Chapter 27: Picked Up

Ark was quietly resting on top of a branch. The searing pain had calmed down, but instead his left shoulder now felt cold. Ark knew that he could not prolong this anymore, thus he would have to jump down and make a break towards Pewter City again. Had it been an ordinary guy, then there would be a high chance that they would be sent unconscious due to the blood loss and body damage he had received from Scyther. Even now he had not come up with a solid reason for that Scyther to react in such a violent way.

"Right, I better jump down. That thing should be gone now, so the next challenge is finding my way out of here. Please just please let me get to Pewter"

Ark closed his eyes as he dropped down to the ground. He used his knees to kill some of the impact but due to his unhealthy state, his body began to slightly ache, with his feet becoming slightly numb.

Despite the state of his body, Ark forced his body into the direction of Pewter City. Ark had memorised a map of Kanto using his System Abilities, however the maps of this world was not as descriptive as he had hoped. It only showed thew most commonly used paths, as such, Ark had to rely on the sun to tell the direction.

Trudging forward, Ark moved North at a slightly slower pace as he kept his eyes and ears open for any disturbances in the forest. In his current state, he could not afford to battle or anger anything, and there were many Bug Type Pokemon in this forest that could catch up to him.

"When I get to Pewter, I am so going to flirt with Misty if she's there, a near death experience like this just really is not my cup of tea"

Ark grit his teeth as he progressed forward, each step was more painful than the last.

Before he knew it, he had walked enough that the trees had slowly become sparser. They were no longer so compact but instead seemed more akin to a farm than a full grown forest. A smile grew upon his face as the prospect of freedom grew ever closer. Using his working right arm, he pushed past the shrubbery and bushes before bright rays of sun beamed blinded his vision.

The tension left Arks body as he collapsed on the floor. As his vision faded, he saw a figure approaching him at an alarming rate. Slowly... his vision went dark.

Arks eyes gingerly opened as a white room encompassed his vision. At first an expression of panic overcame Ark, however after a few minutes of calming down, he felt a bit of déjà vu at this situation. He looked at his body and noticed he was laid in a plain white bed with his whole body bandaged.

"Am I in a hospital? Like again seriously?"

His earlier panic was now replaced by a deep sense of bitterness. When he was younger, he had traveled in the forest and collapsed the moment he got out at Camp, despite training for many years in a forest environment, history repeated itself. A deep bitterness set in as he recalled his weakness, the fact that he could not even get away from a single Scyther, let alone battle it, proved to him that he was not really that special. Sure he had a system and trained since he was young, however if he did not constantly improve and challenge himself then he will be caught out just like every other ordinary person.

After a few minutes of self-deprecation, a fire begun to burn in Arks eyes. He had decided that he needed to train alongside Sylph, and push himself in ways he had not been able to before. However, the biggest goal he had decided on right now, was to get another Team Member. While his thoughts did linger on catching that Scyther, he concluded that he needed to improve a bit more first before even entertaining the idea of catching it.

"You're finally awake?"

His thoughts were broken by a very pleasant voice. A voice that he was both familiar and unfamiliar with. It was quite possibly one of the most memorable voices in the Pokemon series.

Ark lifted his head and met eyes with the guest. A woman with Teal hair and brown eyes in a striking blue uniform stood tall as she smiled at Ark laid in bed. He was momentarily mesmerised by the woman who radiated a dominating aura which also made others feel secure.

"My names Jenny, I am the Police Chief of Pewter City and I found you passed out just outside the Viridian Forest, honestly you scared the life out of me"

He bowed his head down low before apologising to Jenny.

"I am so sorry Officer Jenny. I probably would've been dead if you didn't pick me up, truly thank you so much! Oh right, my names Ark, I come from Pallet Town"

The sincerity in his voice made a small smile blossom on Jennys face as she watched this youth reflect on his experience. She was very interested in what happened, after all, if it could endanger others then it was her job to remove it. However, if it was what she thought it was, then she would likely have to take different measures entirely.

"So Young Man, what happened to you? These are some really nasty injuries, so I am not going to believe you if you tell me you tripped and fell."

He chuckled as he lifted his head and stared Jenny in the eyes. His face had gone from that of cheerfulness, to one of pure seriousness. Consequently, Jenny pulled a chair over and sat down across from him.

"It was a Pokemon. A scyther to be exact. The thing just jumped from the bushes and attacked me and Sylph as we were walking in the forest. The moment I saw it, the two of us ran for our lives"

Jenny listened attentively before replying.

"Sylph? There was another person?"

Ark shook his head before reaching to his Pocket and pretending to draw out Sylphs Pokeball from it.

"No, Sylph is my partner. Come on out Sylph!"

Sylph appeared from the Pokeball and immediately launched itself at Ark. He panicked slightly but accepted his fate and braced for impact.

The little Pokemon flew directly into his chest causing him to wince in pain as he gritted his teeth. Ignoring this, Sylph continued to snuggle up to Ark and push against him, causing him more pain. Ark held back his pain as he pat Sylphs head.

Seeing this, Jenny frowned at their interaction. She was happy to see such a bond between a Pokemon and Human, however, she was not completely convinced it was healthy.

"I see. Ark, do you plan to compete in gym battles in the future?"

Ark was confused by this seemingly random question but still nodded his head at her question.

"Well then, I suggest you give up then. With the way you are with this Pokemon, it will only cause you to lose"

This time it was Arks turn to frown. His eyes turned sharp as he waited for Jennys words. He was ready to leave.