The Story Continues:

The moment I was out on the path, I meandered toward the tree where I’d put the wurmple. Maybe I could catch it now? Unfortunately, the wurmple I had left… was gone… a few scratches around the hollow suggested it’d climbed it’s way out once it regained consciousness… That was okay, I was glad it was fine. As I turned though, I let out a shriek. Another wurmple dropped onto my head from above, a string of sticky webbing lolling across my face. I panicked and tossed the bug pokemon onto the ground, where Kito immediately pounced on it, pummeling the poor creature into near unconsciousness with frenzied feet. I quickly tossed one of the pokeballs at it, still shivering as I tried to pull the stringy mess from my hair. I didn’t even notice as the ball locked… I’d just caught my first pokemon.

Kito picked up the pokeball and dropped it at my feet, letting out a “Kii-kip” to draw my attention. “Oh! Oh crap, that’s awesome, I caught it!” I grinned, leaning down and picking up the mudpuppy drool covered ball, wiping it off on the grass. “Sweet…” I checked the ball’s readings and frowned. “Aww man… she’s so beat up… I’m so sorry…. Hmmm… Lily… yea, Lily.. lets call you Lily. come on, Lily, lets get to that pokemon center and get you patched up.” I scrambled back onto the path, sprinting toward Oldale, only to be stopped by a high pitched, “HEY SHANA!”

I looked back and groaned. Brendon or whatever his name was… was waving frantically and making shooshing noises. “Ugh… what do you want?” I muttered, walking over as he pointed toward a pokemon playing in the grass.

“Bet you can’t catch that…”

“What? It’s just a Poochyena… I dont even want a dark type…”

“Oh come on, look, see, the Dex says it knows firefang… think how useful that could be…”
“True, I could just have it EAT your treecko…”
He paled, and stared at me with wide eyes, “You wouldn’t.”

“You know what? I totally would.” I grinned wickedly, and headed into the grass. I practically dropped Kito on the damned thing.

The poor hound was soaked clean to the bone before it fell over, and I booped it with the second pokeball. A soft ding told me I’d gotten my fire-fangy little friend, and I grinned evilly at Brendon. “Better not go challenging me again, or your Treecko is going to be a roasted lizard.”

“I-I-I…” He stammered, staring at me with wide eyes as I brushed past him. “Now I need a fighting type… crap…”

“Or a fairy…” she laughs. “Oh, I could see it now.. You with one of those tiny flower things… You know, it kinda fits…”
“What does THAT mean?”

“It means that you and the tiny flower creature would get along. I’m not implying you’re a Fairy type yourself…” I laugh and shake my head. “Though… uh… if you did swing that way, I wouldn’t judge. Guys are hot.”

“... I’m going to just pretend I didn’t hear that and move on…”
“Good plan.”

I moved off after he did, looking at my two new pokemon, in their pokeballs. Another short walk, and I was once more in Oldale… and once again heading into the pokemon center to tend to my pokemon. Nurse Joy seemed less than pleased to see me again already, and I held up my hands. “Not for Kito! I picked up two new guys… Figured I should start them off with a fighting chance.”

“Oh… Well then… I’m glad you actually care, unlike some people.” She settled the two pokeballs into the machine, switching it on. “Your party is growing quickly for someone who just started.”

“Yea… I blame the twerp that wanted me to catch the pooch… I dont really WANT it, but I may as well, right? Take good care of him and maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a Mightyena worth working with.”

She stared at me, and I shrank a little. “You don’t WANT it? Then why not release it?”

“Er… because I can still use i-”
“Pokemon are meant to be FRIENDS, not tools!”

“...” I took back the pokeballs, looking down at them… then at Kito. Kito… was my friend… and… I dunno, I didn’t know the Wurmple yet… I just really wanted a Beautifly… “Oh god, I’m a horrible fucking person….”

Joy seemed… less perturbed by my statement, and more by the fact that I admitted outloud, where my thoughts were going. “Fix that.” She grumped. “Pokemon aren’t tools… so dont treat them like they are.”

“I… you… you’re right…” I look at the Poochyena’s ball. I should release it. I didn’t want it, I just wanted to prove I could. “I… I’m going to go let this one go…. That… what I did wasn’t right…”

I headed outside, and hit the release button, letting the Poochyena out of the ball. “Sorry little dude… You’re free to go.”

He sat… and stared at me for a long moment, before he turned and ran off into the brush. Yea… I figured… this wasn’t some soap opera, where he’d just stick around because he loved me or something. All he knew about me was I sicked a Mudkip on him for no reason.
I pulled out a pen, and scribbled Jericho onto the inside of my Pokedex. I’d remember every pokemon I lost… or released… I would not forget.

I stared at the trees for a long while, before turning and heading toward the pokemart… maybe they’d gotten a delivery...