistook his borderline insanity as determination to be strong instead of what it was, a simple desire to inflict pain on everything in sight.
"You can do it, Rusty! Use fury swipes!" Chris called out from where he was standing below me.
Christopher was our trainer. I've known him for about a year, ever since he caught me. I had what some might call the honor of being his first catch... and his first Pokemon. Which was an odd combo for most trainers, who were handed their first ones. At least according to Chris. How did he manage it? Luck.
Before I met him, I had a lot of luck. Mostly bad luck. The day I went from being a free to the sky Spearow to a kid's first catch wasn't a pleasant one. Although I hadn't been part of a flock since I favored the single life, other Spearows that were felt the need to invite me into theirs or rough me up when I told them to get lost, or occasionally just because they were bored and knew I didn't have help. That day was a roughing-up-for-the-hell-of-it day.
Three of them came at me and I barely managed to get away. Once I did I was in bad shape and made my way to the nearest place I knew to find Oran Berries. A tough feat when you're covered beak to talon in scratches. I perched on a low branch and went for a berry, only to have it fall. That in itself wouldn't have been so bad, since I already felt like falling myself, getting to the ground wouldn't have been too difficult. However, the berry in question landed on the head of a Jolteon, who didn't take kindly to the accident.
Next thing I knew, I was awkwardly dodging thunderbolts and flying like mad in the direction furthest away from the crazy eon that was shouting something about being sick of berry bombardments. I broke through the edge of the trees and found myself soaring right into where the nearby human flock was set up... or Pewter City, as Chris later called it.
Not thinking much of it, I dove to the nearest house and dropped onto a short, wooden wall to rest since I wasn't being pursued by anything for the moment. Sadly, I had been more focused on what was behind me than what was around where I landed. I heard an energetic cry of "Intruder!" and didn't even have time to look before flames washed over me.
Screeching in both pain and shock, I took to the air in a vain attempt to put out the fire that was trying to roast me alive. I failed to look where I was going and slammed head-first into the invisible barrier that was Christopher's back door, which while putting the fire out, also put me out with it.
When I woke up I was in a place I'm now very familiar with, a Pokemon Center. A kid with short brown hair and worried expression was standing over me. Apparently he had caught me while I was twitching on the ground and rushed me to the center since his parents were both out. The nurse felt the need to mention I had almost died to him while in the room, which did not go over well for either of us. Granted, she was just trying to explain to him that rushing me straight in was the right thing to do... or something like that. I was a little too freaked out by the information at the time to pay attention.
After the pair of us calmed down, Chris began going on about what to call me. I tried to tell him I already had a name, but he couldn't understand me. Instead I had to settle for squawking my disapproval of stupid ones like Spear and Lance. He was still on the topic when his parents showed up. His Father, being a strange one, said something along the lines of "Catching a Pokemon heralds a new time in your life, son!"
At that, Chris got the idea to name me Herald. It didn't sound that bad, so I kept my beak shut. Sadly, spelling never was Christopher's strong point, and when he registered the name he spelled it wrong. It was close enough, but the difference killed most of the meaning.
Once the nurse said I was back in "perfect health" I started my life with Chris. It wasn't that bad, to be honest. Not as bad as I thought being stuck with a trainer would be, at least. The company leaves something to be desired though. Like I said before, Rusty's a few berries short of a basket and I never did forgive Risp, the family Growlithe, for toasting me.
"No, Rusty!" Chris cried as Thrust was went spinning into a tree after taking the blunt of a well-placed thundershock. He landed on the ground and Chris looked up at me. "Harold! Your turn!"
I looked from the Pikachu to him, wondering if he was nuts. "You can't be serious. I go after Ratattas, not mice packing ten thousand volts in their ass."
"Come on, you can do it!" Chris urged, not understanding a word.
"I really wish you'd study type differences more seriously." I sighed, flying off my perch and diving at the Pikachu.
---
The next thing I knew I was regaining consciousness in the Pokemon Center. Again. A home away from home, that place. Thrust was laying next to me, and I could hear Chris in the next room talking to his Father.
"Come on Dad, let me borrow Risp! I'm never gonna catch a Pikachu with just Harold and Rusty." The young trainer pleaded.
"Sorry, but you've got to learn strategy, kiddo. A good trainer can overcome most challenges with his partners, as long as they trust each other and work well together." His Father advised.
"Not this again..." Chris groaned as his Dad started the what-it-takes-to-be-a-great-trainer lecture.
"If I ever find that Pikachu again, I'm going to tear it limb from freaking limb." An angry voice said.
I resisted the urge to sigh. So much for a few moments of peace. "Swearing revenge yet again, Thrust?"
"Damn right. I'm tired of being bested by damned rodents!" He buzzed. "You know what? Screw that Pikachu, I'm swearing vengeance on the whole species. Next one I see is getting my stinger down its fucking throat."
"Don't you think genocide is a little extreme?" I asked.
The question went unnoticed since he was now standing and stabbing at the air while shouting "Death to the Pikachu!" like the psychopath he was. I don't know why I bother trying to talk sense into him half the time.
Shortly after his little outburst, we left the center for the house. Christopher's Father continued his lecture through the whole trip... and then some. Once we were back home, he dragged Chris over to the TV and flipped on the channel that had trainer matches on twenty-four hours a day, pointing out little details about how to do things. Although from the look on the kid's face, he'd tuned out his old man a long time ago. Not that it discouraged the guy in the least.
I decided to just ignore them, flying over to the windowsill and staring outside. Risp was laying in the yard on his back, sound asleep. I was tempted to find something to drop on his head, but I didn't have a chance to look for a decent-sized rock before Thrust complained nearby and got my attention.
"Come on you idiot, that's not the way to do it!"
I glanced at the Beedrill sitting on the table by the window. He was watching the battle on TV, I think. It's hard to tell where exactly he's looking most of the time. "Are you going to try and offer advice on strategy, now? That'd be a laugh, considering your main approach is going in and stabbing until the opponent stops moving."
"It works. Well, most of the time. I mean on this, though! Look!" He waved a pointed arm at the television and I looked at the screen. A trainer with a Charizard was taking on one with a Wartortle and losing, badly. "Isn't the solution obvious?"
"Yeah, the fire-type should be swapped out." I said, before turning back to the window.
"No, no, no... the key in any trainer battle is just that, the trainer!" Thrust snapped. "Take that bastard out and the fight ends, yet I've never seen one of these idiots do it! How can they be so stupid?!"
"Please tell me you're joking... you can't attack a trainer in a battle!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's..." I thought for a moment, trying to figure it out. As much as I hate to admit it, the lunatic had a point. Going for the trainer straight up would end a fight pretty fast. Still, it didn't seem very fair. "...it's just against the rules, alright?"
"Who cares about rules? This is about winning." Thrust said, landing next to me. "You can't tell me you've never wanted to win a fight enough to throw your so-called morals away."
I glared at him, but couldn't help thinking of those three other Spearows that gave me hell regularly before Chris caught me. Taking them down mercilessly sounded enjoyable. More than I'd have liked. "Forget it. No attacking trainers." I said firmly. "Got it?"
"You're no fun at all." He sighed, thankfully buzzing off to watch the rest of the battle.
---
Doing my best to avoid both him and Risp for the rest of the evening resulted in a very peaceful night. I only wish I would have known what was coming the next day, I would have taken the time to find somewhere to sleep that was more hidden.
"Harold!" Chris yelled, startling me awake so badly I almost fell out of the small bed he had bought for me a long time ago. It was a good thing I didn't fall, since the bed in question was sitting on top of a very tall bookcase, though I did jump up far enough to bonk my head on the ceiling.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" Thrust chuckled, landing on the edge of the bookcase.
"Come on, get up and eat something! We've got a big day of searching ahead of us!" Chris said, before running out of the room.
I groaned, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep after hearing that. "We're getting blasted by another Pikachu today, I take it?"
"Sadly, no. I'm not getting a chance for revenge today." Thrust grumbled. "Chris wants to chase a rumor instead."
"What sort of rumor?"
"Something about a rare Pokemon in the forest. Sounds like a waste of time, to me."
I stretched my wings, yawning. "One Pokemon in a forest that size will be impossible to find. Not to mention all the other trainers that'll be after it."
"So you agree continuing to hunt down those furry yellow bastards is a better idea?"
"If that's the only other option, I'll go with the rare one. At least there's a chance it won't electrocute me." I said, flying off before Thrust decided to share his plan to wipe out every Pikachu in existence.
---
Breakfast was rushed, since Christopher was excited about heading into the forest. Luckily I had just enough time to finish eating while he tried to convince his Dad to let him borrow Risp again. Thankfully the answer was no, I didn't need two reckless idiots out there with me. After all, Risp is so quick on the ember attacks he'd probably burn down half the forest.
Five hours of wandering through the forest later, I thought Chris might have decided to give up. I should have known better, I've never known anyone as stubborn as him, human or pokemon. He started digging through the backpack of supplies he had brought while telling me and Thrust to look around the area before lunch.
I promptly flew off, glad to be away from the crazy Beedrill that had been singing to himself about stabbing Pikachus for the past couple of hours. Now that I thought about it, I might have been wrong about Chris being the most stubborn being I've met. Thrust really had a one-track mind.
Stopping on a branch and trying to spot whatever it was we were after, Chris never did mention anything specific, I heard a flurry of wings come up behind me. A pair of Spearows landed on each side of me and somehow, even after all this time, I knew what was coming.
"Well, well... look who's back." The one to my right said. "I thought we'd finished you off last time, but here you are with a trainer. Sad."
"I'd rather be stuck with him than you stooges." I replied, glaring at him. "Which reminds me, where's peon number three?"
The Spearow to my left chuckled. "Oh, he's making a point."
I did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
"That trainers shouldn't be in this forest without some kind of protection."
Barely a second after he said it, Christopher screamed. I cursed and started to take flight, but the other two had known it was coming and reacted faster. They slammed into my sides and I almost landed head-first on the ground. I flew back up, but they had made sure to get between me and the path back to Chris.
They'd done this before when I lived in the forest, so I had an idea of what to expect. No matter which was around I'd try to go, they'd block me. With enough encounters, even idiots like these knew most of my tricks. Which meant I had to try something different. They were fighting dirty anyway, so I decided to borrow a tactic from the resident maniac.
Soaring forward as if I was going to fly between them, the duo moved in to block me. I veered to the right at the last second, directly at stooge number one. He wasn't expecting it and I was able to rake my talons along his wing twice. The Spearow let out a sharp cry and plummeted to the ground.
The other didn't take the action very well, slamming into my back and screeching before I could turn to go after him. This time I did hit something. A tree. I tumbled down to the roots and looked up in time to see stooge number two attempt to gouge my eyes out with his beak. He might have succeeded, if not for the sudden flash of yellow and red that slammed him into the tree trunk just above me.
A familiar, psychotic laugh came from the Beedrill that was now pinning the Spearow to the tree. His stingers were jammed through each of the bird's wings as well as his back. The blood running down the tree and lack of a struggle made me certain Thrust had just killed him. "You know, I've honestly never liked Spearows either. They always attacked me when I was a Weedle." He said, yanking his stingers out of the corpse. I hurried out of the way before it landed on me.
"Is Chris okay?" I asked, taking to the air and heading back to where we had split up.
Thrust followed after me. "Not even a thank you?"
"Gratitude can wait, what happened to Chris?"
"Some Spearow attacked him, so I impaled the bastard. Much like the one that was going after you." He said as our trainer came into view.
Christopher was sitting by a tree, awkwardly wrapping a bandage around his left arm. I noticed the end of three slashes down his arm as he covered them and I couldn't help feeling guilty about it. Those jerks had probably only attacked because I was with him, and if Thrust hadn't been around who knows how badly Chris could have been hurt.
The young trainer looked up and smiled, in spite of his injury. "Harold, you're okay! When Rusty bolted after we heard that screech, I thought you might have been hurt too."
"I don't know how you two made it without me." Thrust said, landing at Christopher's side.
I joined him. "Even a psychopath like you can be helpful, I suppose." I muttered, trying not to think about what could have happened. "You okay, Chris?"
"Don't worry about me, it's only a scratch." He replied, making sure the bandage was secure. "I guess it was a good thing Mom made me learn first aid after all."
"Holy crap, he understood you." Thrust said.
"No, that just happens sometimes." I pointed out as Chris reached into his backpack and pulled out a potion.
"Alright guys, where are you hurt?" He asked.
---
After our trainer finished healing us, mostly me, and having lunch we set out again. I tried telling him it was better to just go home since he got hurt, but since he couldn't understand a thing I said he just thought I was getting tired or something. A one-way language barrier can be really annoying.
We went the rest of the day without being attacked by anything that was a real threat, but we didn't find the rare Pokemon either. It was starting to get dark when Chris suggested we leave and try again tomorrow, that's when it happened. One improbable event that would make sleeping somewhere comfortable that night an impossibility. The rare Pokemon emerged from the bushes in front of us.
It was a Charmander. Why there was one in Viridian Forest of all places I'll never know, but Chris didn't seem to think about it. He just yelled "There it is!" and the thing tore in the other direction as fast as its little legs could take it.
We chased after it until the sun had set. Luckily Chris had brought along a flashlight and the Charmander's tail-flame made it so we could still follow after it, but I didn't want to get too far ahead and lose sight of Chris. Neither did Thrust, by the look of it. He kept speeding up and slowing down, as if arguing with himself about if he wanted to attack the Charmander or protect Chris more. Maybe his mind wasn't as one-tracked as I had thought.
Chris called Thrust back and told me to go ahead so I could slow the Charmander down. It may have had shorter legs, but it was able to get through shrubs a lot faster than Chris could. Not to mention I could see better in the dark than either of them. I sped off, caught a glimpse of a flickering light from up ahead, but suddenly lost track of it. I wasn't sure if it was the Charmander or not, but the way it seemed to just go out made me think it was someone else with a flashlight.
Landing a few feet away from where the light vanished, I found myself in a small clearing, facing a tent. The light I saw must have been from the camper inside. I flew up into the air and scanned the trees for any kind of light or movement. The only thing I saw was the shaking beam of Christopher's flashlight come into the clearing below. I noticed someone poke their head out of the tent and talk with Chris for a moment before my trainer ran off again. I dove down, rejoining him and Thrust.
After a few more minutes, Chris sighed, sitting down by a tree and opening his backpack. "We lost it... I can't believe we lost it."
"No kidding. Tracking something with a glowing rear in the dark should be easy." Thrust commented.
"Did you ever even wonder why a Charmander was in a forest in the first place?" I asked, dropping onto a branch above where they were sitting.
"Nope."
"I wonder if that was one of Professor Oak's Charmanders... I think he raises them for new trainers." Chris mumbled to himself, pulling a blanket out of his pack. "Maybe it's one that ran away."
"And now we know who's smarter down there." I said, keeping an eye out for any lights.
Thrust waited for Chris to get comfortable before dropping onto part of the cloth and laying down. "Forget being smart, as long as I can stab something I'm happy."
"Sorry guys, but we're gonna have to spend the night out here. I told Mom and Dad I might, so they shouldn't be too worried." Chris said as he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. "Good night."
"You gonna sleep up there, Harold?" Thrust asked.
"No, I'm going to make sure nothing else comes after Chris while he's sleeping." I answered. The incident was still too fresh in my mind. Even if I was tired, getting to sleep with the thought of what-ifs drifting through my mind would probably just end with nightmares.
"In that case, wake me up later and we'll trade places. I don't want you half-asleep if something bad happens tomorrow. Sure, it'd mean more fun for me, but it'd be boring if nothing did happen and you were snoozing."
I glanced down at him. "I thought you didn't like Spearows."
"Don't like humans much either. You and Chris are the exceptions." He explained. "Be glad that's the case or I'd have skewered both of you by now."
I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Something told me not... which made me worry even more, my mind offering unpleasant images of what would happen if Thrust snapped and decided to attack Chris. Something told me I wasn't going to get much sleep at that point.
---
"Wake up, Harold. Breakfast." I heard someone faintly say, feeling something push on my wing. Opening one eye, I saw Thrust nudging me with the side of one of his arm-stingers. "I think you blew guard duty, too. You were out cold when I woke up."
"Damn." I yawned, looking down at where Chris was setting out food. I was about to fly down when I saw something move in the distance. Blinking a couple times, I realized it was the Charmander. "Double damn. It's back."
"I'll tell Chris, you go after it." Thrust suggested. "I'm faster, so I'll catch up in no time."
"What a way to start the day." I complained, taking flight and heading in the Charmander's direction while trying to stay out of sight.
It wasn't in a hurry and seemed to just be wandering aimlessly. I got behind it and prepared to glide in silently and attack... that's when Thrust tore though the foliage at it.
"Don't kill it, you psycho!" I squawked quickly.
Thrust shifted his aim and the Charmander dove to the side. Dirt flew into the air as the Beedrill's stingers ripped through the ground where it had been standing. The Charmander started to flee, but a pokeball bounced off its head and it vanished in a flash of red light. The ball landed on the ground, twiched and popped open again before it could seal. The char ran off again after it reappeared, and Thrust flew after it.
Chris ran to get his pokeball and I followed beside him. "I guess it doesn't belong to anyone after all. Weird." He muttered to himself.
We chased after the thing for an hour or more, this time not losing track of it for more than a couple minutes at a time. Neither Thrust or I could get close enough to land a hit though, since it kept jumping through bushes to slow us down. I stupidly tried to dive through the shrub it did at one point, only to snag my foot and come rolling out the other side.
Thrust stayed right on its tail and even Chris ran by without noticing me on the ground. Shaking my head and trying to regain my balance, I hurried after them. When I finally caught up, it was at a break in the trees. A large building was in the middle with a dirt road that disappeared back into the trees on the other side.
Chris was sprinting down the road and yelling. "Rusty, stop! Come back here!"
The Beedrill was chasing after someone on a motorcycle and I thought I could see the Charmander's head in the sidecar. I was positive it was after a burst of fire flew up and engulfed Thrust, knocking him out of the sky. Chris sped toward him, but I couldn't help wondering if the psycho was actually planning to attack the human if he'd gotten close enough.
---
The building, which turned out to be a stop for campers heading into the forest from Viridian City, had a Pokemon Center that Thrust was treated at. Chris called his parents from one of the public phones to let them know where he was, and his Mother arrived an hour later to take us home. The drive back was relaxing compared to the trip on foot, even with his Mom's initial panic after seeing what happened to his arm.
Once we were back home, Chris was dragged off to the local clinic to have his arm looked at. Which left me alone in the house with Thrust and Risp since Christopher's Dad was still at work. I went to my favorite spot to rest, on the windowsill, and stared off into the distance, thinking. I didn't get much time to focus though, since Thrust landed next to me a moment later.
"You know..." He began. "...being set on fire is a lot like being eletrocuted. Only more external."
"I could have told you that." I said, glaring at Risp as he sniffed around the back fence, not even noticing us. Considering it for a moment, I decided to just ask. "Were you going to attack that human you were chasing?"
"You're the one that told me I couldn't attack trainers." He stated.
"That doesn't mean you'd actually listen to me." I said, looking at him. Not that it helped, reading expressions was next to impossible when dealing with a face like his. "What were you planning to do when you caught up to him?"
"Tell him to pull over... and when that didn't work, jam a stinger in his back tire."
"He probably would have gone out of control and crashed if you did that." I pointed out.
Thrust gave what I thought was a shrug. Again, it's hard to tell with him. "You said I couldn't attack trainers, you didn't say anything about their vehicles."
"Right." I mumbled, making a mental note to be very specific the next time I explain anything to him. "So who was it that drove off with the Charmander?"
"Some human. He called the Charmander by name, so he must have known it." Thrust said, tapping his stinger on the edge of the window. "It was a free one though, wasn't it? Why would it be with a human?"
"Good question." I muttered, pondering it for a minute but not coming up with any ideas. "I doubt we're going to find out anytime soon, though. If ever."
Thrust chuckled. "Oh well, back to everyday combat against the evil yellow bastards."
"After the attack in the forest, you think Chris will want to go back there?" I wondered.
"Those Spearows are dead, so what is there to worry about?"
"It might have been traumatic for Chris, being attacked out of the blue like that. Especially since... well..." I trailed off, turning my gaze to the ground.
Thrust seemed to understand what I was getting at. "See what thinking does? It makes you worry about nothing. Just because you're the same type of Pokemon that attacked Chris doesn't mean he'll be scared of you now." He assured me. "How long have you known him? A year? If he does get scared of you, he's an idiot."
He was probably right, and I felt a little better from hearing it. Thrust may have been a little on the crazy side, but maybe he was nicer than I thought. I'd rather have him as a friend than an enemy, at least. I've seen what happens to his enemies. It's not pretty. "Thanks, Rusty."
"Anytime. I'm always here for a pep-talk... or a slaughter."
"Of course."
A while later, Chris and his Mom came home. The scratches weren't deep enough to do any lasting damage and he could still move his arm with only a little pain. Plus since his left arm was the one that hurt, he'd still be able to throw pokeballs. Which meant we were headed right back into the Viridian Forest tomorrow to go on another Pikachu hunt. It's nice to have a routine, I admit... I just wish it didn't include daily electrocutions and trips to the Pokemon Center.
The Beedrill tore through the air at the wild Pikachu, laughing like a maniac as the yellow rodent dove out of the way. That was Thrust, a long-time companion of mine. Well, not so much a companion as someone I put up with... and not so much long-time as the longest freaking month of my life. When he first joined up, he was a reckless little Weedle. Now he was, in his words, "The Tri-Stinging Bringer of Doom." I just called him a lunatic. The guy was far too violent. Unfortunately, our trainer mistook his borderline insanity as determination to be strong instead of what it was, a simple desire to inflict pain on everything in sight.
"You can do it, Rusty! Use fury swipes!" Chris called out from where he was standing below me.
Christopher was our trainer. I've known him for about a year, ever since he caught me. I had what some might call the honor of being his first catch... and his first Pokemon. Which was an odd combo for most trainers, who were handed their first ones. At least according to Chris. How did he manage it? Luck.
Before I met him, I had a lot of luck. Mostly bad luck. The day I went from being a free to the sky Spearow to a kid's first catch wasn't a pleasant one. Although I hadn't been part of a flock since I favored the single life, other Spearows that were felt the need to invite me into theirs or rough me up when I told them to get lost, or occasionally just because they were bored and knew I didn't have help. That day was a roughing-up-for-the-hell-of-it day.
Three of them came at me and I barely managed to get away. Once I did I was in bad shape and made my way to the nearest place I knew to find Oran Berries. A tough feat when you're covered beak to talon in scratches. I perched on a low branch and went for a berry, only to have it fall. That in itself wouldn't have been so bad, since I already felt like falling myself, getting to the ground wouldn't have been too difficult. However, the berry in question landed on the head of a Jolteon, who didn't take kindly to the accident.
Next thing I knew, I was awkwardly dodging thunderbolts and flying like mad in the direction furthest away from the crazy eon that was shouting something about being sick of berry bombardments. I broke through the edge of the trees and found myself soaring right into where the nearby human flock was set up... or Pewter City, as Chris later called it.
Not thinking much of it, I dove to the nearest house and dropped onto a short, wooden wall to rest since I wasn't being pursued by anything for the moment. Sadly, I had been more focused on what was behind me than what was around where I landed. I heard an energetic cry of "Intruder!" and didn't even have time to look before flames washed over me.
Screeching in both pain and shock, I took to the air in a vain attempt to put out the fire that was trying to roast me alive. I failed to look where I was going and slammed head-first into the invisible barrier that was Christopher's back door, which while putting the fire out, also put me out with it.
When I woke up I was in a place I'm now very familiar with, a Pokemon Center. A kid with short brown hair and worried expression was standing over me. Apparently he had caught me while I was twitching on the ground and rushed me to the center since his parents were both out. The nurse felt the need to mention I had almost died to him while in the room, which did not go over well for either of us. Granted, she was just trying to explain to him that rushing me straight in was the right thing to do... or something like that. I was a little too freaked out by the information at the time to pay attention.
After the pair of us calmed down, Chris began going on about what to call me. I tried to tell him I already had a name, but he couldn't understand me. Instead I had to settle for squawking my disapproval of stupid ones like Spear and Lance. He was still on the topic when his parents showed up. His Father, being a strange one, said something along the lines of "Catching a Pokemon heralds a new time in your life, son!"
At that, Chris got the idea to name me Herald. It didn't sound that bad, so I kept my beak shut. Sadly, spelling never was Christopher's strong point, and when he registered the name he spelled it wrong. It was close enough, but the difference killed most of the meaning.
Once the nurse said I was back in "perfect health" I started my life with Chris. It wasn't that bad, to be honest. Not as bad as I thought being stuck with a trainer would be, at least. The company leaves something to be desired though. Like I said before, Rusty's a few berries short of a basket and I never did forgive Risp, the family Growlithe, for toasting me.
"No, Rusty!" Chris cried as Thrust was went spinning into a tree after taking the blunt of a well-placed thundershock. He landed on the ground and Chris looked up at me. "Harold! Your turn!"
I looked from the Pikachu to him, wondering if he was nuts. "You can't be serious. I go after Ratattas, not mice packing ten thousand volts in their ass."
"Come on, you can do it!" Chris urged, not understanding a word.
"I really wish you'd study type differences more seriously." I sighed, flying off my perch and diving at the Pikachu.
---
The next thing I knew I was regaining consciousness in the Pokemon Center. Again. A home away from home, that place. Thrust was laying next to me, and I could hear Chris in the next room talking to his Father.
"Come on Dad, let me borrow Risp! I'm never gonna catch a Pikachu with just Harold and Rusty." The young trainer pleaded.
"Sorry, but you've got to learn strategy, kiddo. A good trainer can overcome most challenges with his partners, as long as they trust each other and work well together." His Father advised.
"Not this again..." Chris groaned as his Dad started the what-it-takes-to-be-a-great-trainer lecture.
"If I ever find that Pikachu again, I'm going to tear it limb from freaking limb." An angry voice said.
I resisted the urge to sigh. So much for a few moments of peace. "Swearing revenge yet again, Thrust?"
"Damn right. I'm tired of being bested by damned rodents!" He buzzed. "You know what? Screw that Pikachu, I'm swearing vengeance on the whole species. Next one I see is getting my stinger down its fucking throat."
"Don't you think genocide is a little extreme?" I asked.
The question went unnoticed since he was now standing and stabbing at the air while shouting "Death to the Pikachu!" like the psychopath he was. I don't know why I bother trying to talk sense into him half the time.
Shortly after his little outburst, we left the center for the house. Christopher's Father continued his lecture through the whole trip... and then some. Once we were back home, he dragged Chris over to the TV and flipped on the channel that had trainer matches on twenty-four hours a day, pointing out little details about how to do things. Although from the look on the kid's face, he'd tuned out his old man a long time ago. Not that it discouraged the guy in the least.
I decided to just ignore them, flying over to the windowsill and staring outside. Risp was laying in the yard on his back, sound asleep. I was tempted to find something to drop on his head, but I didn't have a chance to look for a decent-sized rock before Thrust complained nearby and got my attention.
"Come on you idiot, that's not the way to do it!"
I glanced at the Beedrill sitting on the table by the window. He was watching the battle on TV, I think. It's hard to tell where exactly he's looking most of the time. "Are you going to try and offer advice on strategy, now? That'd be a laugh, considering your main approach is going in and stabbing until the opponent stops moving."
"It works. Well, most of the time. I mean on this, though! Look!" He waved a pointed arm at the television and I looked at the screen. A trainer with a Charizard was taking on one with a Wartortle and losing, badly. "Isn't the solution obvious?"
"Yeah, the fire-type should be swapped out." I said, before turning back to the window.
"No, no, no... the key in any trainer battle is just that, the trainer!" Thrust snapped. "Take that bastard out and the fight ends, yet I've never seen one of these idiots do it! How can they be so stupid?!"
"Please tell me you're joking... you can't attack a trainer in a battle!"
"Why not?"
"Because it's..." I thought for a moment, trying to figure it out. As much as I hate to admit it, the lunatic had a point. Going for the trainer straight up would end a fight pretty fast. Still, it didn't seem very fair. "...it's just against the rules, alright?"
"Who cares about rules? This is about winning." Thrust said, landing next to me. "You can't tell me you've never wanted to win a fight enough to throw your so-called morals away."
I glared at him, but couldn't help thinking of those three other Spearows that gave me hell regularly before Chris caught me. Taking them down mercilessly sounded enjoyable. More than I'd have liked. "Forget it. No attacking trainers." I said firmly. "Got it?"
"You're no fun at all." He sighed, thankfully buzzing off to watch the rest of the battle.
---
Doing my best to avoid both him and Risp for the rest of the evening resulted in a very peaceful night. I only wish I would have known what was coming the next day, I would have taken the time to find somewhere to sleep that was more hidden.
"Harold!" Chris yelled, startling me awake so badly I almost fell out of the small bed he had bought for me a long time ago. It was a good thing I didn't fall, since the bed in question was sitting on top of a very tall bookcase, though I did jump up far enough to bonk my head on the ceiling.
"Jumpy, aren't we?" Thrust chuckled, landing on the edge of the bookcase.
"Come on, get up and eat something! We've got a big day of searching ahead of us!" Chris said, before running out of the room.
I groaned, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep after hearing that. "We're getting blasted by another Pikachu today, I take it?"
"Sadly, no. I'm not getting a chance for revenge today." Thrust grumbled. "Chris wants to chase a rumor instead."
"What sort of rumor?"
"Something about a rare Pokemon in the forest. Sounds like a waste of time, to me."
I stretched my wings, yawning. "One Pokemon in a forest that size will be impossible to find. Not to mention all the other trainers that'll be after it."
"So you agree continuing to hunt down those furry yellow bastards is a better idea?"
"If that's the only other option, I'll go with the rare one. At least there's a chance it won't electrocute me." I said, flying off before Thrust decided to share his plan to wipe out every Pikachu in existence.
---
Breakfast was rushed, since Christopher was excited about heading into the forest. Luckily I had just enough time to finish eating while he tried to convince his Dad to let him borrow Risp again. Thankfully the answer was no, I didn't need two reckless idiots out there with me. After all, Risp is so quick on the ember attacks he'd probably burn down half the forest.
Five hours of wandering through the forest later, I thought Chris might have decided to give up. I should have known better, I've never known anyone as stubborn as him, human or pokemon. He started digging through the backpack of supplies he had brought while telling me and Thrust to look around the area before lunch.
I promptly flew off, glad to be away from the crazy Beedrill that had been singing to himself about stabbing Pikachus for the past couple of hours. Now that I thought about it, I might have been wrong about Chris being the most stubborn being I've met. Thrust really had a one-track mind.
Stopping on a branch and trying to spot whatever it was we were after, Chris never did mention anything specific, I heard a flurry of wings come up behind me. A pair of Spearows landed on each side of me and somehow, even after all this time, I knew what was coming.
"Well, well... look who's back." The one to my right said. "I thought we'd finished you off last time, but here you are with a trainer. Sad."
"I'd rather be stuck with him than you stooges." I replied, glaring at him. "Which reminds me, where's peon number three?"
The Spearow to my left chuckled. "Oh, he's making a point."
I did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
"That trainers shouldn't be in this forest without some kind of protection."
Barely a second after he said it, Christopher screamed. I cursed and started to take flight, but the other two had known it was coming and reacted faster. They slammed into my sides and I almost landed head-first on the ground. I flew back up, but they had made sure to get between me and the path back to Chris.
They'd done this before when I lived in the forest, so I had an idea of what to expect. No matter which was around I'd try to go, they'd block me. With enough encounters, even idiots like these knew most of my tricks. Which meant I had to try something different. They were fighting dirty anyway, so I decided to borrow a tactic from the resident maniac.
Soaring forward as if I was going to fly between them, the duo moved in to block me. I veered to the right at the last second, directly at stooge number one. He wasn't expecting it and I was able to rake my talons along his wing twice. The Spearow let out a sharp cry and plummeted to the ground.
The other didn't take the action very well, slamming into my back and screeching before I could turn to go after him. This time I did hit something. A tree. I tumbled down to the roots and looked up in time to see stooge number two attempt to gouge my eyes out with his beak. He might have succeeded, if not for the sudden flash of yellow and red that slammed him into the tree trunk just above me.
A familiar, psychotic laugh came from the Beedrill that was now pinning the Spearow to the tree. His stingers were jammed through each of the bird's wings as well as his back. The blood running down the tree and lack of a struggle made me certain Thrust had just killed him. "You know, I've honestly never liked Spearows either. They always attacked me when I was a Weedle." He said, yanking his stingers out of the corpse. I hurried out of the way before it landed on me.
"Is Chris okay?" I asked, taking to the air and heading back to where we had split up.
Thrust followed after me. "Not even a thank you?"
"Gratitude can wait, what happened to Chris?"
"Some Spearow attacked him, so I impaled the bastard. Much like the one that was going after you." He said as our trainer came into view.
Christopher was sitting by a tree, awkwardly wrapping a bandage around his left arm. I noticed the end of three slashes down his arm as he covered them and I couldn't help feeling guilty about it. Those jerks had probably only attacked because I was with him, and if Thrust hadn't been around who knows how badly Chris could have been hurt.
The young trainer looked up and smiled, in spite of his injury. "Harold, you're okay! When Rusty bolted after we heard that screech, I thought you might have been hurt too."
"I don't know how you two made it without me." Thrust said, landing at Christopher's side.
I joined him. "Even a psychopath like you can be helpful, I suppose." I muttered, trying not to think about what could have happened. "You okay, Chris?"
"Don't worry about me, it's only a scratch." He replied, making sure the bandage was secure. "I guess it was a good thing Mom made me learn first aid after all."
"Holy crap, he understood you." Thrust said.
"No, that just happens sometimes." I pointed out as Chris reached into his backpack and pulled out a potion.
"Alright guys, where are you hurt?" He asked.
---
After our trainer finished healing us, mostly me, and having lunch we set out again. I tried telling him it was better to just go home since he got hurt, but since he couldn't understand a thing I said he just thought I was getting tired or something. A one-way language barrier can be really annoying.
We went the rest of the day without being attacked by anything that was a real threat, but we didn't find the rare Pokemon either. It was starting to get dark when Chris suggested we leave and try again tomorrow, that's when it happened. One improbable event that would make sleeping somewhere comfortable that night an impossibility. The rare Pokemon emerged from the bushes in front of us.
It was a Charmander. Why there was one in Viridian Forest of all places I'll never know, but Chris didn't seem to think about it. He just yelled "There it is!" and the thing tore in the other direction as fast as its little legs could take it.
We chased after it until the sun had set. Luckily Chris had brought along a flashlight and the Charmander's tail-flame made it so we could still follow after it, but I didn't want to get too far ahead and lose sight of Chris. Neither did Thrust, by the look of it. He kept speeding up and slowing down, as if arguing with himself about if he wanted to attack the Charmander or protect Chris more. Maybe his mind wasn't as one-tracked as I had thought.
Chris called Thrust back and told me to go ahead so I could slow the Charmander down. It may have had shorter legs, but it was able to get through shrubs a lot faster than Chris could. Not to mention I could see better in the dark than either of them. I sped off, caught a glimpse of a flickering light from up ahead, but suddenly lost track of it. I wasn't sure if it was the Charmander or not, but the way it seemed to just go out made me think it was someone else with a flashlight.
Landing a few feet away from where the light vanished, I found myself in a small clearing, facing a tent. The light I saw must have been from the camper inside. I flew up into the air and scanned the trees for any kind of light or movement. The only thing I saw was the shaking beam of Christopher's flashlight come into the clearing below. I noticed someone poke their head out of the tent and talk with Chris for a moment before my trainer ran off again. I dove down, rejoining him and Thrust.
After a few more minutes, Chris sighed, sitting down by a tree and opening his backpack. "We lost it... I can't believe we lost it."
"No kidding. Tracking something with a glowing rear in the dark should be easy." Thrust commented.
"Did you ever even wonder why a Charmander was in a forest in the first place?" I asked, dropping onto a branch above where they were sitting.
"Nope."
"I wonder if that was one of Professor Oak's Charmanders... I think he raises them for new trainers." Chris mumbled to himself, pulling a blanket out of his pack. "Maybe it's one that ran away."
"And now we know who's smarter down there." I said, keeping an eye out for any lights.
Thrust waited for Chris to get comfortable before dropping onto part of the cloth and laying down. "Forget being smart, as long as I can stab something I'm happy."
"Sorry guys, but we're gonna have to spend the night out here. I told Mom and Dad I might, so they shouldn't be too worried." Chris said as he leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. "Good night."
"You gonna sleep up there, Harold?" Thrust asked.
"No, I'm going to make sure nothing else comes after Chris while he's sleeping." I answered. The incident was still too fresh in my mind. Even if I was tired, getting to sleep with the thought of what-ifs drifting through my mind would probably just end with nightmares.
"In that case, wake me up later and we'll trade places. I don't want you half-asleep if something bad happens tomorrow. Sure, it'd mean more fun for me, but it'd be boring if nothing did happen and you were snoozing."
I glanced down at him. "I thought you didn't like Spearows."
"Don't like humans much either. You and Chris are the exceptions." He explained. "Be glad that's the case or I'd have skewered both of you by now."
I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. Something told me not... which made me worry even more, my mind offering unpleasant images of what would happen if Thrust snapped and decided to attack Chris. Something told me I wasn't going to get much sleep at that point.
---
"Wake up, Harold. Breakfast." I heard someone faintly say, feeling something push on my wing. Opening one eye, I saw Thrust nudging me with the side of one of his arm-stingers. "I think you blew guard duty, too. You were out cold when I woke up."
"Damn." I yawned, looking down at where Chris was setting out food. I was about to fly down when I saw something move in the distance. Blinking a couple times, I realized it was the Charmander. "Double damn. It's back."
"I'll tell Chris, you go after it." Thrust suggested. "I'm faster, so I'll catch up in no time."
"What a way to start the day." I complained, taking flight and heading in the Charmander's direction while trying to stay out of sight.
It wasn't in a hurry and seemed to just be wandering aimlessly. I got behind it and prepared to glide in silently and attack... that's when Thrust tore though the foliage at it.
"Don't kill it, you psycho!" I squawked quickly.
Thrust shifted his aim and the Charmander dove to the side. Dirt flew into the air as the Beedrill's stingers ripped through the ground where it had been standing. The Charmander started to flee, but a pokeball bounced off its head and it vanished in a flash of red light. The ball landed on the ground, twiched and popped open again before it could seal. The char ran off again after it reappeared, and Thrust flew after it.
Chris ran to get his pokeball and I followed beside him. "I guess it doesn't belong to anyone after all. Weird." He muttered to himself.
We chased after the thing for an hour or more, this time not losing track of it for more than a couple minutes at a time. Neither Thrust or I could get close enough to land a hit though, since it kept jumping through bushes to slow us down. I stupidly tried to dive through the shrub it did at one point, only to snag my foot and come rolling out the other side.
Thrust stayed right on its tail and even Chris ran by without noticing me on the ground. Shaking my head and trying to regain my balance, I hurried after them. When I finally caught up, it was at a break in the trees. A large building was in the middle with a dirt road that disappeared back into the trees on the other side.
Chris was sprinting down the road and yelling. "Rusty, stop! Come back here!"
The Beedrill was chasing after someone on a motorcycle and I thought I could see the Charmander's head in the sidecar. I was positive it was after a burst of fire flew up and engulfed Thrust, knocking him out of the sky. Chris sped toward him, but I couldn't help wondering if the psycho was actually planning to attack the human if he'd gotten close enough.
---
The building, which turned out to be a stop for campers heading into the forest from Viridian City, had a Pokemon Center that Thrust was treated at. Chris called his parents from one of the public phones to let them know where he was, and his Mother arrived an hour later to take us home. The drive back was relaxing compared to the trip on foot, even with his Mom's initial panic after seeing what happened to his arm.
Once we were back home, Chris was dragged off to the local clinic to have his arm looked at. Which left me alone in the house with Thrust and Risp since Christopher's Dad was still at work. I went to my favorite spot to rest, on the windowsill, and stared off into the distance, thinking. I didn't get much time to focus though, since Thrust landed next to me a moment later.
"You know..." He began. "...being set on fire is a lot like being eletrocuted. Only more external."
"I could have told you that." I said, glaring at Risp as he sniffed around the back fence, not even noticing us. Considering it for a moment, I decided to just ask. "Were you going to attack that human you were chasing?"
"You're the one that told me I couldn't attack trainers." He stated.
"That doesn't mean you'd actually listen to me." I said, looking at him. Not that it helped, reading expressions was next to impossible when dealing with a face like his. "What were you planning to do when you caught up to him?"
"Tell him to pull over... and when that didn't work, jam a stinger in his back tire."
"He probably would have gone out of control and crashed if you did that." I pointed out.
Thrust gave what I thought was a shrug. Again, it's hard to tell with him. "You said I couldn't attack trainers, you didn't say anything about their vehicles."
"Right." I mumbled, making a mental note to be very specific the next time I explain anything to him. "So who was it that drove off with the Charmander?"
"Some human. He called the Charmander by name, so he must have known it." Thrust said, tapping his stinger on the edge of the window. "It was a free one though, wasn't it? Why would it be with a human?"
"Good question." I muttered, pondering it for a minute but not coming up with any ideas. "I doubt we're going to find out anytime soon, though. If ever."
Thrust chuckled. "Oh well, back to everyday combat against the evil yellow bastards."
"After the attack in the forest, you think Chris will want to go back there?" I wondered.
"Those Spearows are dead, so what is there to worry about?"
"It might have been traumatic for Chris, being attacked out of the blue like that. Especially since... well..." I trailed off, turning my gaze to the ground.
Thrust seemed to understand what I was getting at. "See what thinking does? It makes you worry about nothing. Just because you're the same type of Pokemon that attacked Chris doesn't mean he'll be scared of you now." He assured me. "How long have you known him? A year? If he does get scared of you, he's an idiot."
He was probably right, and I felt a little better from hearing it. Thrust may have been a little on the crazy side, but maybe he was nicer than I thought. I'd rather have him as a friend than an enemy, at least. I've seen what happens to his enemies. It's not pretty. "Thanks, Rusty."
"Anytime. I'm always here for a pep-talk... or a slaughter."
"Of course."
A while later, Chris and his Mom came home. The scratches weren't deep enough to do any lasting damage and he could still move his arm with only a little pain. Plus since his left arm was the one that hurt, he'd still be able to throw pokeballs. Which meant we were headed right back into the Viridian Forest tomorrow to go on another Pikachu hunt. It's nice to have a routine, I admit... I just wish it didn't include daily electrocutions and trips to the Pokemon Center.