Redstreak Orphan Part 17: by Pitriboy         OT             "The Decision"

I watched. Pikachu and Golduck were both knocked out. Lizzie and Willis groaned as Golduck slowly got to his feet. Pikachu got up shortly after.
     "I guess you are the winner..." I muttered.
     "Damn right," said Pete. "And don't you ever forget it."
     What a freaking jerk, I thought as I went forward and picked up Pikachu. He could at least try to be nice once in a while. Maybe a handshake or at least a "nice try" or "maybe next time." But no. He has to be a jerk. Is it that hard to show a little bit of sportsmanship. No. It isn't. But to Pete it is because he always has to rub it in everyone's face. He just doesn't wanna admit that he was seconds away from losing to a 10 year old kid.
    
Lizzie and Willis motioned me over. We started to leave, but all of a sudden, the whole wall crumbled. I stepped back in shock. Fire shot out of the wall and bricks fell.
     "What the freak?" Lizzie cried as another brick flew her way. We all looked forward and saw a black box about the size of a trash can. It was a time bomb and it was exploding as we speak!
     Pete turned and gasped as a huge wave of fire rushed towards him. "Look out!" I cried.
     I jumped as high as I ever have before and tackled Pete to the ground -- barely saving him from being turned into well done steak!
     "Woody!" Willis cried. I looked up. A huge chunk of the ceiling fell on me. It was flaming. I rolled Pete out of the way and tried to move. I got my body out of the way, but the chunk fell on my ankle.
     "Aaahhhhh!" I cried in pain. I gasped and clutched my ankle. A huge scratch was on it with blood barely oozing out. The fire stopped. The whole front wall had fallen and the ceiling had a huge hole in it. Smoke leaked into the room.
     I clutched my ankle again and rolled over, trying not to cry. The last thing I was told before my mother died was not to cry. Crying wasn't accepted. Crying doesn't help anything and crying won't fix problems in the world...
     The sun shone in my eyes and I looked up. Lizzie, Willis and Pete stood over me. Willis and Lizzie helped me to my feet. "What happened?" I asked. "Did the ceiling just fall on my leg?"
     "Kind of," Lizzie replied.
     "You saved my butt big time," Pete murmured. "That was pretty cool, man. I could have been killed. Even after I was mean to you... you saved me. Hah. You know... I'm gonna give you your badge shot."
     I smiled. "Thank you. But right now... can you guys go to the Pokemon Center and get some bandages and ice for my ankle?"
     "I'll do it," Willis said. He took off through the fallen wall.
     "I'll call the police and firemen," Pete said running to the phone.
     Lizzie bent down next to me. "That was awesome." She hugged me.

I sprained my ankle and brought new pants since my other ones were stained with blood and torn at the bottom. Nurse Joy had rubbed some cream on my ankles and wrapped them up with bandages. "Okay. You'll need to be on crutches for about 3 days," she said. "Don't leave town so you can bring them back. We only have 3 pairs."
     "Okay," I said. I tried out the crutches.

The next 2 days went by sort of slow. We mostly stayed in hotels and watched TV. I went downstairs. "Hey!" a voice called. I looked down and saw Pete. He smiled.
     "Hey. What's up?" I asked as I slapped him a high-five.
     "The gym is still under construction," Pete said. "But I decided something. We don't hafta be inside the gym to have a battle. I say tomorrow we have a battle in the park for the Platinum Badge. Two on two Pokemon battle. What do you say?"
     I thought about it. I knew I had to get that badge and tomorrow would be the perfect day since we were planning on leaving as soon as I returned the crutches. "Sure," I said. "I say yeah. You're on."
     Pete smiled and nodded. "I'll meet you in the park. Tomorrow at noon."
     "I'll seeya there," I said waving.

Julius glared at Kio. They hid in some bushes and watched the construction of the gym. "This wasn't supposed to happen," Julius said. "The bomb was supposed to go off during the match and knock down the wall. That was supposed to distract Pete and let Woody win the match. Woody wasn't supposed to sprain his ankle!"
     "Sorry," Kio said. "But you're the one who told me to put the bomb so close. I said put it about 10 yards away. But no. You said put it right against the wall."
     "Shut up," Julius said. He shook his head. "You're not getting paid this week." He got up and walked away.
     Kio frowned. "But you don't pay me anything!" he called as he followed Julius.

"Tomorrow in the park," Lizzie said. "I like it. It's mature and sophisticated. You're making the best of a bad situation."
     I smiled. "What Pokemon are you gonna use?" Willis asked.
     "I'm not sure," I said. "I'm thinking about using Quilava. I haven't used him in a match for a while. And I know I'm using Pikachu. Pikachu deserves another shot."
     "Pika," Pikachu said. (Awesome.)
     It started to rain outside. Lightning struck. Willis and Lizzie grabbed their jackets.
     "Woody, we're going next door to the resteraunt," Willis said. "You coming?"
     "Sure," I said. I grabbed some money out of my backpack and left, shoving my Pokeballs into my pockets. Pikachu hopped on top of my head.
     We ran down the hotel and ran across the street into the "Train Food Station". I took off my jacket and hung it on the rack. I then walked across the room to the ordering spot.
     A chubby man with a bald spot on his head turned to us. "How may I help ya?"
     "We would like 3 bacon double cheeseburgers and fries," Willis said after we had agreed on what we would eat. "We would also like 3 milkshakes. 2 strawberry and 1 chocolate. Oh, and 2 bowls of Pokemon food for Pikachu and Marill."
     I saw the man's name tag said "Phatty" on it. "Okay," Phatty said. "That will be... ten dollars."
     We all split the money. I saw that they had Machokes working on the stoves. I sat down at a booth with Pikachu and Marill next to me. Willis and Lizzie sat on the other side of the table. I looked outside and watched as the rain patted against the window. Lightning struck outside. I saw two dark figures crossing through the grass. I tapped on Pikachu's shoulder.
     "Chu?" Pikachu asked. (What's wrong?)
     I didn't have to reply. Pikachu saw the figures too. They were heading towards the park. "I'll be right back," I said. I got out of the booth. Pikachu followed me. I rushed outside and looked at the two figures. Even through the storm, I could almost make out who they were. Two teenage boys. Both in black suits with R's on their shirts. They were carrying a sack towards the park. Julius and Kio!
     "HEY!" I cried.
     Julius almost dropped the sack and turned to me. He smiled. "Oh. It's just Edward. Oh-- 'Woody' as he likes to be called."
     Kio shook his head and started to turn but then he saw my angry look.
     "It was you who set the bomb up by the gym a couple of days ago," I realized. "Why'd you do something like that?" I shook off the thought. "Were you trying to kill another gym leader?"
     "Hey, last time was an accident!" Kio yelled.
     Julius was already on the run. He ran towards the park. A shovel was sticking out of the sack. He was carrying a bomb to the park!
     Kio blocked my path though. "I choose Tauros!"
     Tauros popped out of a Pokeball and faced Pikachu. "Pikachu, Quick Attack," I ordered.
     Pikachu zipped around Tauros until Tauros was dizzy and then slammed into him which sent Tauros stumbling back. Pikachu then hit the Thundershock. Tauros roared and then charged right at my little electric mouse.
     I gasped. "Pikachu!" I cried.
     A blast of water nailed Tauros. I turned and saw Lizzie and Marill running out of the resteraunt. "Time for a double team," Lizzie said. She smiled at me. I nodded.
     "Pikachu," I said.
     "Marill," Lizzie said.
     "Double Tackle attack!" we yelled in unison. Marill and Pikachu both tackled Tauros. Tauros rolled on its side in pain. The bull struggled to his feet. "Marill, Bubblebeam," Lizzie commanded.
     "Pikachu, Thunderbolt," I ordered.
     The bubbles and the electricity hit Tauros between the eyes and knocked out the Pokemon.
     Kio returned Tauros and gasped. Pikachu glowed yellow. "THUNDER!" I cried.
     Pikachu summoned thounsands of bolts of electricity. They all zipped down and Kio looked up with his mouth opened. There was a huge explosion as Kio went flying through the sky.
     I turned and saw that Julius was no longer in sight. I started to go after him. I turned to Lizzie and Marill. "You guys, go back inside!" I called. "I'll be fine!"
     Lizzie started to protest, but I raised a hand up to silence her. "Go," I sighed.
     Lizzie stood there for about 10 seconds and then nodded slowly. She walked back inside. I took off in a sprint towards the park with Pikachu right in front of me. I could barely hear myself think with the pouring down rain and the thunder. The wind blew the cold rain into my face. It was kind of like wearing stained goggles on my head. "Pikachu!" I yelled through the noise of the storm. "Stand back!" I took Noctowl's Pokeball from my pocket and threw it in the air. Noctowl appeared out of it in a flash of white light. "Noctowl, use your X-ray vision to find Julius."
     Noctowl nodded and his brow glowed red. Noctowl then flew to the left. I shieled my eyes and jogged after it. Pikachu behind me. Eventually I saw a man in a black suit digging in the ground. He turned and saw Noctowl. But it was too late. "Aaahhhhh!" he cried.
     I saw that it was Julius after all. Noctowl used a Wing Attack and sent Julius flying several feet. I looked at the bomb. I tried to pick it up and turn it off. But I was struck from behind. I fell face first in the dirt and rolled over. It was Sneasel. It had nailed a Faint Attack to the back of my head. I saw bright red and started to feel heavy. I coughed and tried to get to my knees. I could tell I was losing energy. I was getting weak.
     Reaching forward, I grabbed hold of something. It was Julius's arm. He waited until I managed to my feet, and then he shoved me back down again. He aimed a punch at me. I fell backwards. I was choking on the cold air. It was almost freezing cold. I didn't even have a jacket. Gasping, I again tried to get up. I saw that Pikachu and Noctowl were busy with Sneasel. I turned and looked at the bomb. I had one chance. Julius rose up a foot and began to stomp right on my head, but I rolled out of the way and picked up the bomb. I tossed it to Julius. Julius just laughed.
     "Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" I ordered. Pikachu heard this and dodged out of the way of Sneasel's Tackle. He then jumped right over to me and used a Thunderwave on Julius who was holding the time bomb. I moved out of the way. Julius gasped. The bomb sparked and then exploded. Luckily, I was barely grazed with the fire. I saw that Julius was flipping high through the air. Noctowl and Pikachu then double teamed Sneasel. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and Noctowl used Psybeam. Sneasel also went flying through the air.
     I smiled at my Pokemon. Then, I headed back to the resteraunt.

The next day, Pete and I stood in the park. The rain had subsided.
     The ground was still damp. I had just gotten off my crutches and ankle brace. "Two on two," Willis said. "I will be the ref of the match and there will be no time limits. One Pokemon at a time, please."
     "I choose you... Quilava!" I ordered.
     Quilava came out of the Pokeball. "And I choose Machop," Pete said.
     Quilava jumped at Machop and Machop flipped out of the way. He then turned and caught Quilava in the side of the head with a Karate chop. Quilava was sent sprawling to the ground.
     "Ember," I ordered. Quilava sent fireballs from his mouth. They connected perfectly as Machop fell to the ground. Quilava was taking no chances. He jumped on Machop and started to bite him. Machop bent his knees and pushed Quilava off. Quilava flipped through the air but landed on his feet.
     "Machop, Low Kick!" Pete yelled. Machop pulled up his pants and slid across the slick wet ground which would make a perfect Low Kick attack. Quilava jumped up, however, avoiding the connection.
     "Come down with Flamethrower," I said. Quilava sent a beam of fire at Machop. Machop dodged it and used Mega Punch. The attack knocked Quilava down.
     "Machop, another Mega Punch!" Pete cried. Machop's fist glowed white and it tried to hit another Mega Punch. Before it could, Quilava opened up with a Flame Wheel and hit Machop right in the abdomen.
     "Another Flame Wheel!" I yelled. Quilava curled into a ball and burst into flames. Pete was obviously impressed because when Quilava rolled at Machop and hit him, he clapped.
     "Impressive," Pete said. "But you'll be even more impressed by this one. Machop, use a Twisting Dance Kick!"
     Machop did a handstand and twisted around, kicking Quilava twice in the face. "Nice," I said.
     "Didn't even get his pants dirty," Lizzie muttered.
     Willis laughed.
     "Quilava, show them what you've got," I said. "Skull Bash!"
     Quilava lowered his head and ran at Machop, but ended up running into a trash can!
     Machop jumped high through the air and landed on top of a trash can, then picked up the lid and hit Quilava in the head with it. I knew that there were no disqualifications. It reminded me of a hardcore pro wrestling match.
     Machop moved all of the garbage out of the way and lifted up Quilava above his head. He threw Quilava up high. "Flamethrower!" I yelled.
     Quilava was in midair. He shot fire at Machop. Machop was scorched. It ran around in a circle with part of his pants on fire. He then picked up a garbage can, but Quilava was too fast. Quilava used a Skull Bash... right through the garbage can! Machop was knocked out. It fell to its back, slowly.
     Lizzie and Willis clapped. "Return," Pete said. I knew who was coming next. Golduck. Sure enough, Pete opened a Pokeball and Golduck came out.
     "Golduck, Water Gun!" Pete yelled. A rush of water came out of Golduck's beak and left mist in the air as it sped at Quilava. The pressure closed the air around Quilava. Quilava was knocked to the ground.
     "Quilava, come on. You can do it, hit a Flamethrower!"
     Quilava used Flamethrower. Golduck absorbed the blow and was sent into a tree. Quilava jumped high into the air and Tackled Golduck. The environment was insane, so Golduck ended up falling straight down and a branch fell from the tree and landed right next to Quilava.
     Quilava used a Quick Attack, but Golduck raised a hand and used Confusion. Quilava began floating through the air and then Golduck got time to recover. He used a Bubblebeam and Quilava was knocked out.
     "Quilava, return," I said. I turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu... it's your turn."
     Pikachu charged at Golduck beforre I could even tell it to go. Golduck jumped high in the air and clutched onto Golduck's head. Pikachu then sparked from his cheeks and used Thundershock. Golduck yelled out and pushed Pikachu off, much like last time. Pikachu's electric attacks wouldn't be enough to stop Golduck. I was gonna hafta pull out every trick in the book.
     "Pikachu, use a Tackle and go for Golduck's knees," I said. Pikachu used a Tackle attack right to the knee of Golduck and Golduck fell to one knee. Pikachu then used another Tackle on Golduck's knee. Golduck clutched his knee and tried to grab Pikachu at the same time. Golduck fell down, trying to do this.
     "Golduck, Slash!" Pete commanded. Golduck slashed Pikachu hard in the face, with no concern whether Pikachu was injured or not. Golduck then limped towards Pikachu and picked him up. "Now hit him with a Psybeam."
     The symbol on Golduck's head glowed red and Golduck sent a Psybeam right at Pikachu. It went along the ground, tearing up grass. Pikachu then used a Thunderbolt attack. The two attacks again -- combined. Pikachu and Golduck were thrown back. They were both knocked out on the ground.
     "Not again," Lizzie groaned.
     We just stared at the unconscious Pokemon. I sighed. "I guess I won't be getting that badge after all..."
     "Don't be so sure," Willis said. "Look!"
     Pikachu pushed itself up and got to his feet. I smiled. "YES!!!" I jumped into the air. "I win!"
     Pete wsn't thrilled, but he was fine with the decision. "The better man won," he said. "Good job."
     I offered out my hand for him to shake it. He looked around for a second. I didn't realize that at least a dozen people had been watching our match. Pete turned back to me. He shook my hand.
     There was some clapping and Golduck also got up and shook Pikachu's hand. "Here ya go," Willis and Pete said in unison. Pete handed me a badge. It was pure gold with silver stripes in it. It was a circle with a square underneath.
     "Thanks," I said.
     "You earned it," Pete said.

I waved to Pete as we all left Bukendo City. I know this sounds corny so don't laugh or groan.
Lizzie, Willis and I learned a valubal lesson today. Don't make a habbit of changing people. And always be kind towards other. We now headed forward on our journey towards a new adventure, new Pokemon, new badges, new friends and new lessons.


                                  TO BE CONTINUED...