Chapter 3: Please Wake Me Up Someday? Cerulean City-Kanto/Pokemon Center Past Midnight/Wednesday “So…you’re a zombie?” asked Chris who was sprawled on the bed. Growlithe looked up from the windowsill at Chris with disgust. “Do I look like a zombie?” “Well…I’ve never seen a pokemon zombie before,” said Chris with a grin. “Well…it’s either you’re a zombie or you’re plain crazy.” The two were resting comfortably in a room on the second floor of the Cerulean Pokemon Center. Theirs for the night. The Rocket Grunt’s two pokemon, Ekans (and what had turned out to be a Zubat) had been turned in to the Police Station earlier. Now all that was left was to restore some sanity to a ludicrous situation. “Don’t talk in public anymore. The kid who heard you nearly fainted. We don’t need more people freaking out about a talking pokemon…kay’?” said Chris. He closed his eyes and tried to sort through what Growlithe had told him. “Okay…” whispered Growlithe. It’s gaze was focused on a pidgey that was flittering across the night sky. It was a rare sight to see a pidgey out after dusk. “My names Chris by the way. Chris Gemport.” “My names…well…just call me ‘Growlithe’ I guess…” a note of sadness in it’s voice. Chris lifted himself into a sitting position and looked towards the puppy. “You can’t remember your name?” “I already told you I can’t remember a thing…” “But you did have a name?” asked Chris. “Yeah…I did…” said Growlithe suddenly looking towards Chris." I had a name…what does that mean?” “It means either you had a nickname…or you were human?” asked Chris now with a note of disbelief in his voice. “But that’s crazy…you were killed by some guy…and now you’re a pokemon? No way…” “The moon…a bird…and fire…” said Growlithe slowly. “That had got to mean something.” “That again? Your were in the water…maybe you had a dream while you were in there,” said Chris sounding rather bored now. “We’ve been through this…” Growlithe jumped down from the windowsill and looked up at him. “What are you?” “Huh? I’m obviously a human…” said Chris awkwardly. “I mean…I don’t know who you are! Where are you from? You a breeder? A trainer?” asked Growlithe. “Oh…well like I said my name is Chris Gemport and I’m 14-years-old. I’m from Azalea Town in the Johto region,” Chris looked up for a second as if considering something. “Oh and yeah, I’m a pokemon trainer.” “You’re a trainer from Johto? Shouldn’t you be doing the Johto-Gym-Badge- thing?” asked Growlithe sheepishly. “Already did. Got to the Johto Elite Four. Got beat badly. So here I am. Doing the Kanto-Gym-Badge-Thing…” Chris looked at the floor for a second and then looked up sharply in surprise. “Woah…wait you know about Gym Badges? I thought you couldn’t remember a thing?” “I meant I can’t remember a thing about myself…I can remember other stuff…” said Growlithe looking slightly annoyed. “Don’t accuse me of being a liar. It’s not nice.” Chris looked weary for another second before sprawling himself back on the bed. “Hey…I wasn’t accusing you of anything. Don’t get so critical. After all I forgave the burn you gave my hands.” Growlithe looked up at him and saw the hands and arms that had been wrapped in bandages by Nurse Joy. “Oh…right…sorry.” “Anyway, I’ll introduce you to my pokemon tomorrow. They’re downstairs right now.” The two remained in silence for several minutes before Chris decided to speak. “So what exactly do you plan to do? Get the guy who killed you?” Growlithe looked up quickly. Chris looked over at it and was surprised to find an expression of horror on it’s face. The small puppy opened it’s maw but said nothing. It actually looked as if the pokemon was feeling shame. Or at least that’s what it looked like to Chris. He was still new at deciphering the puppy’s emotions. “No…never,” said Growlithe in a voice barely above a whisper. Chris was astounded. Not for the first time that day. If he had been ‘murdered’, he would want payback. Fast and painful payback. “I thought that Grunt was the guy who did it and I almost…almost…” Growlithe sort of trailed off. Chris remembered. Growlithe had almost charred the Grunt’s mug off. The small puppy had become a mad creature. Albeit, a surprisingly strong mad creature. Disaster had only barely been averted at the last second. And only just barely. “I don’t want to meet the real thing. If I do…I might…I…I dunno…” said Growlithe from the floor. “So what…your just gonna let bygones by bygones?” asked Chris a little skeptically. “That’s good karma but…” “No I wont let the bastard get away with it…” said Growlithe slowly. Suddenly it sprang up and landed next to Chris on the bed. “ I just…I don’t want to…change…to kill…I don’t want to be as bad as him. Never.” Growlithe looked up and it had a strange expression on it’s face. A sort of hardened blazing look. “I need your help,” said Growlithe promptly. “I need to do something. Anything.” Chris lifted himself into a sitting position again. “Find a way to avenge a dead and reborn pokemon?” “I know it sounds crazy –" said Growlithe quickly. “I was on a date before I found you.” “Wha? You?” said Growlithe a little skeptically. “Yeah. Me. I was on a date. It didn’t end well and ended up in the water,” said Chris a little louder. A definite note of annoyance in his voice now. “So? Look I need your help –“ started Growlithe again. “I was on a date with Misty,” interrupted Chris. “Misty? Who's that?” asked Growlithe. “Misty the Gym Leader of Cerulean City,” Finished Chris. A silence pursued this statement. Chris looked like he was concentrating on something he wanted to finish. Growlithe just looked confused. “You were on a date with a Gym Leader?” “I came to Cerulean City to challenge her for a Badge. We ended up going on a date before that. Misty is a true romantic you see…and well…” Chris sort of trailed off. “Well what?” asked Growlithe now sincerely curious. “Well things didn’t go so well and now she thinks I’m a pervert,” finished Chris. Growlithe opened it’s mouth but Chris cut it off. “Don’t ask. The point is the last thing I want to do now is show up at her Gym, full of her friends, and challenge her to a match. I doubt I’d get out of there alive…” Growlithe looked at Chris with a bemused expression. “So you want this to wash over before you challenge her?” “Yup. So right now, I’m totally free,” Chris stood up on the bed and looked down at the puppy. “Alright then Growlithe! You want to go on an adventure to avenge your murder? Okay!” Chris smiled down at the dumb struck pokemon. “If we find out you happen to be crazy along the way, all the better! Just as long as we put some distance between me and Misty for now, okay!” Growlithe looked up at Chris and smiled. In a way that only a fiery puppy can. “Thanks.” “No problem,” responded Chris. Suddenly, Growlithe jumped off the bed, landed on the floor, and trotted to the other side of the room. Then it curled up across the room and feinted sleep. “Growlithe? What are you…” asked Chris a little confused. Suddenly, the door to their room sprang open and Nurse Joy flew in. She surveyed Chris standing on top of his bed and screamed: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND YOUR JUMPING AND YELLING ON THE BED?! GET TO BED!!” As Chris got into bed, being watched carefully by the angry Nurse Joy, he couldn’t help but think that Growlithe had a sly, smug smile on it’s face as it lay curled on the floor.