Nobody Said It Was Easy
The ocean breeze blew around the sides of the water-bound vessel. Corphish was contently hanging over the side of the rails, watching the waves go by. Jeff was lying asleep on his back while Daedalus was slumbering on the resting human’s chest. Treecko was hanging on the rails of the boat’s bow. His liquid-barren eyes were fixed on the horizon, he seemed to be locked and lost in thought, as if his mind were a maze and he was at the dead center of it..
The ruffian pokemon was the only one of the gang who got a decent sleep last night, when Jeff was up moping, Treecko having nightmares, and Daedalus bidding farewell to his comrades. Refreshed, Corphish walked along the deck and opened Jeff’s backpack. He bottom upped the bag, releasing its contents on the ground. He looked at the scattered items and inspected each item carefully.
“<Food… food?>” he mumbled, searching though the contents for sustenance. He noticed one and a half potions, a day’s set of human clothes, five red and white spheres for capturing pokemon, a small metal pot used for cooking, a pokedex, and sunglasses which were surprisingly unbroken from the journey. He looked inside the pot to find only stew remains crusted on the bottom. Unfortunately, his claws were too thick to reach the scraps. He next eyed the potions and thought, “<
Too bitter!>”
He continued to rummage through the bag, murmuring, “<Food food food food food.>” Under a green t-shirt he uncovered a plate of four sandwiches spilling out into the bottom of the bag. “<FOOD!>” Corphish took out the crushed sandwiches and placed them carefully on the green shirt which was now slathered with mustard. Corphish created a loud hammering with his claws on the deck in happiness of finding food.
Corphish hammered on Jeff and Daedalus’ heads with his claws to awaken them. They groaned from the rude awakening and held their heads with their hands and wings, respectably. Corphish raced over to Treecko to hit him to get his attention. Corphish began to swing his claw but Treecko turned around from his perch, caught the oncoming claw, and kicked Corphish to the side with a quick exchange from his flexible, green foot. Corphish skidded and hit the guard rail. Treecko shot him a look that simply said, “<Don’t do that again.>”
“<Thank you for that wake up call, Corppy, we appreciate it,>” groaned Daedalus, half sarcastically.
“What’s this about?” Jeff asked, still expecting to get an answer.
“Taiii! Looow taiiiloww low!” was the reply he received.
Jeff sighed as the grim reality returned; he couldn’t understand his pokemon. What had happened? He knew that creating bonds with your pokemon would make you understand them… Nurse Joy said he was lucky that he could understand them so quickly. Did fate take it back because of what he did to Treecko? Or did that part of his brain shut itself off because of the bonds that he had broken? Either way, he felt that he was to blame.
He shook himself out of his thoughts to see Daedalus staring at him blankly while vigorously pointing the food that Corphish had taken out using his wing and talon. Jeff nodded and went over to the picnic that was set up unfortunately on one of his favorite shirts. Corphish and Daedalus munched merrily on the two of the four sandwiches. Instead of complaining about his shirt, Jeff decided to take the “if you can’t beat ‘em then join ‘em” approach. He picked up a sandwich and began to satisfy his stomach, which was planning to implode on itself if it was not soon fed. He noticed the sandwich-less Treecko, leaning on the guard rail and staring into the horizon. Jeff put on a smile and warmly asked, “Hey, Treecko! There’s an extra sandwich here… why don’t you come and join us?”
Treecko briefly glanced at Jeff but then remained silent and continued to stare off.
Disconcerted, but not giving up, Jeff tried again. “Come on Treeck, it’s a good sandwich and you must be hungry!”
Treecko continued to look into the distance, not acknowledging Jeff’s heeds.
“
I guess some things never change,” Jeff thought, shaking his head.
The trio went back to eating their food. For a moment, Jeff closed his eyes. He imagined what it would have been like if Treecko actually came over and began to eat with them. He thought of what it would be like if Treecko never second guessed Jeff’s decisions and if he talked with others instead of having his thoughts be his company. Jeff tried as he may, but he couldn’t see Treecko… THIS Treecko… doing any such thing. He sighed and began to hate himself for thinking of wanting Treecko to change.
“
You can’t change who people or pokemon are and you shouldn’t, you selfish Weavile,” he thought, dismally. Corphish finished his sandwich before reaching for what would have been Treecko’s.
“Corphish… that’s Treecko’s food; you can’t eat that,” Jeff admonished him before he could bite down on the sandwich.
“<Why not? He doesn’t want it!>” Corphish explained. Jeff got the gist of what the Corphish said because he already knew the logical answer.
Jeff looked at the detached wood gecko and sighed. He looked back down to find the sandwich in Corphish’s mouth. Corphish smiled nervously, showing the remaining contents in his maw. Disgusted, Jeff and Daedalus turned away from the sight. Rummaging through the pile of his personal items which were strewn carelessly in a heap on the deck, Jeff found a zip lock bag filled full of mildly salted sunflower seeds.
Treecko was now standing on the side of the boat, mouth open. His abdominal muscles and his jaws flexed, as if he was trying to regurgitate something.
Jeff noticed this and quickly asked, “Treecko? Are you alright?!”
Treecko gave a quick nod and continued to frantically do what ever it was he was doing.
“Are you sure?! Are you choking?! You sick?!”
Treecko kept quickly trying to spit out whatever it was that he was trying to spit. It was no good. He dashed full speed over to Jeff and ripped the bag of seeds from his hand.
“What the-”
Treecko opened the bag and poured every single seed down his throat. He tried spitting again but it was no good. He fell to his hands and knees and coughed up some of the remaining sunflower seeds onto the deck.
“Treecko, what’s wrong with you?” Jeff asked, kneeling down beside him.
Treecko turned his head to Jeff in pure rage. He then jumped to his feet and jutted his head around in every direction, flexing his stomach and mouth.
“
What the hell is wrong with him?” Jeff thought to himself.
“<He looks like he’s been bitten by a Chimchar infected with the rage virus…>” Corphish half joked to Daedalus.
A wary Jeff began to approach Treecko. Treecko had a sneer of self-malice on. He tried to do what ever it was he was doing. In a frustrated rage, he pounded the side of the guard rail with his tail. The metal bar was badly bent as a result from the attack. Jeff backed off but then went in again. Treecko contracted his chest and yelled out the sharp, piercing yell.
“TREEEEEEEEEEECKOOOOO!!” With that battle cry, Treecko unleashed a furious barrage of bright green seeds from his mouth. Treecko held his ground but his head was forced around by the terrifying volley. The attack went beyond his control. The seeds were shot all around the boat. They ricocheted off the sides, the white floor, and the cabin. Corphish and Daedalus dove for cover. Jeff braced himself but remained standing. One rogue seed broke through the glass in the cabin and almost hit Mr. Briney in the head.
“Holy jumpin’ Moses!” Mr. Briney cried out from the cabin, hitting the floor. “Are we under attack?!” The unmanned boat took a sharp turn, but the sea captain stood back up and righted its course.
The sharp turn caused Jeff to stumble, but the wood gecko remained standing, stoically. Veins were pulsating in Treecko’s head; his eyes were wide and eyebrows creased in a passionate frenzy. The bullet seed’s line of fire raked along on boat until it finally made its way to Jeff. Treecko was so intent on the attack itself that he didn’t know what he was firing at. The seeds punched into him like a pistol firing acorns. He held his ground the best that he could but the attack was too strong to withstand. He flew backwards and his head collided with the metal rail.
Treecko didn’t notice; he just kept firing until he was physically exhausted. No more seeds were spat and Treecko collapsed to his knees. Treecko’s head was slumped downwards; he was panting and sweat soaked his face. Jeff slumped, motionless, against the guard rail; a steady flow of blood dripped from the side of his forehead. The crimson fluid dripped around his ear before following his sideburns down to his neck, starting to stain his green shirt.
“What in the blazes was that?!” a gruff voice called up from the captain’s cabin.
“<Treecko! What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Why did you do that?!>” Corphish yelled, scuttling to the front of Treecko.
The exhausted yet infuriated wood gecko said nothing and continued panting.
“<Jeff? Jeff? Can you hear me? Jeff?>” Daedalus began talking to the limp figure of the human. “<Guys? Get over here! Jeff’s out!>”
Before turning to help Daedalus, Corphish landed a final stare upon Treecko’s eyes. Treecko’s mouth was left open and eyes almost fully opened in shock. Treecko continued to kneel on his hands and knees. Treecko didn’t walk over to help the others, but instead he walked over to the broken metal bar that he created from earlier. He stared at it and glowered, while clenching his teeth.
“TREEECKO!!!” wailed the wood gecko. He raised his tail and slammed it onto the same rail, bending it more. He continued to pound the metal bar. With each hit he grimaced.
Thwak!
A low pitched, chiming echo rang out after the impact of Treecko’s tail with the bar.
Thwak!
Thwak!
Thwak!
Treecko’s tail was now badly bruised. With the next hit the tail opened a bad cut from the friction. Beads of sweat were dripping off the stick in his gritted teeth. Before Treecko could deal more damage to the ship or himself, Daedalus wrapped his wing around Treecko. The grass type tried to resist but was too exhausted from all of his attacks. Daedalus fell backwards with Treecko to the ground.
“<Treecko! Why are you acting like this? Jeff’s hurt; we need your help to stop the bleeding!>” Daedalus urged.
He didn’t reply; Treecko just looked up at the sky.
“<Fine, just hold this cloth against the cut!>” Daedalus said, taking a cloth from Jeff’s bag which was dampened by the sea breeze.
Treecko reluctantly took the damp, white cloth from Daedalus and, only for a moment, looked at Jeff to find where the cut was. He pressed it against the bleeding gash and looked away. He leaned on the body by his hand, where he was holding the cloth, as if he was leaning on a pole. Treecko avoided all eyes and looked off into the sky. It was as if he didn’t care.
The Wingull named Peeko flew up from the cabin to inspect what was going to. She flew onto the guard rail and chirped, “<What happened? Did you kill him?!>”
“<Not US,>” Corphish scowled at Treecko.
“<I think he’ll be ok, we just need a potion… see if you can get one, please!>” Daedalus suggested.
“<Of course,>” replied Peeko, flying towards the cabin.
“<Oh, and… one more thing.>” The Taillow flew next to Peeko, stared at her before a wink, and asked, “<How YOU doin’?>”
The Wingull giggled and flew back into the cabin to get the requested item. After a few moments, it returned with a potion in its beak. She blushed when she landed next to Daedalus with the potion. Corphish clamped down on the button which sprayed the serum onto the gash. He held down on the button for too long so the entire potion was sprayed into Jeff’s head and hair. His limp face was unaffected by the accident.
“<Oh crap, will his entire face like… mutate and he’ll turn into a zombie alien?>” Corphish asked, worried that he had sprayed too much.
“<He won’t turn into a zombie because he’s not dead! Right, Treeck?>” Daedalus retorted with encouragement before looking over to see the out of place Treecko.
Treecko was off doing what he did; he sat alone, eyes closed but not asleep.
“<… Oh, forget it!>” Daedalus gave up. “<Since Treeck is off being Treeck, the three of us are going to need to work together to tie this bandage from the aid kit around Jeff’s head… I still don’t know what the hell got into T-cko.>”
“<And damned if he’ll tell us,>” Corphish added, getting a good grip on the unraveled bandage but was careful not to slice it with his sharp claws. Daedalus and Peeko both took opposite sides of the bandage in their beaks. Corphish pressed the bandage to the potion-soaked wound while the two bird pokemon flew around in opposite circles, tying the bandage around Jeff’s forehead. They released the ends of the bandage when the two pieces met. Daedalus then craftily made a strong knot using his beak and talons.
“<Somebody went to Taillow-Scouts Camp!>” Corphish joked.
“<In wars you have to know how to adapt with what ever you have,>” Daedalus grinned, obviously impressing Peeko.
“<Oh yeah! I know what you mean. This one time I was in a fight with another Corphish over this girl and he called me a female Growlithe so I threw sand in his face and ran… because that’s EXACTLY the same…>” Corphish grinned at himself, realizing the ridiculous story.
Jeff’s eyes twitched and he let out a groan. He stirred in his spot.
“<He’s waking up!>” Daedalus exclaimed.
“<Or MAYBE… he’s just DREAMING of waking up!>” Corphish said profoundly.
Treecko, who was on the other side of the boat, opened his eye halfway to inspect the occurrence.
“Errrrghhh… what…happened?” Jeff mumbled, almost inaudibly.
The three pokemon gathered around him looked at each other, confused as to what to say without incriminating Treecko. Peeko decided to fly back into the cabin to tell the captain that everyone was alright.
He put a hand to his bandaged head and winced. Daedalus and Corphish helped him to a sitting position, resting against the guard rail. Jeff eyed the metal rail and saw a brick red liquid crusting on the rail; the liquid he saw was his own drying blood.
“The last thing… I remember… are bright green bullets going… around the boat… Treecko?” Jeff looked at the large-tailed lizard, who was no longer glancing at him but was sitting up, hand back, in a relaxed position. Jeff tried to stand to walk over to Treecko but fell to the deck in wobbly daze. Jeff grunted on impact and immediately tried to drag himself over to Treecko in a crawl; his foot still ached from the badge being lodged in it. After ocean spray splashing over the side of the boat soaked him, Jeff made it to Treecko.
“Treecko? What happened there?” Jeff asked with confusion and as much warmth as possible.
Treecko, again, chose not to answer his master… no, not master…friend. …Friend? Was that right?
“<
Why should I even bother explaining myself to him? It’s not like he really wants me around, nor do I really want to be here… I guess. Besides, it’s my problem, not his, and why should I waste my breath on someone who can’t understand me?>” Treecko thought while closing his eyes.
“Treecko I know I can’t understand you but you have to at least try to explain what happened. Tell Corphish or Daedalus or something! Come on Treecko!” Jeff pleaded.
“Tree… cko,” Treecko replied with an intimidating, cold tenor.
Daedalus whispered to Corphish, “<Did he just tell him to ‘piss off’?>”
“<Yeah, he did. It’s a damn good thing that Jeff can’t understand us.>”
Jeff stepped back and tried again. “Treeck! Give me something! You can’t keep isolating yourself and what you’re thinking… it’s not healthy!”
Treecko pierced a cold, aloof look into Jeff’s pupils. With a serious, take no crap tone, he replied, “<Don’t-tell-me-what-I-can’t-do.>”
Treecko turned his head in an attempt to shoo them away from him. Jeff opened his mouth to protest but Corphish clamped down on Jeff’s shirt, urging him away from the disobedient grass type. Jeff shut his eyes, nodded, and followed Corphish and Daedalus from the bow to the port of the boat where Jeff’s bag was. They all parked their rears next to the guard rail. Corphish and Daedalus began to converse but Jeff just stared at Treecko.
“
Where did it all go wrong?” Jeff mentally asked himself. He responded to his own question, “
With one flick of the wrist and one twist of the tongue…”
A large land mass appeared in front of the boat. Jeff tried to sit up to get a better look but he fell back against the rails. The water that he had been staring at had formed into green land. He didn’t know why but it felt very familiar. Jeff prodded Corphish and Daedalus and pointed out the terrain. Treecko was aware of the earthy island so he did not bother opening his eyes.
“Land ho!” called out Mr. Briney. “I love saying that,” he chuckled to himself.
Jeff looked at the large piece of land. He scanned it from left to right. He saw a dense forest with towering trees coming from behind it. Next to that was a massive city with smog clouds overhead. On the other side of the disgusting city was more forest and shores which didn’t seem to end. Something wasn’t right to Jeff.
“THAT’S Dewford Island?! I thought it was small and clean!”
“No no! That’s not Dewford Island, that’s Petalburg City!”
“Petalburg?” Jeff’s heart sank and the memories hit him hard. He shook the image of Kristie and Alan from his mind and quickly followed up with, “Wh-why are we going to Petalburg? I thought you said we were going to Dewford!”
“We are, but I need to re-supply fuel at the Petalburg docks first! We’ve been ferrying people left and right over here so I doubt we can make another trip. Didn’t I mention that?” asked Mr. Briney, stroking his long white beard. “Also, that Treecko of yours busted the main controls of the ship with its bullet seed.”
“Sorry… and no you didn’t mention that…” Jeff grumbled. “It’s ok, I guess. How long will we have to sit in the city?”
“To get those parts fixed? I’d say two or three days tops. Sorry, lad, it looks like I’m your only way to Dewford, too.”
“Two…two to three days… in THERE?” Jeff gulped.
“I can probably find you a decent hotel to stay at.”
“Thanks for the offer… I think I’d rather camp out in Route 102.”
“Suit yourself,” Mr. Briney answered, steering the boat towards an open pier. The side of the boat scraped against the wall of the jetty. The captain tied the boat securely to a pole on the wharf. “I’ll be here helping the mechanics tomorrow and hopefully not the next,” he explained.
“Ok… we’re really sorry for all of the trouble,” stated Jeff. “If you want I can pay for most of…” Jeff’s voice was drowned out by the sounds of the chopping rotors of two helicopters flying over head in close quarters. He looked up to try and see the two helicopters but they were obscured by the blinding rays on the noon sun behind them. He squinted his green eyes and thought he saw three helicopters but only heard two, followed by a deep rumbling noise. He turned his head away in order to get his sight back. His pupils enlarged and the world became a little darker; it was fitting given the city that they were in.
“So I’ll see you in two to three days. I’ll check in the day after tomorrow to see if it’s finished,” Jeff told Mr. Briney before walking off the deck, followed by the pokemon. “Daedalus, Corphish, Treecko… stay close. We don’t want to be separated.”
Daedalus perched on his shoulder, intimidated by the large city. Corphish and Treecko followed behind Jeff’s footsteps. He walked up a north street which head directly from the docks to the pokemon center and to the right of the center was the exit. His eyes remained facing right; he stared at the long metal fence that separated the city from Route 102. The large inclined slope of the road paid its toll on Jeff’s cut foot. He winced as he could feel the cut reopen and blood stain his sock. Luckily the badge was now in his left shoe so that it wouldn’t cause anymore damage to the right one.
For ten minutes they continued to climb the seemingly infinite tarmac hill. They reached the gates of the city and made a hard right into the warm, welcoming forested path of Route 102. Jeff let out a sigh of relief. They walked a good deal into the forest until they saw a small grassy area suitable to set up camp in. Jeff plopped his backpack on the ground and took a tent from his bag.
“Hey, Corppy, do you want to help me pitch this?”
“<Sure, but my fastball has sucked the past few months. I think I threw out my shoulder!>”
Daedalus sighed and took a perch in a low branch of a tree. He jutted his head to a rustling noise behind him. The high bushes moved but they went back to stillness after whatever it was passed by. Treecko, who was parked on a high tree branch, opened up his eyes when he sensed something. He immediately jumped to a lower branch and then the ground. Treecko warily scanned his peripheral vision as well as his centered sight. The rustling surrounded the campsite, accompanied by a long, tedious hissing. Daedalus turned around to inspect the other side of the area. He froze when the noise became more vigorous and louder behind him. Treecko ran as fast as he could towards him, but Daedalus’ instincts told him not to wait. With a mighty beat of his wing, the Taillow took off from the branch and glimpsed behind him to see that he was narrowly missed by the large mouth of a pokemon.
The pokemon attacking was a long, primarily, serpent-like pokemon. It retracted its black and purple head. It slithered out from the underbrush. On its neck was a purple pattern like a lightning bolt. Along its head and back were gold hexagonal gems. The pokemon opened its yellow-jawed mouth to reveal a red, forked tongue and two red teeth; the teeth appeared to be broken, but they were still a force to be trifled with. As it slithered out its tail was revealed; it had a purple ring at the base before the tail turned into a sharp, deadly red blade like a sword.
Daedalus landed in front of the wood gecko. Treecko stared into the Seviper’s eyes. Suddenly something struck his memory.
“<You!>” Treecko growled through his teeth. He shoved Daedalus to the ground in an attempt to get past him. Treecko walked towards the massive snake with virtually no fear. Treecko felt scar tissue on his left collarbone.
The Seviper’s eyes opened wide as he too remembered the Treecko. “<Well… if it issssssn’t the helplessssssss little bug! You got lucky lassssst time but it won’t be sssssso now!>”
Treecko glared with a look that could kill. He clenched his left fist as well as his teeth and raised his right hand. With that hand he pulled his index finger towards him repeatedly, motioning for his foe to “try him”.
Daedalus got up and begged, “<Please Treeck, don’t do it! He’s huge!>” Treecko ignored him, dug his feet in, and jerked back his mouth.
“<Dae, it could be Lugia and he wouldn’t move a muscle!>” Corphish advised the bird.
Treecko prepared to fire his bullet seed and Seviper quickly slithered towards him. Jeff and the duo looked on with worry. Treecko thrust his head forward expecting a bullet seed attack to fire. But nothing, virtually nothing, came out. Treecko was shocked and aggravated. He tried once more. The same result.
“<
Why the hell does this keep happening?! What is wrong with you, you weakling!>” were thoughts that flowed through Treecko’s mind. Jeff rushed to Treecko’s aid as the Seviper neared; Jeff was followed by Corphish and Daedalus. Treecko decided to switch to close quarters combat. He charged at Seviper, unaware that Jeff was closing in on them. Seviper raised his dagger-like tail, preparing to stab and Treecko raised his own tail, ready to slam. They both attacked at the same time.
Jeff was in the way.
Without meaning to, Treecko’s pound attack hit Jeff in the right knee, creating a “thuhk” sound. Seviper’s tail also entered the unknown obstacle. The sword-like tail penetrated the muscle in Jeff’s upper right leg. Jeff’s right leg was held up in the air not only by the tail holding it up, but by the fact that Jeff couldn’t extend his leg. His face went pale and the two pokemon looked at the damage that they caused. Jeff, in shock, balanced on his left foot, seemingly laughing the pain away with adrenaline. Treecko was in as much shock as Jeff, but he was not laughing. Treecko stood fixated at the mangled leg. Seviper couldn’t care less; with a flick of the tail, the sword effortlessly slid from the wound and Jeff was thrown onto his back.
Jeff landed in the dirt. He groaned with a smile and bit down hard on the twig in his mouth. Jeff looked down at his leg and noticed two things. One was that he was bleeding badly from the wound that Seviper inflicted, and two, the kneecap on the same leg was shoved over to the right of its original position by two inches. The grizzly scene was disturbing but Jeff was surprisingly unaltered by it.
Seviper continued to try and strike Treecko; he swung his blood-laced tail in a stabbing fashion. Treecko sidestepped each blow while backpedaling. The fight edged away from Jeff and more towards the forest. Corphish and Daedalus ran up to Jeff.
“Don’t worry guys. I’m fine! …I’m just bleeding a little and my kneecap is… out of place,” Jeff reassured through gritted teeth.
Corphish placed a claw under Jeff’s dislocated knee to support it. This gave Jeff some relief but wincing waves of pain continued in pumps, as did the spurts of blood coming from Jeff’s leg. The Seviper began to slither slowly into the forest.
“<Treeck! Get over here! We need your hands to stop the bleeding!>” Daedalus ordered.
Treecko looked at the three and then back at the Seviper who was slinking away, probably to create an ambush. Treecko took off after Seviper. Friends were not Treecko’s top priority right now, revenge was.
“<
Jeff’ll be ok with those two. I know he will. I have to hunt down and get that damned, slithery b*stard. I’ll make sure he pays for last time. I’ll get that dishonorable coward… no matter what. That was the worst day of my life… before yesterday. He’ll pay with his life.>” Treecko thought while growling. He ran into the forest. It didn’t even cross his mind how Jeff was.
“<DAMN IT, Treeck!>” Daedalus yelled, flying after him. “<Corphish! Stay with Jeff! Don’t relocate the knee cap! Just try to stop the bleeding!>”
Treecko, with rage and impervious determination, quickly followed the snake pokemon into the forest. The Seviper turned around. Treecko leapt off of the ground and jumped onto a tree trunk to his left. He bounced off of that, roared with a high battle cry, and landed a solid kick down Seviper’s head. When the Seviper’s head was forced down by the foot, Treecko jumped off of his head, ricocheted off another tree trunk to his right, and flipped in the air; Treecko’s tail hit Seviper right in the face. The blow was increased by the momentum of the fall. Treecko landed on his feet, panting through clenched teeth and a sweating face. There was so much fury in his eyes that they looked like they would shoot real daggers. The vengeful look of anger remained imprinted on his face.
“<You’re pissssssing me off!>” hissed Seviper in anger. He thrust his head at Treecko, who flew back from the hit. Seviper then whipped his tail around in a straight motion. The blade sliced with great force up Treecko’s right shoulder, causing small droplets of blood to leave the wound with the tail. The wood gecko pokemon was thrown against the tree behind him; it was the tree that he was roosting on when Seviper first appeared. Treecko hit the tree with such force so that a sickening crack was made on impact.
“<Those hitssss were nothing compared to the onessss that you delivered when we firsssssst fought! You are losing your touch, lone little Treecko.>”
“Tree,” Treecko grimaced, holding his badly bleeding shoulder. The Seviper smirked and then wrapped its body around Treecko as well as the tree; he squeezed the tree and the lizard tightly. Treecko groaned as the pressure from Seviper’s strong muscles were put on his bleeding shoulder and bruised ribs. The hold crushed Treecko into the trunk making him unable to move his arms, legs, or tail. Seviper put his sharp tail to Treecko’s neck.
“<Well, well, well…issssn’t thissss jussst like old timessssss, little Treecko? Thisssss time you won’t get away.>”
Through Treecko’s pain, he managed to slip out one taunt. “<I’d tell you to -errggh- bite me…but I forgot… you can’t.>”
“<Cocky little ssssslime!>” Seviper hissed, squeezing Treecko harder. He attempted to free himself from the bind but it was too tight. Treecko felt as if every bone in his body would be crushed into dust. He tried with all of his might to move but this caused tremendous agony. The muscles of the snake’s body tightened, driving Treecko into the bark of the tree. He wished that all the pain would end, but he wouldn’t let himself die… he needed to settle his scores. It felt like his body was becoming part of the tree trunk now; the bind grew relentlessly tighter. There was no greater discomfort for Treecko; he would rather be caught on fire than go through another second of this. “<As much as I admire your sssspirit, you cannot esssssscape, tough one!>”
Treecko saw Daedalus flying towards him. He shook his head at the bird, insisting that he’d be alright. Seviper continued to squeeze the life from Treecko. The air had left Treecko’s lungs so he couldn’t protest. All he did was let out a short, stressed cry of pain. Daedalus flew at full speed into Seviper’s unaware head.
The snake cried out from the deep peck to his face. The grip tying Treecko slightly loosened. Daedalus continued to peck and scratch at the snakes face, who winced and tried to bite back. Seviper’s bind loosened as he was distracted by the attack from Daedalus. It was just enough for Treecko to regain his breath, but not enough for him to free himself. Treecko wanted to aid the battle but with his bullet seed out of commission and his tail stuck behind him, he could only watch and wait.
Weak, helpless, and useless.
Those were the only words that could describe what Treecko was feeling, other than the immense pain that was caused from the bind. A shiver crept up and down his breaking spine. Treecko shut his eyes, grimaced, and turned his head away.
He began to think, “
He was right. This IS just like last time… except I could actually do something about it, then. No… that’s not true, either. I got lucky last time. I couldn’t do anything to free myself then and not now either. You’re a weak, pathetic Caterpie who has to rely on others and luck to save his sorry excuse for a tail. You need to be stronger if you ever want to show your face again.”
Treecko squirmed in discomfort.
“
You CAN’T show your face again. You left Jeff when he needed you. Not for the first time and not for the last time. You’ve been kidding yourself you selfish b*stard.”
Daedalus landed a quick beak strike into Seviper’s neck, sending a shock down his nerves. Seviper’s tail twitched and loosened. Treecko leapt out of the wrapping attack and grabbed a hold of Seviper’s tail. He shoved the bladed tail into the heart of the tree.
“<That should hold him here until I get back,>” Treecko spat, walking away from the tree before collapsing onto the trunk of another tree. Daedalus flew over to Treecko.
“<’Until you get back’? Are you serious? You can’t even walk!>” Daedalus asked as Seviper tried to snap at the two pokemon. They were just out of his reach.
Treecko weakly moaned, tightly clutching his severely hurt right shoulder. Daedalus made Treecko put his left hand around his back as they walked back towards Jeff and Corphish.
“<The rebel and the loner… two of the leader’s greatest banes. They refuse to get caught up in the group mentality and they fail to follow instructions. Because of this they will often be the one who needs the leader to get his tail out of a jam in times like these. I have problems too! I didn’t want to be a leader, but I HAD to be! The situation arose and I was put in charge. Now I had these five other Taillow’s looking to me for guidance and strategies! I didn’t know what to say at first but then I realized that I had to lead them. I stepped up and ever since being caught, I’ve felt like I’ve let them down. Sure, I’m no longer leading them so you’d think there’d be a great burden lifted off of my chest… but it’s still there and it’s heavier than ever. I wasn’t a leader… yet now I know what it feels like when one sends his men to their deaths.>”
Treecko let out a groan of pain.
“<Let me ask you this, Treecko; what’s inside that thick head of yours? What are your loves, fears, goals? More importantly, why are you acting like this?>”
Treeck grunted and muttered to himself, “<It’s none of your damn business.>”
Treecko didn’t answer after that but followed his feet limping in the dirt. He lifted his head up and then stared at the light shining through the canopies.
“<Did you say something?>” Daedalus asked, but not without warmth.
“<You don’t even know me! You don’t know what’s inside me!>” Treecko sharply retorted.
“<That’s exactly my point! You have to open up!>”
Treecko defiantly turned his head away from the conversation.
“<What? Too cool to talk? Pride and stubbornness come hand in hand, I hope you know, but being a loner doesn’t help you one bit! The three combine and turn you into...you. Maybe that’s why you and Jeff are always clashing!>”
Treecko continued to look away and a silence ensued. Daedalus knew that, try as he might, he couldn’t change Treecko. Admittedly, he felt guilty.
Breaking the long pause, Treecko quietly declared, “<You shouldn’t have interfered; I was fine without your help.>”
“<Oh yeah, he was BEGGING for mercy!>” Daedalus rolled his eyes.
Treecko kicked a large, outgrowing root in anger, cringing with the action.
Daedalus only shook his head in exasperation. “<I wonder if Jeff’s ok…>” thought Daedalus aloud.
They arrived at the site where Jeff was lying on the ground. Corphish was lying over an unconscious Jeff, his claw pressed against the bloody wound. Treecko opened his eyes and looked upon the sight. His mouth slackened as he stared. Treecko ignored his own pain and gazed at the wounds that he both directly and indirectly inflicted. The wood gecko folded his arms and shuddered.
“<
I caused that?! Oh, Arceus! I can’t do anything right! I can’t defend myself against that damned Seviper! I keep messing Jeff up!>” Treecko’s thoughts were interrupted when he collapsed to a knee.
“<What I wouldn’t give for House M.D. right now!>” Corphish scowled. “<He lost too much blood! He’s unconscious! I’m not sure how much more blood he can lose!>”
Daedalus placed Treecko on Jeff’s stomach. The Taillow and Corphish both grabbed Jeff’s hands and tried to pull them. They pulled Jeff centimeter by centimeter, no matter how hard it was.
Treecko grimaced in pain and thought.
“<
You did a real friggin’ great job again, Treecko! Why can’t you be more like them!? Actually HELPING Jeff! You hurt Jeff in battle! You went after Seviper instead of helping… and LOST! You couldn’t do a thing to save yourself so you had to let Daedalus come to your rescue! Now you can’t even help them drag Jeff back to the pokemon center, YOU’RE the one being dragged! You’re a pathetic excuse for a Treecko!>” he thought in disgust.
Treecko was also losing a lot of blood. He fainted while on Jeff’s chest. Right before Treecko was completely out, he managed to whisper the following word.
“<Weak…>”
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Daedalus and Corphish continued to drag the bodies of the two with their beak and pincers, respectably.
“<Hey, Corppy? What do you think is wrong with Treecko?>”
“<Well first of all he’s unconscious from the nasty gash on his shoulder and his ribs may be broken from the squeezing!>” Corphish answered with sarcasm.
“<You know what I mean!>”
“<Well… here’s how I see it! Back when Jeff told him to take a hike, Treecko cared way too much and took it much too personally. That escapade almost made him leave Jeff alone forever. I don’t think Treecko had ever cared that much in his life… to my knowledge… so he noticed this and saw where it almost got him. Now, I think he’s over compensating by not caring at all. He doesn’t want to ‘over-care’ and have something like that happen again. Now by not caring at all he’s driving himself into a similar hell.>”
“<I don’t know Corppy… I mean, I agree with you up until the part where you say he’s trying too hard not to care. The Treecko that we have now, it… doesn’t seem unnatural for him. It feels like he’s back to normal…except he doesn’t value Jeff as a friend. I mean, his need to prove that he’s not weak, him being alone, the uncaring, calm attitude.>”
“<You have a point there, Inspector Daedalus. Let’s say ‘he cared too much, now he’s back to normal… but he’s a royal jackass’.>”
“<It’s a deal… hey! We’re almost at the gate!>” Daedalus exclaimed.
Past the gate was a guy in a blue uniform. The guy wore a black hat and a badge on his sleeve. He seemed to be writing a ticket for an improperly parked car. The man noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the pokemon dragging the other two with all of their might. The guy came running over to check out the situation. He withdrew a flashlight and shone it on the bodies.
“What’s going on here?” he asked in a confused but calmed voice.
“<We need help!>” Corphish answered, flailing his claws upwards.
The police officer understood that the pokemon were probably Jeff’s. He answered, “Ok, I’ll take the guy; you two carry the Treecko in!”
They nodded and took Treecko off of Jeff’s chest. The officer dragged Jeff into the pokemon center by his shoulders, aware of his dislocated knee. He was followed by Corphish and Daedalus with Treecko.
“Excuse me Nurse Joy? We have two badly wounded here! We need stretchers and then you should bring them to the ER room!” advised the police officer of the PCPD.
“Of course, officer, what… my goodness! Is that Jeff?!” Nurse Joy exclaimed in surprise. All Nurse Joys were very good with placing faces. They had to be, given their not-so-diverse family.
Two pink, egg-bearing Chanseys came out from the back hallway carrying two stretchers. Nurse Joy took Jeff by the arms and the police officer took him by the legs; they carefully lifted him up onto the stretcher while the Chanseys did likewise with Treecko. The two stretchers, pink pokemon, and Nurse Joy disappeared into the door in the back of the lobby, undoubtedly to the ER.
The officer kneeled down and asked Daedalus and Corphish, “Do you need me to watch you guys while they’re in there?”
Daedalus shook his head and pounded his chest with his wing saying, “<I think I can take care of Corphish here!>”
“<Yeah! He knows to read my favorite book ‘Goodnight Moon’ at bedtime. I sleep like a Togepi each time.>”
The police officer nodded and left the Pokemon center to go back to his patrol duty. The two attempted to wait in the lobby but they found themselves too nervous to wait. They agreed that they would see how their friends were doing. The two pokemon quickly ran to the door at the back of the lobby. The door was ajar so it slid open with a light push and the two entered the hallway. There were three doors on each side of the hall with a final room at the end of the hall. Corphish opened the door to his right. The door squeaked open and high, raspy yells followed. The door opened to show the light green body of a Scyther strapped to a hospital bed tossing around violently. A Chansey was struggling to put a sedative into his IV line.
“<Heh, sorry…wrong room.>” Daedalus grinned nervously. Corphish followed up by closing the door.
Corphish then tried the door across from the previous one. He opened it and saw Treecko lying belly-down on a bed in the center of the room. His chest was bandaged horizontally and his right shoulder had more bandages slung diagonally to meet the dressings on his chest. There were three beads attached to his thigh, chest, and shoulder. Attached to these beads were wires which led to a large machine. Nurse Joy was standing at the machine which housed a screen and many buttons.
“<Poor Treeck…>” Daedalus said aloud. “<I’m sure if Jeff was able to, he’d be in there right next to him.>”
“<Speaking of Jeff, let’s see how he’s doing…>” suggested Corphish.
They tried the second room on the left and opened it to see a Chansey standing over him. He had a plasma-filled IV line going into his arm. There were four empty syrettes on the table beside him. His wound was bandaged and the Chansey was, just as they entered, popping the kneecap back into place. The result was a sickening crack. Both Corphish and Daedalus cringed and turned away as the Chansey performed the procedure with a creepy smile.
“<Well there goes MY lunch! Want to go back to the lobby?>” Corphish asked, his shell a fine beige color.
“<My thoughts exactly…>”
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Continued...