Cold water rushes in around me as I feel my body slam into the river's tranquil surface. Having the redhead in my arms helps reduce our impact on the water, and I hold on tight to her so she doesn't break away from me. The water is soothing on the wounds from those damned Spearows. She taps on my shoulder, signaling for me to let her go, which I do immediately. She reorients herself and starts swimming towards the surface, and I follow shortly after.

When we break the surface of the water, we can hear the faint commotion from the cliff above, but most of the Spearows are flying away at this point as more balls of electricity keep shooting off the cliffside in their general direction. I can see a few Magikarp and Goldeen swimming around us and away from the cliff.

"Over here! This way!" Redhead shouts to me as she swims slowly towards a riverbank across from the cliff. I follow behind her, thinking about how crazy it is that the start of my journey has led me to come across a Spearow flock and Pineco nest fighting over territory. Not only that, but two evolutions occurred right before my eyes. Talk about an ominous start to my adventure. She crawls onto the riverbank and lays down, staring up at the sky.

I swim up and crash onto the bank as well, the adrenaline having left my body, leaving me exhausted. So much has happened in such a short span of time. I'm beginning to wonder if I got cursed or something. What are the damn odds? I look up at the sky; it's quiet now. A few clouds slowly move through the sky as they cover the sun's heat. Is this what I'm going to have to expect from now on?

Suddenly, I hear laughter, small at first, but then it begins to grow. She's laughing.

"Hey Redhead. Are you alright over there?" I call out to her. It's a bit unnerving to hear someone laugh after going through that, but I guess everyone deals with close calls differently.

"I'm ok, one-eye," she calls back once her laughter subsides. "It was my first time dealing with a situation like that."

There's a brief moment of silence before I hear her start to move and get up. The sound of a Pokeball opening, followed by the small cry of her Surskit.

I sit up and look over at her. She has taken out a potion and started to spray it on her Surskit, who cheerfully enjoys the attention. She tries to get up and falls on her butt with a small startled cry.

"Yeah, you're not going to be able to put any pressure on that ankle. It's sprained. I'll make a splint for you; give me a moment."

I get up and start to look for things to use. The riverbank connects to a small wooded meadow, and I can see the large hill that I descended from off in the distance.

"Rotom, show me the current map location." I ask before the phone pops up in front of me, displaying a map of my surroundings. We're off the main route by two miles, which isn't bad. Alright, now to focus on getting Redhead her splint. The area is dense in certain parts and has several patches of tall grass.

I send out Beca, who blinks a few times and looks around.

"We're on the side of a river. We had to save someone. Champ is exhausted, so I need your help for now. Would you mind?"

Beca slowly nods and crawls up to my left shoulder to keep a lookout. I walk around the area testing the fallen branches. Some are too rotten or wet, while others are warped or bent and can't be used for splinting. It takes a bit, but I manage to find two good ones. Next is padding… Hm… I'll have to use leaves. Now I only need some smooth stones from the riverbank and… I don't have vines or anything to secure it. Wait, that's not true. A light bulb goes off in my head.

"Hey, Beca. When I tell you, do you think you could use String Shot around this girl's leg to bind the sticks to her leg?"

She lets out some noises, which I take as her saying yes, followed promptly by a small yawn. Awww, that's adorable. Focus, damn it. Alright, back to the redhead we go.

Not having encountered any wild Pokémon on the way here and back, I can assume that most are hiding or running away from the Pineco vs. Spearow pissing contest.

I get back to the redhead and see that she has stripped down to a solid black one-piece bathing suit with the rest of her clothes drying on a large log to the side. She has her back against it while munching on a protein bar. Seeing her like this makes me realize how unbelievably gorgeous she is. Her red hair is cascading around her body like a curtain now that it's loose, trying to hide the not-so-subtle athletic curves of her frame. She's a goddess in mortal form, right down to her heart-shaped face and deep green eyes that are staring right at me…

Crap, my face immediately heats up as I avert her gaze. She catches me looking, damn that's embarrassing.

I clear my throat and keep walking towards her, and she has an amused smile on her face as I kneel down and set out all the items that I've gathered necessary for the splint.

"So, you know how to make a splint, save a damsel in distress, and know your way around Pokémon fights. You must be one hell of a ranger then," she says, keeping her eyes on my face as I start to place the two branches on the side of her leg, followed by setting up the leaves and smooth stones for padding around her ankle.

I stay quiet, focusing on her splint and making sure all the pieces are in the right spots. Then I gesture for Beca to come down from her spot on my shoulder. She crawls down with a yawn and sits on my hand.

"Small amounts of String Shot," I say simply as Becca lets out small amounts to wrap around her leg.

"That is a beautiful Sewaddle, what's her name?" She flinches when I move her leg to give Beca better access underneath. Realizing that I would remain quiet while I work, she continues to talk. "I'm a trainer just starting out on my own journey. Yeah, I know. Talk about waiting so long. I was actually supposed to be in Viridian City but decided to take a detour when I found out there was a Pineco nest here."

She looks up at the cliff with a sad expression.

"It's a shame I couldn't get one; I had really wanted it for my team."

With a quick and smooth motion, her Surskit jumps onto the log behind her and then moves to nestle on top of her head, gently patting the sides in a comforting manner. It reminds me of those weird head massagers I saw in the civilian section of the Poké Mart. She smiles with fondness and closes her eyes while I finish up with her ankle.

"My name is Meredith, and this is Dewdrop. What's your name, silent knight?"

Once Beca finishes, she crawls back up my arm and settles on my shoulder with another yawn before covering her face with her leaves.

My heart catches in my throat when I realize that I'm left alone with Meredith. Well, technically since Beca is still on my shoulder. Clearing my throat, I sit down across from her, still averting her gaze out of embarrassment.

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"My name is Erembour, and this is Beca."

Beca lets out a chit sound that's half between what I think is a hello and a snore. I can see Meredith trying to hold back a tiny squeal as she fawns over her. Heh, she must really love pokemon, I guess she’s a decent enough girl.

"Well then, Mr. Erembour, it is truly a pleasure to meet you," Meredith says, her smile radiating an almost palpable warmth.

"Uhm, it's a pleasure to meet you too," I respond, my voice coming out meekly. I groan internally as my face grows hot. She giggles, and I immediately know I've lost. We stay quiet after that, with the sound of the occasional splashing coming from the river or the rustling of leaves as the breeze picks up.

"I'm not a ranger," I find myself saying to her after a few more moments pass. "I'm actually a trainer too. Just started today, as a matter of fact."

"Oh? Is that right? My apologies. I didn't think… I saw your eye and…"

She trails off, her voice becoming sheepish.

"It's alright. I don't blame you for the mistake. I started off late, but I've trained since I was a kid."

I guess it's probably partially true. I got the impression that whoever I was had learned as much about Pokémon as possible. There's another awkward pause as she finishes her bar and looks out at the river. She tries to steal a few curious glances at my face thinking I wouldn’t notice.

"I lost my eye to a Pokémon attack. I was careless trying to save a young Charmander from a feisty Charmeleon when I was studying at a ranch. The Charmeleon didn’t seem to care much for the Charmander since it was feeble and malnourished. I intervened before the Charmeleon could kill her, but paid the price by losing my left eye. I got reprimanded and commended at the same time as I was being taken to the hospital."

I force a chuckle as naturally as I can. The lie came almost as naturally as breathing air to me. A part of me knows that I need to defuse her curiosity, and the best way to do so is to build sympathy through a good deed.

"I see…" she trails off, as if she wants to say something more but drops it. "You're going to head to Pewter City, right? Get your first badge there?"

"Yeah, I am. At first, I was considering heading to challenge Kenneth, but after seeing the recorded gym battles. Forget it. He's too rough, even on newbies."

"I agree! He is pretty bad. It’s ridiculous that he hasn’t been reprimanded by the Indigo League Elites for being such a hardass which is why I'm also heading to Pewter. I was hoping to come across a Mankey down here, but… I ended up finding the Pineco nest and couldn't resist trying to catch one. Oh well, no use crying over spilled Moomoo Milk."

Her smile fades as she looks up towards the cliff and lets out a sigh before trying to get up. She winces from the pain and sits down on the log. Ah, That's right. I should have gotten her a walking stick. Actually, since Champ needs to rest and Becca wants to sleep, I could have her act as my seeing eye buddy during the rest of the trip to Viridian.

"Tell you what," I say while getting up and heading over to help her.

"I'll let you lean on me as we make our way back, and you can return the favor by being my eyes on my left side."

"Deal!" she says with zero hesitation and a smile returning to her face. That was rather…quick. Well, I won't look a gift Horsea in the mouth.

I pull her up and place her arm around my lower back, while mine goes around her shoulders. I didn't realize until now that she's actually shorter than me, so this might be a little awkward. I make sure not to place my hands or arms anywhere too friendly as we give it a tentative try, and it seems to help. With her Dewdrop still on her head and Beca having grumpily moved to my right shoulder, we continue forward at a slow but sure pace.

----------------------------------------

It takes us the remainder of the day, with several breaks along the way, but as the sun sets, we finally arrive at the outskirts of Viridian City. We stand on a large hill that provides a breathtaking view of the city's grandeur. The city lies at the heart of a valley, sprawling across a vast meadow, with towering skyscrapers and buildings dominating its skyline. To the north, there are sections of the city nestled against the base of a mountain, while to the east, it surrounds a glistening lake. In the west, I spot a route that leads towards the mountains, housing the Indigo Plateau HQ. I believe it's Route 22. A well-paved road extends from it, a testament to the cities' preparedness following the Team Rocket incidents.

"OW! Damn it!" I hear Meredith exclaim, followed by a soft thud and Dewdrop's concerned chitters. I sigh and pass a hand over my face, feeling the stubble that I've kept from the hospital having grown more into a mustache and beard.

"Do you need any help?" I call back.

"No, damn it. I've got this. You stay right there," she yells back.

"Stubborn as a Donphan, this one," I mumble to myself. She's been trying to set up her tent for the past half-hour on her own. I offered to help, but she refused me flat-out, saying she's done it before with worse injuries. I hear another soft thud followed by a loud groan. Forcing myself to stifle my laugh, I look back out towards the beautiful view.

From what I can see to the north, in between the large buildings, is the massive stretch of trees heading off towards the horizon that most likely is Viridian Forest. The last few rays of sunlight seem to paint the treetops as if they're on fire; something in me keeps nagging that it's an ominous sight. I will have to trek through that in a few days, which fills me with a sense of foreboding.

I shudder when a warm breeze blows over the hilltop, and I turn my attention back to Route 22. I blink a few times before squinting in that direction. I can make out a bunch of lights that weren't there a few minutes ago.

"Rotom. Can you magnify that?" My phone floats out of my pocket into view in front of me and proceeds to zoom in on the lights. It gets a good view of the action, but it's still pretty grainy. I can make out several transport vehicles and jeeps rushing down the road towards the city and then towards the direction of the forest. Shortly after, a few convoys follow out as well heading in the same direction.

"Huh, ain't that totally not suspicious at all," I say aloud to myself as Becca mumbles something on my shoulder.

"Alright! I'm done!" Meredith yells.

"Finally, I thought you'd take even-" I turn around and see her in a dark blue tank top and dark blue cargo shorts to match. Her hair is set in a braided bun with a few strands poking out around her face. She looks stunning. " -longer…" I stumble out.

I can also see that her tent is set up already as she grins at me.

"Told you I could manage on my own. Now, I'm going to hobble into my tent and get some rest. I suggest you do the same."

She winks at me before slipping into her tent and zipping the door. I can't help but groan when I turn back to Rotom. Whatever was happening has finished already. I put it away and go off to get the rest of the camp situated.

After thirty minutes, I set up my own tent next to hers and a small fire pit in the center. The sun has finally set, and the half-moon is rising. I wish I could see the stars, but the light pollution from the city blocks out most of them. I can hear the cries of different Pokémon at the base of the hill and in the surrounding areas.

Most of the stronger Pokémon are hunted down by the city rangers to keep the surrounding areas safe for the general populace, so the Pokémon down there should be relatively weak and safe enough for us to fight off if necessary.

I strike some flint and cause a spark to ignite the fire pit, setting off a small fire to keep warm for the first watch. We've settled on doing a game of fire, water, grass, and I've been the victor, but she guilt-tripped me into taking the first watch because she needed to rest her ankle. Something along the lines of me being her "Shining Escavalier" or whatever as the reasoning.

Still, though. I look up at the night sky and listen to the breeze, the soft snores of Beca, and the crackling of the logs in the fire pit. All of it seems so nostalgic to me. Almost as if...

The biting frost of a mountaintop as we huddle together around a bonfire. "Do you think after all of this is over you and I could…?" a suggestive, almost lyrically silken voice whispers into my ear.

"I'll always have time for you after a mission," I hear myself replying.

Giggles and warmth, not from the bonfire, fill me.

I snap back with tears running down my cheeks. A profound sense of loneliness fills me. I don't know why, but that memory makes me wish that not all of those lost would return to me.