Chapter 20
"Gar?"
[Are we going shopping now? For food?]
"Now? Not yet." Mike shook his head. "We’ll probably stay in Sandgem Town for a while. Don’t forget, we’re visiting Professor Rowan tomorrow, and I’m hoping to learn a few things from him."
He paused, then continued, "We also need to decide where we’re going next. Once we know that, we’ll have a better idea of how much food to buy."
Gengar nodded.
"Gar—"
[You don’t have to explain everything to me. I’ll follow wherever you go.]
"That won’t do. We started this journey together, so I need to talk things over with both of you before deciding where to go."
"Gar."
[Okay. Then I’ll agree with whatever you choose.]
"You really are..."
Mike laughed and pulled Gengar’s round cheeks.
"How can you be this cute?"
"Wee—"
[I’ll follow you too.]
"Weedle is cute too."
"Gar—"
[Hehe.]
"Wee—"
[Hehe.]
"The sun’s way too strong right now. Let’s find somewhere to sit, get something cold to drink, and explore the town once it cools down."
"Gar—"
[Okay.]
"Wee—"
[Okay.]
After getting their agreement, Mike found a nice-looking café and went inside.
The café had a small garden, so he chose a quiet table outside and sat down.
"One house coffee, please." Mike turned toward Gengar. "Want some juice?"
"Gar—"
[Yeah.]
"What about you, Weedle?"
Weedle shook his head.
"Then one cold Berry juice too. Thanks."
"Coming right up."
The drinks arrived soon after.
Gengar took out his small bowl, poured some of the juice into it, then placed it in front of Weedle so he could try some too.
"Gengar, keep Weedle company for a while. I’m going to edit a video and upload it."
Gengar nodded, finished the rest of his cold Berry juice in one go, then floated out of the garden with Weedle.
The two of them immediately began bothering the local Pokémon.
Mike glanced over once, decided nothing was on fire yet, and lowered his head.
He connected his tablet to the camera and imported the footage of himself playing beanbag dodgeball with the wild Pokémon in the forest.
He left the Suicune scene out of the main video and saved it as a surprise at the end.
Once the video was uploaded, Mike began sorting his photos into folders so they would be easier to find later.
He also selected several pictures to print the next day. He planned to turn them into an album for Grandma and send her a few edited videos as well.
...
Not far from the café, a gray figure stumbled out of a narrow alley.
The moment it stepped into the sunlight, it flinched.
Its yellow-and-blue eyes narrowed against the glare, and its body swayed unsteadily as though even standing took everything it had left.
One of its front paws touched the ground.
A sharp bolt of pain shot up its leg.
The Pokémon gave a broken cry and collapsed beside a trash bin, its injured paw folding beneath it at an unnatural angle.
The smell of rotting food and old garbage filled its nose.
It hated that smell.
It had always hated being dirty.
The Pokémon struggled to push itself upright, desperate to crawl even a little farther away, but its trembling legs could no longer support its weight.
It tried once, slipped, and hit the ground. Then it tried again, only to collapse even harder than before.
Bloody foam gathered at the corner of its mouth.
Every breath burned inside its chest, and its whole body felt hot enough to catch fire.
Several people passing along the road noticed it lying there.
"Oh no, that Pokémon is badly hurt."
"Someone call the Pokémon Center."
One person cautiously stepped closer and reached out, hoping to carry it somewhere safe.
The Pokémon’s eyes snapped open.
"Meow!"
[Stay away!]
A low, rough growl tore from its throat.
Though the sound was weak, the fear behind it was fierce enough to make the person stop.
Another passerby tried approaching from the side.
The Pokémon forced itself onto three legs and bared its claws. Its fur stood on end as it growled at everyone around it, warning them not to come any closer.
The people exchanged worried looks.
They clearly wanted to help, but the Pokémon’s wild, terrified expression made them hesitate.
One by one, they slowly backed away.
Only after the crowd moved off did the Pokémon lower its claws.
It limped forward, dragging its injured leg as it tried to escape the smell of the trash bin.
One step.
Then another.
Its vision blurred.
A heavy pain suddenly exploded through its head, as if something had struck it with a rock.
The last bit of strength drained from its body.
It fell onto the sun-heated pavement and could not rise again.
The stink of garbage remained right beside its face.
Its eyes slowly lost focus, and broken memories began flashing through its mind.
A pair of human hands reaching toward it.
Being pulled away from the warmth of its mother.
A strange house.
A voice that had once sounded kind growing colder with each passing day.
’If you never wanted me... why did you take me away from my mother?’
Cruel Meowth cries echoed from behind.
They surrounded it, laughing as they kicked over the trash around the alley.
Dirty paper, spoiled food, and other waste rained down over its body.
It tried to move but its leg would not listen.
The Pokémon had always taken pride in keeping its fur clean, yet now garbage covered its entire body.
The smell clung to its coat so strongly that it could barely breathe.
The Meowth crept closer, their mocking cries growing louder.
The humans who had offered to help were already gone.
It had driven them away itself.
It knew that.
But even now, fear would not let it trust them.
Its breathing became weaker.
The edges of its vision darkened.
Then the Meowth suddenly yelped.
Their mocking cries turned into frightened screeches, followed by the quick patter of paws fleeing down the alley.
The injured Pokémon weakly opened its eyes.
A thin bamboo stick had been planted in the pavement before it like a tiny spear.
Behind it floated a round purple Pokémon, tilting its head as it studied her.
A Weedle hung from the upper end of the bamboo stick by its silk, swaying gently from side to side.
For one confused moment, the Pokémon could only stare.
Then the fear returned.
"Meow..."
[Don’t come closer...]
It tried to raise its claws again, but barely managed to lift one paw.
A warning growl rumbled weakly in its throat.
The purple Pokémon did not attack, it only watched for a moment.
Then the bamboo stick slowly pulled away, and the two Pokémon disappeared from her fading sight.
Silence returned.
The injured Pokémon’s head sank against the pavement and slowly closed its eyes.
...
Mike had just finished sorting his files when something tugged at the corner of his shirt.
He turned and saw Gengar and Weedle.
"What is it?"
Gengar pointed toward the road.
Mike looked over and noticed a Pokémon lying on the pavement.
"Is that a Pokémon?"
Gengar nodded.
"Gar—"
[Weedle and I tried to help, but it chased us away.]
"Come on. Let’s take a look."
Mike stood and hurried over with Gengar and Weedle.
The Pokémon lying on the ground was gray, with white paws, a white muzzle, and white tips on its ears.
Its tail curled like a spring, ending in a puff of white fur.
Its front left leg was covered in blood and bent at a horrible angle.
"A Glameow? How did she get hurt this badly?"
"Gar—"
[I don’t know. Weedle and I were playing Meteor Bug when we saw some Meowth picking on her, so we chased them away.]
Mike glanced at him.
"Meteor Bug?"
Then he understood.
"You mean you were swinging Weedle around like a flail again?"
"Gar—"
[Meteor Bug sounds better!]
"You keep changing the names of everything."
Mike sighed.
At this point, he was probably the only person alive who could understand Gengar’s strange naming system.
"Still, you and Weedle did the right thing."
He looked toward the injured Glameow.
"A real hero helps someone in trouble. Now let’s see what we can do for her."
Mike took a step forward.
"Meow!"
[Stay back!]
Glameow’s fur stood on end.
Ignoring the pain in her leg, she forced herself upright and glared at Mike with a twisted, desperate expression.
Mike flinched.
She was barely able to stand, yet she continued growling at him.
’She’s incredibly cautious...’
’Does she hate humans?’
Gengar moved in front of Mike.
Dark Pulse began gathering between his hands as he stared closely at Glameow, ready to attack if she tried to hurt Mike.
"It’s okay, Gengar."
Mike gently touched his shoulder.
"She doesn’t want to attack me. I think she’s just afraid of people."
Gengar hesitated, but lowered his hands.
Mike took two steps back and raised both palms to show that he meant no harm.
"You need to lie down. Your leg is in really bad shape. If you keep standing on it, you could damage it forever."
Glameow stared at him without moving.
Pain tore through her injured leg, and her mind began slipping away.
Just before she lost consciousness, she slammed the wounded paw against the ground.
The sudden burst of pain shocked her awake again.
Mike’s frown deepened.
’Is she scared of Gengar?’
’Of me?’
’Or humans in general?’
He opened her status screen.
{Glameow}
{Gender: Female}
{Mood: Emotionally broken.}
{Condition: Hates humans. Near death.}
{Description: The injury to her front leg has gone untreated for a long time and has already caused serious lasting damage. She also has pneumonia and a high fever. Her body is in critical condition. Without immediate treatment, she will die.}
Mike’s face went pale.
"Holy crap... It’s that bad?"
Glameow was still trying to stay upright.
Mike made his decision.
"Gengar, help me hold her down. Use Hypnosis!"
"Gar!"
[Got it!]
Purple light flashed in Gengar’s eyes.
The moment Glameow met his gaze, her mind began to fade. Her legs gave out, and she finally lost consciousness.
"Wee."
[I’ve got her.]
Weedle quickly used String Shot to form a soft net beneath her, stopping her from hitting the pavement.
"Nice catch, Weedle."
Mike praised him, then hurried forward and lifted Glameow into his arms.
She was frighteningly light.
All Mike could feel beneath her fur were bones.
His chest tightened.
Ignoring the smell of garbage clinging to her body, he ran toward the Pokémon Center as fast as he could.
...
Summer rain arrived without warning.
By the time Mike pushed through the doors of the Pokémon Center, he was soaked from head to toe.
"Nurse Joy!"
Nurse Joy saw the badly injured Glameow in his arms and immediately rushed over with Chansey and a wheeled bed.
"Put her here, quickly."
Mike carefully lowered Glameow onto the bed.
Nurse Joy and Chansey rushed her into the treatment room.
Mike stood near the entrance because his clothes were dripping wet. Gengar floated beside him, while Weedle waited near his feet.
All three stared at the treatment-room doors.
A long time passed.
Finally, the doors opened.
Chansey wheeled Glameow back out.
Nurse Joy spotted Mike still waiting by the entrance and walked over.
"You brought her here in time. She’s no longer in danger of dying, but..."
Nurse Joy stopped, looking unsure how to continue.
"It’s okay," Mike said. "You can tell me. I’m not her Trainer, so I should be able to handle it."
"You’re not her Trainer?"
Nurse Joy frowned, and her eyes turned cold.
Mike immediately realized what she was thinking.
"No, it’s not like that. Gengar and Weedle found her collapsed beside the road. She was badly hurt, so we brought her here."
His expression became serious.
"Don’t worry. I won’t leave her behind. I’ll take care of her until she’s healthy enough to leave."
Nurse Joy studied him for a moment.
Once she realized he was telling the truth, her expression softened.
"In that case, thank you for helping her."
She looked toward Glameow.
"What I was going to say is... her life is safe now, but her leg suffered too much damage."
Mike’s face tightened.
"She’ll still be able to walk, but she probably won’t be able to run properly again. She may always have a limp."
"I see..."
Mike looked toward the treatment room.
"Can I visit her?"
"Of course. Come with me."
Nurse Joy glanced at his soaked hair.
"But first, let’s get you a towel before you catch a cold too."
"Thanks."