Keepers of Pokemon

Chapter 5- The Pain of Steel Toe Boots

The man jolted and sputtered before collapsing on the ground.

Luke glared at Coda. "Now look what you did,"

Ignoring his friend, Coda walked up to the old man and knelt down to see if he was okay. The man suddenly leaped to his feet, startling Coda. "What a bolt! I feel like I can run up a mountain side!"

Coda's surprised face fell into an annoyed expression. "So you're not hurt?"

The old man looked down at him, as if finally noticing him. "Oh, no. When you've been shocked, bitten, burnt, scratched, and frozen as much as I have, you lose all feeling of pain."

Coda lifted one eyebrow at the man's response.

"So I knelt down in the dirt for nothing," Coda said blankly.

"Looks like it!" The man held out his hand to Coda. "Names Mr.Fuji."

"Coda," Coda muttered, letting go of the man's hand and pulling himself up on his feet.

"I'm Luke Minkus," Luke said, showing up behind Coda.

"Pikaaaaa!" The Pikachu growled, its cheeks letting off sparks.

Mr. Fuji eyed the Pikachu. "I've been looking for you. Seems you found a new target." He looked at the two boys. "So which one of you is his next victim?"

"Victim?!" Luke shouted. "What kind of serial killer rodent do you have here?!"

Mr. Fuji gave a wave. "Oh. It's nothing like that. He just follows a person around until he gives them a good frying." Fuji leaned in close to Coda and placed his hand to one side of his mouth. "He has a passionate hatred to humans, especially trainers."

"Were not trainers," Coda replied. Nor human either. "And why is bugging me?"

"Probably something you said." Mr. Fuji responded.

"All I said was frying me to a crisp was more likely not going to happen."

Fuji nodded. "He took that as a challenge."

Luke stepped between Coda and Fuji. "So how do we get a pokemon that isn't trying to murder us?"

"New trainers huh? Well, first you would need a Starter Pokemon and pokeballs." Fuji explained.

"And how would we get those-?"

"From Professor Oak, of course,"

Coda thought a moment. "Were going to need more knowledge then that," He glanced back up to Mr.Fuji. "Does this town happen to have a library,"

"Afraid not. But Saffron does,"

"This place is probably one of the most cool worlds we've been to and you want to go read a book."

"We need the knowledge, if we're going to find Wilfride and get back."

"Or we do what the guy said and go see Oakey,"

The dreary forest stretched on endlessly. Each length of trees looked exactly the same no matter how far they traveled. Spindly branches silhouetted against the dark sky reached up around them like a cage of bony claws as if to suggest that they would never escape.

Their only guide through the shadows came from the faint hint of stars that twinkled above their heads, but it did little to brighten up the heavy silence of the woods as it pressed in around them. Luke found himself jumping more than once at the echoes of creaking limbs and hooting owl pokemon over the distance.

"I didn't think it would be so dark,"

"You didn't think it would be so dark in a closed in forest at night?" Luke turned his head to meet Coda's vivid eyes, glaring at him with his arms crossed. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this,"